Back in the early 1980s when we were growing up (yes, we’re that old), one of our favourite books was a magic realism tale called The Lost Girl and The Scallywags. In it, Zoya the “lost girl” inherits a magic painting from her grandfather that is peopled with strange little creatures whom she can befriend. Second Floor Studio, a new home store in Khan Market, reminds us of that book, maybe because of the fabric painted butterfly on a cushion, or the moth on the wall, or the little tinsel Christmas ornament grasshopper that lives inside a cheese case.
Highs and Pillows
Second Floor Studio is the brainchild of designer Punit Jasuja, who displays little method and much madness. The store itself feels like his drawing room—his exceedingly cluttered and not-enough-seating-space drawing room - stuffed with all sorts of cool bric-a-brac: candle stands shaped like cymbals; a lamp made out of a single shaving of wood; a gorgeous white Hunter bag we wanted to take home and sleep next to, our cheek against the rubber. Also pay attention to the Olivia Dar collars we raved about recently, along with Nappa Dori trunks.
On the wall there are hand painted plates from the Men Of Jaipur series, which a shop manager points out to patiently. “That’s our carpenter,” she says, “that was our electrician.” You might wonder why you’d want these eponymous men in your boudoir, but the finely painted laugh lines in the corner of the electrician’s eyes and the bright blue of his shirt make him hard to resist.
Also among the plates are photos of Hindi movie stars, which we’re extremely bored of and a fun but useless wedding survival kit, a little cloth pouch filled with Eno and band aids. At Rs 500 a pop, it’s a costly union.
Fly on the Wall
But it’s really the scores of butterflies that catches our eye, painted on transparent blue medicine bottles and cushion covers, spread out as a lepidopterist might mount them, scarlet and brown and eerily realistic. Like Zoya, we want to slip into their painted world, harness their thorax and grab on to an antenna, fluttering around a pretty, cluttered, weird and wonderful room.
Getting There: 39, Second Floor, Khan Market, call 43509857 or visit the Facebook page here, Rs 500 for a wedding survival kit.
