Sink-in luxury

Timothy Oulton's first store in India brings classic British designs with a modern twist

Last week, British furniture and interiors company Timothy Oulton opened its first store in India in south Delhi's upscale Defence Colony. Located by the Metro line and positioned alongside designer stores, boutiques and art galleries, the 3,600-sq-ft store offers a classy blend of British heritage with a contemporary twist.

Painted black from the outside, the symbolic shade of the Timothy Oulton brand, the store occupies two floors of the four-storey Tarun Vadehra Interiors showroom. (Oulton has partnered with Tarun Vadehra to bring the brand to India). The first thing that catches your eye as you enter the first floor is a pile of books. There are two such pillar-like piles that symbolise "pillars of knowledge".

The decor is in sync with the old-meets-new philosophy. Among the things adorning the walls is a fencing mask, an old-school telephone and a violin. It's like stepping back in time until the gaze settles on the products on offer - including lights, sofas and kitchen arrangements. Globally, the company has 5,000 products.

Each of the 37 Timothy Oulton retail galleries across the world, whether they are in New York, Hong Kong, London, Guatemala or Panama, maintains this synergy in interiors.

The most premium of the products are the sofas. Of these, the Tribeca sofa (Rs 4.5 lakh) is available in 25 different kinds of leathers and 15 fabrics. It has a comfortable backrest, a cosy cushions and enough room to stretch your arms across it.

Then there is the Zenna, which costs between Rs 8 lakh and Rs 10 lakh and is the most expensive of the sofas. The most popular, though, is the Wave sofa set (Rs 3 lakh) owing to the blissful comfort it provides. Another is the Nirvana (Rs 4.5 lakh), the USP of which is its low back that gives it a casual look and allows you to lounge back.

Globally, the most popular item is the Saddle Chair (Rs 2 lakh). Its appeal lies in its cracked and distressed look blended with the leather's natural softness.

Lighting plays a critical part in the look and feel of the store, just like it does in any home. The lights here cost between Rs 30,000 and Rs 4 lakh, with the most popular being the cross-glass pendant (Rs 2 lakh) made of crystal clear glass overlapped on an octagonal base.

Also popular are the sconces. The larger ones cost Rs 2.5 lakh and comprise precision cut glass crystals, candle lights and corresponding bobeche dishes.

Tarun Vadehra's son, Amit, who is handling Timothy Oulton's India operations, says the idea of partnering with the British brand came to him when he visited Maison D'Objet, one of the world's biggest furniture exhibitions, in Paris five years ago. That was when he met Oulton, who had put up a stall there. Oulton and Vadehra, who both run family businesses, found a lot of common ground in their approach to furniture and the partnership was finally sealed this January.