A neon number

The Pylones store in New Delhi is as funky and colourful as its products. Abhilasha Ojha checks out the store, and comes away charmed

My first impression, when I entered Pylones (pronounced Pi-lawn) store, was that it was a brilliant, fascinating place. It looked as if a giant cannon ball had burst into a rainbow, peppering the funky products in the store with a riot of colours. With two showrooms (the second one is a kiosk in Mumbai’s Phoenix Mall) in India, this designer gift boutique headquartered in Paris has rapidly spread its rather colourful roots to cities all over the world — Hong Kong, Paris, New York, London, et al.

 

At Delhi’s bustling Select Citywalk mall, I notice a group of young, nattily dressed women enthusiastically pointing to the store. Inside, people are intently, but perplexedly gazing at the products arranged in the 550 sq ft space. Considering it’s not a very large area (though convenient by mall standards), Pylones has managed to stock over 200 of the 1,000 designs in its catalogue.

But more than the products, it’s the manner in which the store is designed that takes you by surprise. “Pylones, Paris, has an in-house design studio and the interiors of all stores are designed by the experts there,” says Chandrika Anand, director, Pylones, who is responsible for introducing the brand in India. The brief for the interiors was simple: replicate the shopping experience at the Pylones headquarters in Paris.

The Select Citywalk store’s design may appear straightforward but the riot of colours makes all the difference. Beyond the glass door, nifty blocks in different hues stock a multitude of products. It’s a lot like cleverly arranged Lego blocks. From flowers bursting on a lamp to a toaster sporting a polka dot pattern, to another teapot with a zany design, it is the innovative display of the products that give the Pylones store an edge. Desk lamps, for instance, have been arranged atop colourful blocks, adding little pools of light everywhere which exude a delightful warmth.

Also thoroughly charming are a set of large drums (the regular aluminum ones that we used once to store water), which have been painted in neon pink, red, green and yellow. It’s a detail that is in line with the store’s spirit of design, which Anand emphasises, also focuses on “ways to recycle and reinvent interesting elements, which are otherwise considered regular and boring”.

Explains Anand, “When you enter Disneyland, it’s a different world. Similarly, when you enter Pylones, it’s a different world. The colourful and bright display of products actually adds to the overall décor of the store,” she explains. “Eventually,” adds Anand, “the store should put a wide smile on everyone’s face.” Oh, that, it does.