Sitting pretty

Have you ever noticed how people get possessive about their chairs? Dad sits at the head of the table, grandpa settles in his easy chair to read his newspaper while grandma knits away comfortably ensconced in her rocking chair. Even your dog curls up in his habitual corner of the sofa.

Does a chair have to be an exotic reminder of the Victorian, Jacobean, Judor, Elizabethan or Mughal eras or does it have to be just plain comfortable? From time immemorial kings have laid great attention to their thrones, their gaddis, gilting them, embellishing them with gems and precious stones, filigree work, perhaps to remind their courtiers and subjects of their supreme authority and power. Even today the politicians vie for their seats. A case of kissa kursi ka, chairs establish a symbiotic relationship for their owners. Lovers sigh in a love seat and further strengthen their bond, a weary writer settles in his easy chair to take a breather. Say what we may, chairs are important to us. Be it the good ol’ folding chair, a peedhi, or even an opulent king size sofa the trick lies in revamping the seat to fit in with the ambience. The Bithars have an old three-seater chair handed down by many generations. It has been painted white many times over but now they plan to scrape it andrestore it to its original look. Devika Singh on the other hand has converted an old Sindhi jhoola into a rather impressive chair.

At Srishti one can find beautiful lacquer-worked Sankheda chairs which fit in both with an ethnic and fusion ambience. Seats of art, these chairs have beautiful motifs and add a great deal of colour to the living room. Wrought iron is get another popular option. At Archives, Gafar Beg Street, one can find animal motifs on wrought iron chairs.

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For the garden, sturdy yet stylish seating is the need of the hour. Stone benches, bamboo, rough-hewn wood and copper seats and little toadstools make a good bet. Cast iron benches can also add a zing into your exteriors.

Paint can also transform a drab chair. Pop-art on chairs is a whacky option and real cool for a youngster’s lad. Burma teak, Shisham, gold, silver whatever the choice of material maybe, go by your instinct but do remember to experiment. It does not have to take a trip to that expensive uptown store in that la di da locality to find what you want. Rummage through flea markets and run-down bazaars… you never know what you’ll hit upon.