INDIA HOUSE GROUP
Enter Sona Makhni's house and showroom decorated like a Rajasthani haveli and you'll forget you are in Amritsar. An antique palki greets you up front while workers are busy weaving or carving as you go past the door. Inside, there is a spread of handcrafted trousseau boxes, a wooden bar with bar stools, coat hangers, cupboards of vintage value, wooden dining tables and side tables. " The most popular items here are the antique doors and the bar that comes with a table and bar stools," says Makhni. We loved the trousseau boxes, which can also be used as side tables or as regular storage boxes. Her husband Vikram Singh has impressed Westerners with Indian carpets and antique furniture made of mango, sheesham and teak wood for over 25 years— they have shops in Switzerland and France. Makhni decided to utilise her free time at home and started retailing from Amritsar. Her venture of one- and- a- half years has given her an exclusive clientele in the city. Makhni also customises furniture. All the wooden products are made at the family's manufacturing unit in Jodhpur. The Makhnis started their business with hand- knotted silk carpets. The wool for these carpets is imported from New Zealand and the weaving is done in neighbouring villages. " We've employed over 300 housewives from the villages," she says. Makhni also stocks a range of phulkari and Pashmina shawls at her store.
WHERE 5, RB, Duni Chand Road, Lawrence Road, Amritsar COST Rs 500 ( antique box); Rs 50,000; ( wooden cupboard) TEL 01832223845