Collectibles on a holiday
The Paper Boat Collective, a new design store in Goa, puts the emerging Indian contemporary aesthetic on the tourist map
Handcrafted and produced on a small scale—that’s the initial criteria for a ticket to retail your products at the Paper Boat Collective (PBC). A design store launched on 25 January in Sangolda, Goa, the PBC puts together a limited-edition, curated collection of furniture, ceramics, apparel, art, photography and more, all of which is representative of a contemporary Indian design identity but rooted in organic, handmade and traditional techniques.
Ceramist Bhagyashree Patwardhan first thought of the PBC as a common space where contemporary Indian designers—most of whom happen to be alumni of the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad—could showcase their works and retail from. “Just like me, there are lots of artists and designers who are from NID and are creating through their own design studios spread across the country. My idea was to put their work under one roof because there’s a synergy in all our works," she says.
Furniture by the Bangalore-based design company bent by design includes its Yoga Chair, a slender wooden chair with a curved seat and back that allows you to sit cross-legged, as in Padmasana. Delhi-based children’s store SotoMoto has put up trunks, children’s patchwork quilts, birds and aeroplane chimes, stuffed toys and cushions. A rack of dresses, tops and stoles are from the Auroville-based Rangoli, which works only with handwoven, organic cotton. Pune-based Doodle factory brings out its illustrated diaries, magnets, bookmarks, coasters and bags. There’s watercolour art and printed postcards by Prashant Miranda, an artist who divides his time between India and Canada. Among others, there is a shelf of Patwardhan’s Monkey Business ceramic utility pots and a playful collection of ceramic vases and décor items inspired by the underwater world.
Housed in a quaint Portuguese home with green and ivory windows, on the Calangute-Panjim highway, the PBC is away from the crowded tourist markets. Yet the neighbourhood has other stores that call for a stopover. Designer Malini Ramani’s lifestyle store Dreamscape and the luxury antique furniture store Saudades, set in an Indo-Portuguese mansion, are nearby. Next week, a barbecue restaurant will open up in PBC’s backyard—a retreat for design aficionados and a place to soak in the cultural fiesta that Goa is.
The Paper Boat Collective is located at 248, Bella Vista, Chogm Road, Sangolda, Goa. Prices for knick-knacks, clothes and accessories range from ₹ 100-15,000. Furniture prices go up to ₹ 50,000 and art up to ₹ 85,000.
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