A furniture boutique sounds intriguing. That is until one sees MOD. It is then easy to comprehend why Fahed Majeed calls his furniture store a boutique. Tucked away in a nook in the tiny Puthiya Road, in Kaloor, MOD is a veritable treasure trove.
A house is the last place one would expect a furniture store but there it is. A narrow staircase leads to the ‘store’, on what would have been the terrace of the house. For an eye used to seeing mass-produced rexine or faux-leather furniture or heavily worked-on pieces passing as designer furniture, this place is a sight for sore eyes. Each piece has, clearly, been selected with painstaking care and effort.
Most of the wood furniture is made primarily of teak and mahogany. And some with wood indigenous to Indonesia and Malaysia. There are, however, various grades of these which a client can choose. The furniture, and the curios, represents an eclectic mix of tastes. There is, of course, something for everybody. But this ‘everybody’ would have to think beyond the run-of- the- mill.
Cots, easy chairs, bureaus, cabinets, curios, mirrors, dining tables, chairs, sofas – there is no dearth of options. Classic, contemporary or retro; cane, sea weed, fabric, woven or simple wood…it is all available and is easy on the wallet too. Every piece has a quaintness that only the handpicked has and would appeal to those with an eye for the offbeat.
Fahed, an architect, puts his expertise with space to good use with this endeavour. The store is a welcome change in the current trend in interior designing, which seems to be more about cramming space. Experts at the store can help with customisation for individual residences so that a client can do up their living spaces as they would like. The store undertakes orders, if what a client is looking for is not available.
Fahed and his team of architects, from his architecture firm ‘10 x 10 Design Consultants,’ pick up the pieces from various places in India and from abroad.
The onerous task of finding suitable pieces for his projects here is what led Fahed to set up the store.
The store is another story by itself. It has received a commendation from the Indian Institute of Architects and an award (in the south zone) from the Indian Institute of Interior Design.
When he says the store, “is no frills,” he means it and the store is proof of it. The store is devoid of gimmicks, instead spells eco-friendly and sustainable.
The roof is sheets of plywood mounted on a mild steel section frames, fashioned in such a way that it makes the most of natural sunlight and protects against the wind. The lampshades are made from small pieces of plywood waste that was cut for the roof. Walls are teak blinds. A furniture shop on the first floor of a house? Fahed moves the blinds and voila space for furniture to be brought in from a side of what used to be the terrace. By adding a mezzanine floor Fahed has made the most of the space available. MOD, which turns one today, is celebrating its first year with an anniversary sale.
