By Madhusree Chatterjee
Greater Noida, April 26 (IANS) Branded luxury is scaling a new high in India. Plush living room interiors, latest bathroom fittings and modular kitchens - people can sample the best possible global products at an ongoing lifestyle expo here without compromising on environmental concerns. All that thousands of homemakers in India read in glossy coffee table volumes on eco-friendly and utility interiors and spaces are here for sampling, thanks to the mega export mart featuring 130 high-end interior décor and construction brands from India and 18 European nations.

The two-day India International Construction and Contracting Exhibition’ 08 and Interiors India International exhibition opened at the Expo Centre in Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh Friday.

The show has been divided into two categories - interiors and constructions. While the interiors include luxury bedroom furnishings, bathroom fittings, modular kitchens, drawing room and dining modules and energy saving window blind and curtain technologies, the construction section focuses on green homes and eco-friendly public utility modules - the new slogans in changing Indian lifestyles.

The venue was packed Friday as people from the high-end apartment blocks of Noida and Greater Noida, two upcoming satellite townships, and from the capital looked for branded home furnishings.

On offer were the latest in bathroom fittings from Irish firm Roca, which introduced a range of sophisticated shower panels, faucets and wash bowls last year, priced between Rs.7,000 and Rs.42,000. Also on show were luxury bathtubs by German firms Hoesch Design and Bossini and the Aqua Zzura panel shower fitted with multi-coloured light indicators made by the Italy-based home décor firm Fantini. The shower was priced at Rs.200,000.

“The showers are selling well in Indian hotels and high-end bungalows in the metros,” said Nishant Kumar of Sanipex, distributor for Aqua Zzura in India.

If the show is any pointer to current trends in drawing room décor, then the eco-friendly synthetic cane for all weather outdoor furniture is the fibre to watch out for.

A dining room set with an umbrella-shade table made by Loom Craft costs Rs.42,000 while a drawing room sofa-set costs Rs.80,000.

“Our recliners cost Rs.22,000. This is an indigenous brand and is commanding brisk business in the commercial segment,” Rahul Jindal, managing director of Loom Crafts, told IANS.

A Pierre Cardin Hali leather carpet topped with cat fur was priced at Rs.148,000 and woollen carpets woven in Turkey cost between Rs.25,000 to Rs.127,000.

A set of decorative furniture hand-crafted by designers from the Institute of Indian Interior Designers stood out for their unique designs, eco-friendly mediums and craftsmanship. The models were vying for the “best design slot” through public voting and an organic bench with a stone table stole the show.

Bangalore-based Stanley Boutique, one of the costliest home furnishing shops in the country, had a complete drawing room module with a leather sofa, entertainment counter, handcrafted imported lights with recliners and side tables. It costs between Rs.200,000 and Rs.600,000.

“We cater to the five percent of the population in the medium rich and the niche segments and 70 percent of our business is taken up by home décor,” said Akshaya Badrinath Narayan, the firm’s business head for north India.

The boutique has two outlets in Delhi.

Window technology, as the expo indicated, has progressed a step beyond glystros and automated curtains. “We now have clock timers which can be pre-set to open and shut motorised windows curtains at fixed time even if you are not at home,” said Vishal Saraf, owner of the Galaxy Window Solutions.

“Brown is the new black this season,” said Honey Jolly, owner of Home Couture, a handcrafted bed linen boutique in the capital, explaining the colour code this season.

The shades in demand are neutral. Her suede cushions and bed spread done up in quilt work and Swarovski crystals were meant to “add zing to contemporary interiors with rich linen”.