I discovered what can be called a locality in Bandra called Ranwar ( pronounced Run-wer) in the heart of Mumbai city and it was so understated in appearance that it almost was like time had forgotten this quaint three street area. Said to be around 400 years old, it was built by the Portuguese before they were driven out. They acquired Bombay in 1534 from Sultan Bahadur Shah of the Gujarat Sultanate. It is one of the last remaining pakhadis ( hamlets ) that has made up Bandra since the early 1700s.
This quaint little village has stood firmly right besides the forever bustling Hill road, with its shopping and cafes to distract anyone from this little gem of architecture and history. The houses are all lined up one after the other and their old wooden doors look out onto tiny streets. The walls are peeling with paint of the most fascinating colours- and a very quiet exists in the every day life of the residents. They greet each other like a small community would.
What drew me to this area was not just the architecture but how subtly life could seem to be lead- away from the terrible noise of the city. Whether passive or not, it struggles to lift itself up every time a few houses are broken down to make way for high-rise buildings - another iberian patio razed to the ground, another portuguese porch taken away. Such is the detrimental impact that urbanization and a need to glamorize the city has had on this quiet settlement.
Taking it now as a source of inspiration for the home furnishings collection, I designed a couple of moodboards highlighting textures, colour ways as well as moods.
See them here : http://goldenavenues.blogspot.com/p/something-portuguese.html
This quaint little village has stood firmly right besides the forever bustling Hill road, with its shopping and cafes to distract anyone from this little gem of architecture and history. The houses are all lined up one after the other and their old wooden doors look out onto tiny streets. The walls are peeling with paint of the most fascinating colours- and a very quiet exists in the every day life of the residents. They greet each other like a small community would.
What drew me to this area was not just the architecture but how subtly life could seem to be lead- away from the terrible noise of the city. Whether passive or not, it struggles to lift itself up every time a few houses are broken down to make way for high-rise buildings - another iberian patio razed to the ground, another portuguese porch taken away. Such is the detrimental impact that urbanization and a need to glamorize the city has had on this quiet settlement.
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| A momo shop nestled in the heart of the village Mumbai July 2011 |
See them here : http://goldenavenues.blogspot.com/p/something-portuguese.html
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