If the last two decades of the 20th century, saw the coming of age of Indian fashion and jewellery, the new millennium has seen the curtains go up on interiors and furniture, with “lifestyle stores” mushrooming in garage boutiques like a virus gone out of control, Delhi’s aunty jis no longer “do clothes”. Instead, they expand their considerable energies to “do homes”. Owners no longer move into apartment without getting someone to do a “makeover”. Yesterday’s contractor is today’s consultant. A house is no longer place in which to stash the home theatre system; it is, in fact, a statement of your global style. Any wonder the furniture in it ranges from that customized in kirti Nagar to that imported from America or Italy, or somewhat closer Malaysia, Indonesia or Thailand.

It is the imported, high volume, low- to mid –end ranges of furniture that made our homemade designers the most. With import duties having tumbled from 80 per cent to half that and expected to fall further by 2005, it is clearly the day of MDF and veneer wood (as opposed to polish) that come in “contemporary” designed, irrespective of the place of origin, are classified as “Italian”. Faux leather and steel combined with glass in clean, minimal lines has turned Delhi’s home topsy-turvy. The young and well traveled want a home that could be in downtown Bangkok or uptown Manhattan and are finding it easy to crate that with cheap imports.

It is the important that most designers who pooh-pooh the trend are self-taught, having learned their joineries and inlays and polishing technique on the job. And no matter what they say about inspired design, dog-eared copied of architectural digest tell quite another tale. As competition hots up with increasing pressures from importers of furniture and lifestyle stores adding accessory furniture to their repertoire, the claws are out over everything that determine the meow factor- be it the market share or the finish.

Donning the mantle “of beautifully affordable” furniture is durian, a boutique that claim to bring branded names from around the globe. With imports from the US (La-Z-Boy Mobilia), or Italy (Natuchi and Arrado Classic) and Germany (peter Justin), it stocks knock-down furniture from the sofa sets to bed, bath and beyond, which also stretches to lifestyle accessories.

The recent months have seen the opening of two furniture importers, one designer, the other plebeian, at the high-end Evoluzione outlet at trendy D-19 (The Defence Colony version of 1, M.G. Road), Vikram Phadke and Atul Malhotra have visitors popping their eyes out over their Italian and French furniture brands B&B Italia and Ligne Roset. At the mega four-floor furniturewalla at Sultanpur Chowk on M.G. Road, the response has been somewhat lukewarm to cheap imports from rubberwood-heavy countries Indonesia and Malaysia.

Farhan Furniturewalla, based in Mumbai, is the pet hate of his competitors and response to criticism by quoting statistics: “On Sunday, the 400-500 footfalls show a very high lavel of curiosity and I for one am quite pleased with the response.”

But few of those footfalls translate into business because furniture is a not impulse buy. The more buyers shop around , the more confused they are likely to get. No wonder designers find themselves doing up complete homes rather than addressing the issue of stand-alone pieces. And no wander exporters love expats who are short on time and do not quibble over prices.

For Raseel Gujral, furniture has been an offspring of my interiors business, and 14 years in to her practice, I am expressing my style that is in tandem with what happening around the world and my own growth.” Her newly located store has a dedicated elevator that takes you into the hearts of paradox One to one side is a gallery where Satish Gujral will forever on sale, but the rest of the space is governed by Raseel’s current idiom, which is dark colors set with mother-of-pearl inlay. (At Raro , in sainik Farms, two sisters have a line of furniture with silver inlay. And at Ambawatta Complex, Manjit Bhullar is thinking of creating beds of silver-but more about that later.)

“It is a minimal style infused with craft , ” Raseel explains. “Earlier, I did brighter Mediterranean colors when not too many people were doing them, ” she says, indicating that she is a leader not a follower.

But Bhullar has been experimenting with inlay for longer , with a greater variety and perhaps for more boldly. He works with craftsman whose ancestors were responsible for the pietra dura inlay of the Taj Mahal, or eronmongers whose forefathers forged swords and daggers. His approach is determinedly classical.

At Viraj Mahajan’s Furniture Library, “classical pieces” of furniture are manufactured that relay on selective design, quality and finish in a market overcrowded with tacky offering. Big on cabinets, he has design for foreign diplomats and finds that there is pressure to export because of the handcrafted quality of his work and the perfection of his polishes.

At a time when many of the major players had developed market overseas, The importer is far from king. A decade of cheap imports has brought down the value of phirang furniture, but at the top-end, there is a scramble to hold on to an edge that is distinctive. Fortunately, it is happening at a time when the traveling Indian, 30-something years, is bringing his exposure to the silicon valley back home. The look he, therefore, seeks is eclectically global. And yes, to that extent, price sensitivity loses how to design sensitivity.

Says Nitin Bhayana, vice precident-retail, interiors Espania, “people’s ability to absorb design has increased rapidly. Design is now the key differentiator.” Which is why Espania and Evoluzione import the current “wenge” finish which has texturing of woods in coffee colors that is also the rage overseas. But Bhayana also says that like individual designers, there is pressure on him to design complete residences. At renaissance too, it is a trend noticed by it’s owners who have been quick to respond to the challenge. That and, observes seniors vice president shaifalika Banda, “a moving back to the classical look”.

At renaissance, the last is not too much of a problem considering the company represent some of the finest names in modern and classical furniture. “With new businesses, new entrepreneurship and more individuals traveling overseas, the exposure has ensured that our volumes are growing, ” says Panda. That, despite the highest prices in the market, challenge, perhaps, just by Evoluzione which, admittedly, is not just contemporary, it is avant grade.(Bhayana says people are now sophisticated enough to ask not just for avant grade.)

If the designers are “classical” and the importers “contemporary”, there is at least one designer who has decided to bridge the gap with a signature style that is either “modern colonial” or even “modern tribal”. Mike Knowles has achieved the impossible at India chic: creating ranges of furniture for both the expert and domestic markets. “India chic uses the skills of Indian craftsmen to create modern designs based on traditions, ” he says. That it works is obvious, and just as certainly, there are those who have moved into make copies that cell for a third of the price. For when push comes to shove, the market is as unorganized as the fashion trade and like fashion designers furniture designers must constantly stay ahead in an ephemeral world. And just as fashion designers are discovering prêt and volume, furniture designers and importers will have to walk the ramp before they find a permanent roost in people’s homes.

At least that is what Manju singh has found. Like most designers, begin with the process when she wanted to find something that suited her temperament but was not available in the stores of delhi. She went hunting for rattan, wicker and cane and when friends decided they liked what she was making, they decided they wanted her furniture too. And so vetasa was born in 1979. It went in to sleep mode soon after because she joined her husband, career diplomat S. K .Singh, on his overseas posting. She made it a point to examine styles and designs abroad and re-established her business after her husband’s retirement. Manju is not embarrassed that many of her designs emanate from architectural drawings sent to her for institutional projects. “I develop the drawings aesthetically, ” she explains. “when you work with particular ideas, things just grow.” Eventually, though, perhaps even colonial, tag.

In another part of delhi, at fourth dimension’s showroom, you could be forgiven for thinking you have strayed into J. J. Valaya territory. Once again, there are re-productions from another era to be found, but these make singh’s furniture look like those change. Designer kochhar A.’s look is described as “English heritage” but is vaguely French. but it is the overall mien that is outrageously nouveauriche with a finish that is predominantly gold (The real things!). But under the outr’e look is the keen sense for business that is manifest in kochhar’s furniture meant for “meditation.” Marketing gimmick? But is not that what fashion and trends and how furniture-are all about?