Eclectic and colourful products at the ongoing Freedom Tree Design exhibition range from recycled furniture to lampshades add a splash of colour that promises to brighten your house this monsoon
Eclectic and colourful products at the ongoing Freedom Tree Design exhibition range from recycled furniture to lampshades add a splash of colour that promises to brighten your house this monsoon
SO the monsoon has restricted you to your house and made your life dull. Why not add a dash of colour to your prison then? Freedom Tree Design's latest collection plans to help you do just that. Titled Rain Shine, this ongoing exhibition of products features lampshades, rugs, bedsheets and furniture made of recycled wood, metal frames, and more, while combining contemporary art with Indian designs. 
Papier-mache baskets lined with traditional cloth cost between
Rs 2,200 to Rs 3,000. These baskets are used by villagers to
store grains.
"Colour and design has been given high priority," says Nidhi Mehta, Freedom Tree Design's Head of Design.
One can see what she means. Here, vibrant blues contrast with duller greys, black and whites; bright oranges fight for space with sober maroons and browns; and an entire section has been devoted to greens, which consists of pillows, cushions, bed sheets, rugs, lampshades and ceramics.
Mehta explains, "Greens are the highlight of the monsoon and we have clubbed this colour with earthy shades to make cosy choices." The exhibition also features textile lines, coloured gudris, furniture made with recycled wood and metal frames, among others.
A must-see in their ceramics collection is a black and white montage collection that pays tribute to the city of Mumbai. It was designed by Latika Khosla, the founder-director of Freedom Tree, 15 years ago. And it doesn't all cost you a bomb.
From lacquered coasters that come for Rs 60 to a handmade gudri which is priced Rs 22,800, the exhibition has something for everyone. Some quirky products include upside-down ceramic pots (which besides ensuring plants grow in the opposite direction, also demand that they be watered that way), storage tins with Bollywood posters on the front, and papier-m ufffdch ufffdu00a0 storage baskets that are covered with cloth.
There are also leaf- and flower-shaped coasters, metal frames on coasters, old fountain pens, aromatic candles, bejewelled mirrors and special mugs, with spoons attached to their handles. "Every piece will have a variation since it's not mass-produced," adds Mehta.
Most of the products on display are designed in one studio and created by small-scale artisans in different parts of the country. "The coasters are made in Bengaluru, the ceramics are made in villages around Delhi, the textiles are made in Mumbai and everything comes together in our store," says Mehta.
Most of the products have their roots in some rural area or the other. For example, while most ceramic products available in the market are factory-produced, Freedom Tree Design works closely with the artisans in villages.
"The hand painting of ceramics is a dying art. It's all mass-produced and at most, people are making rims and circles. We work closely with rural artisans telling them what designs we want.
So while it is a contemporary product, the technique is still traditional," says Mehta. "We believe in good design for everyday living. Everything in your home cannot just be functional and boring. It also has to have aesthetic appeal," says Mehta.
At: Cache Art gallery, 187, Turner Road, Opposite Moti Mahal, Bandra (W)
call: 26427766, 26439641
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