Shabnam Gupta's Peacock Life brand makes a splash in Hyderabad with a sprawling new flagship

By Mallik Thatipalli

In the past few weeks, curious passers-by in Hyderabad’s tony Film Nagar precincts were subjected to a curious site. Was it a bright skirt revolving from a store’s first level and giving a tantalising glimpse through the glass windows? Or was it an art installation? “We’ve had a lot of walk-ins because of that,” laughs, Shruthi, the store in-charge. The eclectic design is but an extension of AD100 designer Shabnam Gupta’s oeuvre. What is drawing eyeballs and stares is in fact an 80-year old vintage gypsy skirt in tones of blue, green, pink and red that is suspended from a fan and whirls like a sufi in trance.

Gupta, an interior designer known for her aesthetic sensibility that marries the best of the past and future, chanced upon the 6000 square foot traditional old fashioned bungalow in January this year, which was slightly dated but had good bones.

“We broke the entire road facing boundary wall to unveil the structure and painted the bungalow, in a beautiful distressed charcoal grey,” Gupta notes. “We retained most of the architectural elements from the original structure, one big change being making the windows larger to let in the light.”

Beautiful terracotta planters, pots and stone urlis flank the entranceway to the store. Two six-feet colourful elephants (made by artisans in Jaipur) in a dazzling array of pinks, reds and greens stand as guards to the main entrance.

The store is spread over two levels retains the original marble flooring though wooden flooring is used in small sections. A 100-year-old Burmese wooden ceiling greets the visitors at the entrance. The store retains the old-world charm of a vintage bungalow and a masterstroke was keeping the garden intact so that the blooming greens (buzzing with bees and butterflies) peek indoors through the twin seven feet windows and play peek-a-boo with the gorgeous artefacts on display.

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The arrangement of the store is done in the form of a home. You can simply transport any part of the living room, foyer or bar to your home seamlessly. The entire store is lit up in warm white tones to ensure that the products remain the center of attraction. Shabnam Gupta explains, “We have intentionally maintained a textured grey throughout the entire space barring a couple of rooms to make sure the product is the hero.”

Two beautiful terraces on the first level which had smaller doors, were expanded to create a large Georgian glass door to create seamless indoor outdoor space.

Peacock Life pays a silent homage in both its architecture and design, in its products and style as well as its ethos and outlook to all things Indian. The textile room has taupe mulmul draped fabric further accentuating the form with an oversized chandelier dominating the space while the Blue room (Shabnam Blue as insiders call it) has a fabric with vignettes of the natural world done up in painstaking detail.

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The piece de resistance of the store is however the Grand Staircase as Gupta calls it. “It has a lovely old world charm, meandering both ways from mid landing. We used a cluster of chandeliers to further highlight the same with hand painted walls in dull gold and silver.” she says.

The hand painted walls add charm and chutzpah to the space, with the fine detailing of birds bringing it alive. This is a running theme in the design. The walls in the design studio area are done up with peacocks in shades of black while geometric motifs common in havelis of the desert state adorn the ceilings of another room (the red room or the Den) adding it a playful touch.

The design of the store is key in bringing alive the stories of craft and culture which are at the heart of the brand and accentuating the natural beauty of products on display. It matches the elegance of the brass utensils used by the grandmothers of yore, it is reflected in the metal showpieces inspired by the pillars of temples of south India and puts emphasis on the beauty of wooden consoles inspired by ancient Indian design principles.

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Walk into the store for unlimited elegance in limited pieces. But what you also get in the bargain is a perfectly crafted selfie – which matches the mood board of your chic Instagram grid!

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