On a recent trip , I took my co - sister to Oshiwara 's old furniture market , in Mumbai ... when you are looking for treasures for a bargain ... this is it ... a wonderful market for the collectors ... the connoisseur and the aficionados alike ... 
... this was a store, where you'd love to go through a huge collection of vintage Indian prints ... oliographs ... I also saw some beautiful Ravi Verma oliographs ... collectable prints from the British Raj times ... ofcourse one will have to be cautious about the autheticity of anything claimed to be an antique ...
... you'll find pieces ,that find their way into the markets from old palaces and mansions ... and since they come from all over the country ... don't be surprised to find a Goan piece in Portugese style sitting next to a rajasthani ... or ethnic Indian artifacts from the south. I love the old European ones ... the cast iron lamps ... to garden benches ..trays ... clocks ...
... when it comes to furniture I would say most of them are reproductions ... but with the craftsmen ship and the prize tags (haggle..haggle...haggle) ... you are bound to go home feeling like a millionaire ...
... if you are like me , who gets charmed just by the site of a street like this ... you are headed to bringing home some goodies for sure ... ( I did, even though I had sworen I won't ) ... 
... discovering and haggling is as much a part of the fun ... and one thing you are sure of is the workmanship ... if you look you'll find some amazing reproductions ... which do full justice to the original designs ... though some pieces like these garden benches are surely old ... and the shop keeper may ( just may ) be able to tell you where it came from ... 
... most of the shop owners don't mind being photographed ... except for a few ... for reasons best known to them ... and that's why I couldn't photograph a lot of amazing pieces ...
... I am always amazed at the amount of European things you can discover in the Indian Antique bazaars ... ofcourse all of them coming from collections of old estates ... If you love Parsi furniture ... you'll definitely love your finds here ... I remember falling in love with some beautiful Parsi wardrobes ... the last time I was here ...
... that's my lil' girl running around in a store where I picked up two ladies salon chairs for her room ... she made it absolutely clear to every one she's throwing a tea party and all are invited ...( my lil' lady)...
... stacked high and low ... or upside down ... all things worth drooling over ...
... I am still eyeing this piece ... just couln't tell myself which place in the house I'd be able to fit it into ... ( I am in desperate need of a bigger house) ... sigh! :)
... beautiful old china ... my haggling skills are in need of some desperate overhauling ... I lost this deal ... 
... I am pretty sure , many of you'd love to just jump right in and grab this chair ...
... these vintage lamps ... reminded me of the light fittings I saw at the palace in Porbandar ... 
...all dusty ... but incredible details of this table ... made it stand out ... 
... this store was filled with old chests and stools ( I love to redo the stools into beautiful ottomans ) ... and there was a whole range from traditional Indian to British Raj style ... even European and Southern Indian ... 
... reproductions ... beautiful ... and a steal of a bargain ... 
... this market definetly has more in terms of furniture than accessories ... barring a few shops that keep some pieces here and there ... An old decanter ... very definitely European .
... dusty old ... lovable .. treasures ...
... yep right out on the street ... so well crafted and out on the street ...
...unfinished pieces ... loads of wardrobes ... Indian benches ...
... it was mind blowing just imagining the potential of the things I saw ... with different finishes ... amazing lighting ... all done up in fanatastic upholstery ... phew ... architectural digest images go pop-pop ... in my mind ...
... was not at all surprised when I realised the basket shaped ... pot stand in the background ... was an identical to the ones I saw ... again at the Huzoor palace , Porbander ... ( http://rajeesood.blogspot.com/2009/01/huzoor-palace-porbandarindia_28.html )
... only if it were not the constraint of space ... my book collection could have found a fabulous home in some old Parsi cabinet ...
... just another one of the well crafted chairs ... you pick one and they'll give you a whole set in a couple of days ... home delivery and all ... doesn't get any better ...
... to conclude , all I 'd say is ... treasures galore ... Do tell me about your experience ... at the Oshiwara old furniture bazaar ... Woops ... I think you'll need the address to get there ... here it is ... (this is what the visiting cards of all the dealers read )...
Ramjanak Singh Compound ,
Oshiwara Bridge,S.V Road,
Jogeshwari (W),
Mumbai 400102
... hope you enjoy and remember me :) ...
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62 comments:
What amazing stuff..especially the chair!
Rajee, I am drooling! These pieces are awesome! I am going to Mumbai! Please give me the address of this place :)
Thanks for sharing!
Sharon
Rajee,
We are hyperventilating !!!!!
Gosh ! It is amazing.. and we would love to visit the place. When we get there will you pleeeaassee be our tour-guide :)
-Aswathy & Joe
Rajee,
Beautiful, thanks for taking us with you on this virtual tour. I would love to visit this place in person, I love walking the streets where are traces of history.
Nice!! Like some of the pieces here.
Tell me something, is antiquated hard wood better for flooring (and some amount of paneling) than the younger hard wood?
Hi Anuradha,
You have to believe me ... when I say there were so much more ... the shops are narrow ... not all are properly lit to photograph ... and a lot of the dealers think you'll copy their pieces ... so they don't like to be photographed ...
You can furnish a whole bunglow and not feel guilty about the expense ... honestly.
Hey Sharon,
Thanks for reminding me ... I put the address down in the post ... no rush ... you're going to wish to be there more than once ...
Hi Aswathy and Joe,
You hyperventilate now ... when you get there it will be like being in one of those Oxygen bars ...
Sure I'd love to be your guide ... just please insure... I carry no cards and cash ... or your guide would buy another truck load of stuff and that's asking for trouble ;)
Sreelu,
you'll really like this place ... it has a mix of a lot of styles and I'd say if they've been in India soo long they are definitely our heritage ...
Hi Praji,
You are sure to enjoy lot more in self ...cause there was so much more that I was not allowed to click ... infact this market was much cheaper than places in Delhi ... including Mehrauli...
As for wood ... let's see ... in our Indian weather,I would not recommend wood for flooring to anyone (its a different case in cooler climates)... friends of ours in Sainik farms ... had a major termite infestation inspite of all the precautions they had lovely 1-2 yrs all hell broke loose after that,... the only one smilimg in the long run are the designer(the unethical ones) and carpenter ,if not to mention the termites ... In all honesty you are asking for a very expensive trouble ... cause termites don't know they are supposed to only go for the floor ...it tickles them silly to jump to your furniture next and give you a surprise of your life ... try the laminated flooring ... there are some amazing options coming in the Indian market these days (you'll never be able to tell the diff.,atleast the layman can'tand no Auntie ji will ever be able to say... tusi real wood ni lagvai ji)...Its the most practical suggestion for our weather conditions... if you still want the real wood then I'd say old is a better deal ... make sure you treat it before you bring it inside your home and after installation be regular with the pest control...
Let me know what you conclude... :)
Something about old antique shops, something so familiar about the dust covered furniture and the anticipation of finding one piece that you always wanted:-)
I always come back saying no more and then...;-)
Nice post Rajee!
Arch
oh wow!! What a lovely post!! I can just smell & feel the place. I suddenly have an urgency for a bigger house and a trip to Mumbai. And truck loads from these pics on my list of things I need... and want desperately!!
Sounds logical. And i don't care about the aunties coz I'm pretty sure they won't know at all about what kinda wood there is.
So, coming back to laminated wood, basically you're suggestion means to tell me that I'm gonna have to move to Monaco if I wanna have my dream apartment and keep it for a while.
Wow, how did I miss this on my last trip to Mumbai? Can't wait to visit again. Thx for the insider's review!
Hi Arch,
What one piece are you talking about ;) ... everytime I find myself in such a place ... well! most of the things I see ... turn out to be just what I wanted .Guess that's why I am a designer ... filled up my own home ... now I enjoy helping everyone else fill up ... ;)
Hi Patricia,
oh ... believe me ... I could still get truck loads ... now ... that space thing ... that's my only hitch :(
Ooo...this is heaven! I like nothing better but haunting old markets and finding unexpected goodies. Thanks for the address - need to make that trip to Mumbai soon!
OMG!!! Thats a beauty! and a Treasure House!
I am bac Rajee...you live in such a nice place where you have easy access to all this fun and antique stuff.
Would love to visit that place atleast once. I love such treasures..(who doesn't!!)
I think I should post what I fins at the souq here. It will be a treat to you:) First let me grab some pics.
Do visit my blog www.deepazworld.blogspot.com
to get a glimpse of my world of art.
Hi Rajee...
Lovely market... I would lo´ve to be there....Excellent Blog....
Hi Rajee! It looks like we frequent the same shops.
I love browsing around the Oshiwara shops. I picked up quite a bit of stuff from there, including a lovely wrought-iron garden bench. No 'aluminium-masquerading-as-iron' here.
Hi American Gypsy,
See I found you something exciting to to look forward to ... on your next trip :)
Hi Bhavna,
Our quaint Indian bazaar's ... always have me in a tizzy ... always something new to go wowwwy about ... ;)
Hope you spend ton loads ... will make me feel nice and normal;)
Hi Deeepa,
Its soooo ... nice to hear from you ... hey I 'm pretty sure your Finnish markets have a treasure trove of things ... I just love all that vintage China and silver ... picture's ... great idea ... will bewaiting ;)
Hi Vasudha ,
Great to hear from you on my blog ... thanks for all the compliments ... ooooh the joys of discovering a new market place ... it gives me such a buzz ...
Hope I'll hear often from you.
Hey Sunita ,
Guess next time our readers might hear a story about one woman stealing a bargain from the other and we'd never know ... it was Rajee and Sunita ... until one of us posts it up as a trophy from the old bazaar (aahha .. did I beat that woman down with my deal)
;)
Actually that might make a fun story ... ;)
Wow, I could get in a lot of trouble in those stores. Thanks for finding my blog, I have enjoyed looking through yours and it is extremely inspiring. I am thinking of becoming a stylist and designer and shed my florist. I will be back to visit. Heidi
Oh my gosh I felt like I was back in India why didnt I apreciate it when I was younger all those great markets & I had the opertunaty to buy buy buy!!
Now a million miles away in Australia I want to go back thank you so much for the shopping experience I will deffinetly note down the address.
Watch out India you are on my wish list!!
Thanks rajee sood.
Hi Heidi,
Loved having you over ... its fun to be mutually inspiring ... you have a lovely blog there ... and what fun to hear from you on mine :) ... yes its fun being a stylist and a designer ... but being surrounded by flowers is me dream too :)
Hi Elaine,
I think you'd do a fantastic job of shopping now ... having lived away from India made me come back and go beserk discovering all the treasure markets ... so all the best ... Indian markets are waiting ... and remember ... one word ... Haggle ... and like a pro ... ;)
Rajee you are an amazing person. I love to shop in unusual places apart from garden shops. In Barbados where I live, I have tried haggling but the vendors get offended. So I have to beg for a discount at times or tell them that they don't really want to sell their goods. When I was in Paris I loved going to the marche aux puces and visiting the furniture shops in Ledru Rollin.
Oh wow helen,how nice of you to stop by ... you are right some places bargaining is not appreciated ... but where it is it's such fun watching everyone try and get a good bargain ... and if you ever drop by India and shop some where here ... you'll remember me and walking away with your best deal ... I know you'll say I love Rajee :)... cheeky me:)
this is fantastic! i have to go here when i am in mumbai!
Hi Kalyani,
This is absolutely amazing to have a comment from you today ...loved your work ... Ponnuku mallipoo asai ... on Rang Decor.And ther I here from you.
As for the market ... go...go...goooo... you'll sure find something you love:)
wow rajee...i would go crazy in this market....thinking what to buy!!!!!!!amazing !!!!people in mumbai must b lucky to visit this place!
Hi Veda,
Thanks for dropping by and leaving your comment... you are so right ... atleast I go a lil' bitty crazy ... but you know what I have reallised there are such places in most towns ... its just till they are discovered ... how about your town ... if you have some similar treasures ... wow do share ... will loe to put your story here ... lets inspire more Indians ... how may not know where to start :)
I love the photos, it takes me back to the year that I spend living in Mumbai. As a result I love indian inspired pieces and are just about to hang an antique french frame which I have painted and I am putting a piece of indian fabric inside. The room contains a lot of indian made furniture that I purchased while living in Dubai. When it is finished I will post some photos on my blog....
Leeann
Wow! That looks like a place where I could easily spend hours! Thanks for sharing. Now, if only I were closer to Mumbai...
Hi Leeann,
I am going to look forward to the post on your blog ... sounds like my kind of a project...
I think markets like these tug at any heart :) ... I can still feel a few pieces are calling me ... :)
Great to hear from you on my blog ...hope you'll keep dropping by often.
Hi Courtney,
These markets do have that Alice in wonderland feel ... just pictures can make you want to go pick up this and that and oh may be even that and that ... :)
im lovin it!!!! plzz gime the detailed address....... plzzzz
Hi Maneck,
YOu don't have to plzz,dear ... scroll right to the bottom of the post and there ... walla... your wish shall be granted ... :)
P.S - Don't get put off on seeing just one lane of a bunch of shops ... its a huge collection to be explored ... hope you have a great time ... do share the spoils of your bargain shopping ... plzz...plzz... it would be fun ... :)
Hi Rajee.
Tell me, are the furniture in the Oshiwara market genuine antique pieces or are they just replicas? If they are replicas, one wonders about the quality of the wood used in making these replicas. Are they durable and long lasting?
Hi Rajee.
Tell me, are the furniture in the Oshiwara market genuine antique pieces or are they just replicas? If they are replicas, one wonders about the quality of the wood used in making these replicas. Are they durable and long lasting?
Hi Jaya,
Glad you came up with these questions ... a lot of us Indians,shirk from buying old furniture because of the doubts you air ... well let me see if I can justifiably answer your questions ...
At Oshiwara ...if you are looking to pick up antique pieces ... you are sure to find them(just don't g by their word that it is antique)... but mostly shops (except a few) sell replicas ... and when we talk replicas ... it in no way means any lesser in craftsmenship ... as for wood you need to be on the same caution level as you would be with a carpenter making it at at home for you ... in other words you need to see the wood ... but I feel you are better off than some of the new furniture stores that sell with talks of imported wood ... what they use these days is basic Nagpur teak (well mostly) and an honest guy will tell you so ... or else insist on seeing the piece before polish ... I think you'll be fine if you took a look ... and ofcourse do take care of your wooden pieces after you have them home ...and if you are into making sure you have a long lasting piece ... ask a good carpenter how you can oil your furniture every few years ...
I really hope this helps ...
wow amazing place ...i knew about it for long but never got a chance to visit it..with 2 kiddos around rajee ...talking of bargaining ..is it a bit like chor bazar where u start from below 50% of what they quote ?...or can u throw some light on that..the parsi bookshelf ! what was the price range like ..my skills r a bit rusty these days ..havent done it in sometime ,..although i lovve it.. thanks
Hi Ruchika,
I can relate to kiddies around and mommies wants taking a backseat ... :)... lucky for me made this trip for my co-sister ... and was I glad went she found amazing tresures ... Oh! dear bargaining and me can't be talked about in the same sentence ... I just can't do it ... I get so embarrassed ... but bargain you definetly shou;d try at this place ... don't think they'll drive a very hard bargain ... but it's all about getting lucky. Not sure about the price you ask ... I just went ... click...click ... do tell all about your experience when you make it ... and all the best ... hope you make it soon ... its lovely ... :)
Ruchika... thanks for writting in ... its always beautiful to hear from my readers ... thanks for taking the time... :)
I loved the way you restored those mid-century chairs and also the old photographs well framed and displayed in a modern classic style. Now i feel i'm not the only one in the world to go mad over old things and recreate them to its finest glory:-) You are truly amazing!!!
Hi Maneck,
Thankyou for your lovely words ... right now,more than ever ... I can do with all the encouragement... :)I moved to a new city ... new people ... new home ... and sure miss my ol' comfort zone.
Hey Rajee
I landed here from onceuponateatime:)
Nice pictures and a peek into the Oshiwara market. I love such shops and am definitely stopping over next time i go to Bombay.
BTW, I also live in Delhi and I would love to know about markets where I can get block imprints and old furniture..
Would love to hear from you on that!!
Hi@ Tequila Shots,
YOu are already one of my fav.'s with that kind of name ... :)Am I glad you enjoyed Oshiwara post ... I found that place so tiny and yet awesome load of stuff I still have to find a comparable place in Delhi.As for looking for interesting shops here... why don't you drop me a mail at my e-mail ID ... or find me on FB ... tell me elaboratly what you fancy and I sure hope to help you out...:)
I've been trying to get to Oshiwara for weeks now so do you know anything about their timings - what time do they open/close? open on sunday? national holidays? Please help!
Hi Curly Girlie,
I am so sorry to be replying this late ... hope you've made the trip by now, cause honestly I don't know much about their timings ... guess if you just land there around 11 some day you'll be quite o.k to figure out both the market and its timing ... all the best ... and hope you have a fabulous time ... :)
Hi Rajee,
I had read this post long ago and am going to Bombay in the coming weeks with an agenda to visit Oshiwara. And I had a question. I live in Pune, so do they arrange for furniture to be delivered out of Bombay? Because from the look of it, I don't think everything that I lay my hands on is going to fit in my car.
Hi G,
They sure do deliver ... my co- sister, had quite a few delivered to Gujrat ... :), so guess you'll be fine in Pune ... :))
That's nice to hear. Thanks for the response. :) Very few bloggers actually respond to comments on old posts (I admit I am one of them) So I had not really expected a reply but came back to check just in case.. Thanks :) :)
Hi G,
I'm glad I lived up to your expectations ... ;)... hey! but we all slip all the while ... I mess up at times even with my current posts ... guess its human ... :)
Hi! i just went through your article and pics..they r mind blowing n sumthing i was looking for..surprisingly i stay in andheri n never knew abt this paradise.. can u please guide me whats the margin of negotiations..especially antique wardrobes and dressing table and tables.. i'l really need that advice so that i prepare myself monetarily:)..
you have inspired me
you have inspired me. My wife along with others felt I am like a junkie addicted going to oshiwara market spending so much money. I have brougt truck loads of these things from oshiwara and send them to my farm in kudal near goa and created wonderful things bought as junk which look so wonderful once in right place. I live near by and am a regular visitorI have made inside contacts who call me when good things are available. I am a doctor by profession but enjoy the rounds and getting a bargain from more. I will happy to meet people with similar interest and help if some one wants to visit oshiwara. If interested I will suggest one visits a resort in Yercud near salem in banglore. This place is atreasure trove of antiques and is apleasure to live in this colonial house.you can email me on arrane10@gmail.com
wonderful work, i was in search of such planet where for my next hindi play can find the real the unique props...
Hi there,I enjoy reading through your article post, I wanted to write a little comment to support you and wish you a good continuationAll the best for all your blogging efforts
Since : mebel minimalis
Excellent to read. It's My passion and hobby to restore old furniture. I love Rosewood furniture. Got hooked and do few colonial fusion furniture. My name is Aristides Alvares. Email aristidesalvares@gmail.com Lives in Goa. 9823021818
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