That Peter Pan is an ongoing inspiration is evident when you look at Aparna Upadhyaya’s fantastical décor. The teacher, 35, used her experience in designing pre-school and children’s spaces to set up Tigerlily (the store last year, the website last month), and promises bespoke furniture. For the uninitiated, Tiger Lily is a princess who makes an appearance in the classic about the boy who never grows up. “I wanted each piece of my furniture to be unique and to range from quirky to opulent. I have salvaged antique pieces and repurposed them into designs like Victorian Steampunk. There are eclectic and vibrant ideas as well,” says Upadhyaya, who does not let the lack of a formal design education stop her from dreaming with wood. Tigerlily is “for anybody who enjoys drama,” she adds.
Eye of the beholder
The Mumbai-based designer begins her day hunting down flea market treasures, and furniture that can be turned around. Following the positive response to her store last year, Upadhyaya launched her company website last month and received requests for styling and decorating homes and professional spaces as well. Upadhyaya says her ideas jump out of her head.
“Most of my pieces are larger than- life and they are from stories that inspire me or they are buildings that are recreated as miniatures (in this case, chairs from the Miniatures collection).”
Fantasy chairs and more
The Lock and Key chair from Alice in Wonderland is her interpretation of the talking doorknob character. With an antique door handle, this beautifully worked teak chair features enough drama, together with a keyhole and a heart-shaped key on a ring. The Tremlin Kremlin Chair takes inspiration from the architecture of St Basil’s Cathedral, housed inside the Moscow Kremlin. Synonymous with opulence, it has a three tiered Shelving unit that resembles the mezzanines o f the C athedral, which can be used to store books or decorative items.
Tigerlily rounds off the list of unusual accessories with cushions. From sequins to matte, to frills and vintage prints, you’ll never run out of choices. While you can place your orders via the website, Upadhyaya plans to retails some of her products at select design houses across the country.
The Lock and Key Chair is priced at Rs 1,17,000 and the Treml in Kreml in Chair at Rs 1,35,000. Cushions start from Rs 1,899 onwards. Details: tigerlilybyaparna.com