From the outside, the two-storeyed building that houses Tulips—the newly-opened furnishings store in Defence Colony, Delhi—looks like any other commercial building. But don’t be fooled. The concept of time is suspended inside the two-storeyed store—for the impeccable array of fabrics, soft furnishings and curated looks can send any design aficionado in a tizzy. The store opened in stages in 2016.
Between June and December, everything was in place as designers, tailors and kaarigars came onboard. Tulips was started in the year 1990 by Raajkumarri Mutha in Pune. She was plagued by her desire to have the ‘perfect set of drapes for her house in Pune, and that was what that set things in motion. “I was not able to find anyone who could have executed my vision for my house. I then decided to make the curtains on my own.
I bought fabrics, engaged tailors, and got them crafted. After seeing my penchant for soft furnishings, I was encouraged to take up projects by my friends and family. I started with two tailors and sewing machines in a small garage in Pune,” says Mutha. The Tulips store in Delhi is the third in the country, after Pune and Bengaluru. It offers a massive range of fabrics for soft furnishings and upholstery such as zardosi, aari embroidery and appliqué work, with prices that start at `200 and go up to `25,000.
Right from taking measurements, helping to choose the colour palette and installation, Tulips is godsend for people who don’t have the time and inclination to do up their houses. Customisation, stresses Mutha, is one of their biggest strengths. “I believe that everything in a house needs to compliment and balance each other, which can happen only if they are customised.
We, at Tulips, craft made-to-measure products that are built around the unique features of the space and the personal style of its occupants.” Mutha plans to expand, slowly and steadily. “We have a presence in the Middle East too.” In India, Tulips is growing one new store per year.