The Hindu Business Line : Natural best

It is hard to miss the interior of this furnishing store in Chennai. The walls and floors at Saagar's Furnishing follow a striking pattern in which both synthetic and natural materials have been used to create a rustic yet sophisticated look.

For instance, both ceramic tiles and granite have been used on the floors to give an interesting blended effect. While the pale yellow ceramic tiles give the floor a uniform look in some places, the rough (unpolished) grey granite slabs used elsewhere give an outdoor feel. Add to it the shiny walkway using polished granite. The contrast is mind-blowing.

There is a crazy mix on the walls too. While most of them are painted in pale yellow (some portions have been given a sponge or wrinkled effect), unpainted bare brick walls in the corners produce a rugged earthy look.

Says Sunitha Chaudhry, who designed the store's interior, "Natural material has an inherent charm and aesthetic value. While synthetic material and trends keep changing, natural products will have people going `wow' even 20 years from now."

Symmetry is passé. The unconventional and unfinished look is definitely in. Natural building material is increasingly used to give a new character and definition to interiors — be it the flooring, wall cladding or niche, or shelves and tabletops.

Besides the looks, natural stones such as sandstone, granite, marble and slate are also sturdy and time tested. "Just fit and forget," says S. Muralidharan of Chennai-based Studio Infiniti, which deals with speciality building material.

He points to the country's wealth of natural stones. While sandstone is abundant in Rajasthan and Agra, slates are aplenty in Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar. But these have not been tapped adequately. "The mining and recovery rate is only 8 per cent in India, whereas in Europe, it is 30-60 per cent. Besides, we use primitive excavation technologies compared to Europe. Here, we still whack with a crowbar," says Muralidharan.

Floored by natural stones

When it comes to flooring, granite and marble are popular choices. Each comes with its own advantages and limitations. Granite, which is abundant in south India, is hardy and is always polished before it is laid. The polish is permanent and the lustre remains forever, says Pradeep Chandra of Cosmo Granites, Chennai. On the other hand, marble (mainly sourced from Rajasthan and Italy) must be polished only after it is laid. Lighter, more porous and prone to staining, marble must be polished at least once in seven years, especially in high traffic areas.

If you thought granite only came in boring black or grey, check out the colour palette at Cosmo. Ruby red, cosmo green, sapphire brown, raw silk ivory, sapphire blue and a lot more. Marble too comes in an exciting range of colours such as honey cream, onyx green, Udaipur green and golden travertino.

Want to give your walls a cave-like appearance? Go in for sandstone or slates in red, brown and other earthy hues. Stones are stain-free and long lasting, and are especially ideal for high-traffic areas such as the foyer. Stones are also good insulators and hence best suited for houses in hill stations.

Natural stone can be treated with techniques such as tumbling, sandblasting, hammering and etching to produce an antique effect. Sometimes, grains of quartz are added to give a rough, dull and impure look. Different material can also be innovatively meshed together to create beautiful medallions on the floor and the walls.

Give your bathroom a riverside feel using see-through tiles embedded with pebbles. Or use these tiles on the dance floor, light it from below, and throw a big bash! Or even use them to make a lampshade, a tea table or a pair of cool chairs. "The possibilities are limitless," says Muralidharan.

The stolidity of wood

Wood may not be as easy to maintain as stone; it is easily damaged by water and sharp instruments. But wood lends a comforting feel to the floor. So, if you have a favourite corner or a lounge, where traffic is not so high, wood is a good bet. But, Sunitha warns, "Do not go in with spiked shoes. Wear soft chappals instead and retire into your den after a day's hard work."

Objets d'art

Some of the most interesting decorative items are made out of natural material. Survey Sunitha's living room and a stone vase immediately grabs your attention. It's just a round piece of white marble but, nevertheless, is impressive. She says with pride, "There is symmetry only in the shape. Otherwise the grains on the stone are irregular — the pattern on the front and back are not uniform. Also, the wild white flowers in it contribute to the overall mystique."

Another vase perched prettily on a table has an interesting story behind it. It is made from the bark of a tree grown in Indonesia, which sheds its skin every year. The vase (it resembles a totem pole) has several black striations and ridges running over it. "In the beginning, the lines were thin... but as time went by, they took their own definition and became thicker and darker," she says with wonder in her voice.

Natural materials lend themselves to nearly every facet of interior decoration. You can do up your curtains with jute in bright hues or linen with vegetable-dye prints. Or go in for raw cotton or shimmering tussar. And to complete that all-natural look, experiment with bamboo, as it is dynamic and can take different shapes and forms. Besides using cane and bamboo to make chairs and tables, use them to make slacks for the bed, candle holders, lampshades and mirror frames.

Picture by Bijoy Ghosh/Location courtesy: Saagar's Furnishing, Chennai.

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