Column

Among the scores — or is it hundreds — of channels delivered to my television set by my friendly neighbourhood cablewallah is a new one called simply Real Estate Television.

Given that I am not the master of my domain when it comes to the television set, having to fight for the remote control with much more powerful forces (think Hannah Montana fans), I barely get time to watch the news and occasionally a sitcom. So I haven’t spent much time checking out RET.

But from what little I have seen so far, it seems to be not just about real estate prices in different cities but also has about how to upgrade your interiors.

One show had a woman proudly showing the reporter all the artefacts and furniture she had collected over the years. The reporter was suitably impressed and made the requisite complimentary remarks. At the moment the channel has a long way to go in terms of upping the quality quotient but I think they are on to something.

Home interiors is very much the ‘in’ thing today. Countless magazines are devoted to the subject and newspapers have supplements that give advice on everything from lighting to where to buy a fitted Italian kitchen for a modest Rs 3 lakh. Celebrities and even C-listers are chased by reporters who want to feature their homes in their publications; the copy is peppered with gushy references to all the objets d’art picked up by the lady of the house during her visit to Malaysia or South Africa.

Minimalism is in and ethnic is so last century, we are informed. All this printed on glossy paper that makes your mouth water, offering a sensual experience comparable to good porn. No wonder people buy interiors magazines just to gaze upon the pictures.

The logic behind this boom is self-evident. More and more apartments and houses are being built and these have to be fitted out. In addition, Indians have more money than ever before and all kinds of things are available in your nearby mall.

We travel abroad and pick up ideas and there are enough experts around, happy to give us the benefit of their knowledge for a fee.

Time was when hiring an interior decorator was something only the very rich can do. No longer. Young couples starting out have no hesitation in coughing up good money to a decorator for their 1BHK, even if they are not fully convinced that bright red walls in the living room work for them.

A flat must look like it will make it to a magazine; whether it is liveable on a day-to-day basis is another matter.

This craze has given rise to a new vocabulary. If it was ‘minimalistic’ some time ago, with Scandinavian or Japanese accents, it is ‘modern’ now, with the emphasis being on clean lines and expensive panelling and equipment.

Everything, from the bathroom to the bedroom, must follow the same design language, so say the design Nazis, and the hapless client has little choice but to follow. Why, there are designers who will also select your art for you (must match the upholstery) and if necessary, the coffee table books.

All this can be set off with something Indian (Buddha works the best) and a wonderful collection of little Ganeshas — it’s called eclecticism.

Rarely, in all the magazines and the supplements and the television shows does one find any objective commentary about design trends or indeed about a featured home.

Everything we see is wonderful and awesome. But worse, rarely do we get to see an organically created home, a home whose interiors just grew along with the family. I have seen many a living room full of art, books or furniture all with a story attached to them, all picked up individually by the occupant, not a commissioned designer.

These houses may be cluttered and perhaps not even colour coordinated. But these are homes that will never make the cut as far as glossy magazines are concerned — too messy to be photographed (though why not feature one, and call it Boho chic-might start a new style.)

In our frenzied race as a society to catch up with the world, we are focusing on the gloss, not on the soul. We think the new and the shiny is the real thing, though it may well be dross.

We want homes that follow international trends without wondering if they work in India; brightly coloured walls are fine in a cold environment, in India they can be jarring. In time the magazines might catch up with this and we will see through the sham, but till then, let us all salivate over that lovely, pristine and white couch, which never seems to get dusty.

Email: sidharth01@dnaindia.net