From Benaras to Bombay

Details that make Banaras

Founded in 2016, Tilfi draws inspiration from all things close to home, by the banks of Banaras. This becomes central to the new store’s glimmering, inviting canvas that brims with a feeling of gentle restraint and thought-provoking wonder. “We envisioned a sanctuary. A place where people could slow down, engage with materiality, and feel something. The materials needed to speak softly, yet with integrity — stone, water, metal and wood, used not as ornamentation, but with quiet purpose,” says Aditi Chand, also the CEO, Tilfi.

A lesson in storytelling through art, the inspiration behind the interiors of Tilfi’s Mumbai outpost is visible to the discerning eye, led by Sahiba Madan, Ami Mody and Ayushi Mundhada. “Raised platforms allude to the stepped landings of Kashi’s riverbanks. Such small but meaningful gestures root the space in memory,” Aditi muses. Tilfi’s symbolic paisley motif appears in quiet expressions too, etched on the brass reception and embroidered onto linen window panels of the store.

Wrapped in earthy buff tones, the interiors feature custom-made pieces, also designed in-house, that lend the space an otherworldly character. From carved wooden columns with a shikargah motif depicting a chase sequence to brass light sconces that mimic the folds of a textile. 

A carved wardrobe shutter, housing real zari sarees, illustrates the translation of a pattern onto fabric with three shuttles, emblematic of a Tilfi weave. 

Moment of pride 

A fact to know! Among the eight installations at the prestigious Shilp Deergha inside the new building of The Parliament House (New Delhi), Tilfi’s Yatra serves as a shining tribute to the finesse of Banarasi artisans. The centrepiece is a 96-inch handwoven artwork depicting Varanasi’s skyline — a lesson in artistic precision without a single design repeat, tells Aditi. “The artwork follows the city’s historic riverfront, from Ganga Mahal Ghat in the south to Raj Ghat in the north, featuring landmarks such as Manikarnika Ghat, Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple, Alamgir Mosque, and Namo Ghat. It has been meticulously planned and designed with careful consideration of the topographical and architectural accuracy of historically and religiously significant places.”

And so, bringing these inherent values of crafts and the country’s legacy, the new store located in the heart of Ballard Estate, once home to Vakil & Sons, a renowned printing press, becomes a nexus of uninhibited craftsmanship, storytelling and artistic moods of the heritage city of Banaras — values that lie at the heart of Tilfi’s own journey.