There is a sense of nostalgia which seeps in when you look at products which are envisaged with an indie touch. Specially, when we visit restaurants and look at drinks being served in traditional punched bowls or food served in golden plate, all these desi things are eye-catchy and have become an integral part of modern dining scenario.
Brass nutbowl with lemon artwork
So while on our trip to Ladakh, devouring Kashmiri food out of traditional Indian utensils was unlike any other dining experience. But being frenzied graphic designers that we are, we were perturbed by the unattractiveness of these traditional Indian utensils. And hence, to appease the designers in us, we started Baarique, a tableware brand in 2013 with an aim to bring life to the art of food presentation in the country.
Kansa Bowl
Being the brainchild of Surkhi Matharu and Malika Budhiraj, both Graphic Designing Graduates from MIT Pune, our mutual affinity for good food and traditional Indian designs led us to incept hand painted traditional utensils depicting Indian culture, art and music in a much colourful form.
Illustrating the fascinating and extravagant history of the country, our highly traditional inspired range of tableware consists of hand painted tumblers, bowls, plates, glass and spoons designed in copper, brass and kansa material.
Kansa set with traditional handpainted artwork
For instance, the artwork is inspired by the gorgeous house boats of Kerala, palaces of Rajasthan, folk tales, music in the form of table and chirping birds & animals such as butterfly, swan and hen, flowers such as lotus and marigold.
Brining back ‘gold’ as a colour of tableware, these utensils are made of copper, brass and kansa metal, having its own health benefits. A kansa pot (healing metal) is known to improve development of the red blood cells; brass vessels shield us from water-borne diseases, and of course, copper which balances acidity.
Kansa glass
These utensils are specifically chosen from the traditional metal smiths of Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and are adorned with intricate artwork replicated by painters from our original hand-drawn designs.
Every detail is illustrated by us and carefully hand-painted by our team of artists in Rajasthan. Our traditional metal products are skilfully melted, molded and beaten by craftsmen to create inimitable utensils to give a story to every product. The design philosophy of Baarique is quite simple.
Copper lota with glass set
We believe in designing sustainable, elegant and functional products which bring smile on our customer’s face. Watching our illustrations transform into beautiful metal ware pieces and receiving appreciation from our clients pushes us to work harder and create unique products which give provide a traditional indie touch to their dining experience.
Kansa plate with music artwork
Our big breakthrough came in when Mumbai’s favourite pastry chef, Pooja Dhingra used our hand-painted kansa plates to serve her special dish at the Mag Street Kitchen. We have also supplied tableware products to various restaurants in Mumbai including The Bombay Canteen, Made In Punjab and Indian Street Food Co.
Brass plate with Butterfly artwork
Currently, Baarique retails through various online websites-jaypore.com, tijori.com and we are also in the process of launching our own e-commerce website. Next, when you visit the ‘Villa 17’ in Chennai, you will come across our products laded on their dining table as that is our next destination to showcase our ecletic indie-decor collection.
Text By Surkhi Matharu & Malika Budhiraj
Contact
Email: info@baarique.com
