A wishful Wonderland

The wishing chair recently opened up a new  store in Gurgaon and Accessory2design went for a visit to this fantastical wonderland kind of shop where one is transported to the enchanted worlds of Enid Blyton – cum Alice in Wonderland!

We met up with the two lovely ladies – Avneet Mann & Vivita Relan behind this venture whose underlying wish “is to never grow up”.

“The Wishing Chair began its journey in 2012 as a lifestyle retail brand in the home accessories and gifting space with a store at Shahpur Jat, New Delhi.

It  is the physical manifestation of the nostalgic yearnings of 2 women who wished they didn’t have to grow up. It bridges a gap that existed in the home accessory and decor space – for young people who wanted to fancify their homes with whimsical touches.

The Wishing Chair – a name derived from Enid Blyton’s book, seeks to have the same transportive nature of the magical chair, making you believe you’ve been transported to the fantasy world of your childhood stories. We hope entering the store has that effect on people, tugging at those wistful heart-strings that pine for a more magical, simpler time. ”

Every corner held some fascination for us and made us want to buy everything in the shop. At one point we were tempted to ask (and did much to their amusement) whether we could live in the shop?

The wrought iron bed with its wispy white net curtains, suspended from the ceiling and the pastel colored floral cushions, evoke the courteous country feel while the fairy lights add that whimsical touch to the entire setting. Quilted duvet and cushions, floral furnishings add to the range of decor items listed in this corner.

A vintage wooden desk in a baby pink color holds quaint china elephants, wooden boxes with colored lids with birds perched on top, metal planters in pastel shades, metal cut patterns in tea lights and quirky items turned into plant holders.

We loved the wooden birds with a red-painted head, the ceramic houses which looked as if they have stepped out of a Gustave Klimt painting, the colorful owl cookie jars, and these single cup-single kettle perched one on top of the other were just marvelous.

The entire showroom had a celebratory feel to it with purple colored balloons swaying drunkenly in the AC draft while fairy lights twinkled and caught the eye at every corner.

A huge giraffe made out of iron  had flowers and foliage sprouting out all over it – it looked fantastic and enhanced the enchanted feeling of the store. And the ladies had very graciously made a huge wall of tropical garden paradise, replete with gorgeous blooms – an ideal spot for selfies and we saw many visitors indulging in just that.

We were entranced by the range of curious that the girls had thought to source from various corners of the country and perhaps the world. My favorite was the metal tree for hanging jewelry which had these lovely stems wrapped in colored threads – it made for the perfect wishing tree!

Gold painted mason jars, wrapped with some jute twine and filled with fairy lights were set on a stepped display shelf – stunning!!!

Embroidery hoops with jute panels and patch-worked alphabets in fabrics made for a unique wall display.

The beauty of the store lay in all the quirky, kitschy and whimsical wares ; each unique in its shape, color and pattern. So while some twisted, others arched sky-high and some more perched delicately atop each other .

The store is a smorgasbord of creative ideas in home decor and provides the perfect foil to every wishful fancy you may have had for doing up that perfect corner in your room.

Now I have to start directing all my friends and family to this store for whenever they have to buy a gift for me; I want them all.

And for all those (like me) who can’t have enough of this childhood wonderland, there is some more good news. There is a quaint little café with some amazing food and WiFi – perfect for the lazy bugs like me who like nothing better than to sip tea while poring over an engrossing tome or simply pounding the keys on my laptop!

Maybe the mad hatter will join me in a tea party there next for it is called the Mad Teapot café!

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This post was first published on an online home decor platform in 2015 and all content and pictures are copyrighted by Shalzmojo who runs a home design company by the name  Accessory2Design 

If you would like us to review your product/store/design firm, do drop us a mail at accessory2design.ggn@gmail.com

 

On an additional note:

My blog will turn one year as self hosted and to celebrate this milestone, I have planned a GIVEAWAY all the month of september! Details as below: