inSight The Last Word
Roads Less Travelled
H
ome is where the heart
is,” and “Your home is your palace” are adages that continue to circulate because our homes are what really matter - the people in them, the memories made and the artifacts that take up prime real estate. “Most of us want to have an emotional connection to the products we purchase for others and ourselves. That desire for emotional gratification is almost always fulfilled when a product has a story to tell. In a consumer-driven world, where instant gratification rules, we think it’s refreshing to find beautiful products made by proud artisans using rare craft techniques and simple tools, pouring passion into each and every product they make. On one of our many buying trips to India, we were in a tiny northern village. Dusty roads as the backdrop and the summer heat clinging to our clothes, we were watching a family of artisans bring to life our Moroccan lantern collection. To our dismay, there was a lot of wasted sheet metal because of the unusual shape of the lanterns. We chatted with the artisans about the waste and one young boy, Ramesh, says, “I have an idea! Will you leave it with me and come back tomorrow?” We looked at each other and shrugged. It wasn’t the first time an artisan had heard our design ideas and then pursued his own creative direction. Somehow we knew that leaving the metal scraps in this young man’s hands would be a smart thing to do.
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inStore. Fall 2014
Tanya Sharma (left) and Pamela Arora (right) are the principals behind The Turquoise Palace, a Canadian-based wholesaler of unique home treasures sourced from skilled Indian artisans. www.theturquoisepalace.com
When we returned to the village the next day, Ramesh proudly held up a stunning serving tray which he had made by cutting the metal scraps into uniform strips and welding them together. Happily shocked and
thrilled by Ramesh’s creativity and craftsmanship, the metal tray is now one of the most-prized products in our line-up. The act was simple, the result was beautiful, but it’s the story that makes it special.