India has the best inventory of vintage and antique furniture—both institutional and domestic—I’ve ever seen. Especially deco and moderne (bench above) not to mention traditional Indian wooden furniture of various vintages.
As discussed in this earlier post, in the early part of the 20th century the British administration in India hired architect Edward Lutyens to design the new city of New Delhi, and over the decades that he worked in India he brought Georgian, deco and moderne styles with him. His design influence spread from Delhi throughout India’s administrative centres. You can now find deco and modernist furniture in flea markets for much cheaper than you’d find in Europe or North America.
There’s a lot of simpatico between deco/moderne and traditional Indian wooden furniture and other elements, probably due to similar weight in wood, sculptural elements &c.
Note that none of the carpets here are from fleamarkets! I asked.
Above, carpet from Samarkand, I believe, hung from bamboo on brackets above classic India string bed. On my prior trip to India, years ago, this is the only sort of bed we slept on. Usually it would have a thin mattress or pad on top. I saw fewer of them this time though I expect it’s still the most common type of raised bed on the subcontinent.
Below, a hotel dining room lined in aluminum or tin below the chair rail. The tables are pure granite. Granite and marble are cheap in India, often the cheapest option for tables and floors. It’s all quarried there.
