A medley of leather, wood, wrought iron, sleek steel, silk and cotton fabrics, and classy cuts—no this is not an art installation. Nor is it an expose on mixed media. It is rather all about the creativity that manifests in the range of furniture available in the market today. Sleek in design and light on your shoulders, today’s furniture is a far cry from the heavy teakwood stuff that all of us grew up getting used to.

While solid wooden furniture is still a rage with the die-hards, what has arrived with a bang is compressed wood furniture, popularly sold as rubber wood or laminated furniture. Favoured by those faced with frequent job transfers across the country, an impressive range of such furniture is available at Lifestyle Mall. Children’s furniture and smart coffee tables are also available at the Home Stop, a lifestyle initiative of Shopper’s Stop.

Priced slightly lower than the hardwood pieces, such furniture can be dismantled, reducing the possibility of these getting damaged when on the move. However, since the wood is laminated, once the polish wears off, there’s no salvaging of what is left. So, one has to be careful about water spillage on the wood.

For those with a weakness for wicker, there are stores selling charming combinations of wood and wicker. Cane Boutique has exquisite pieces from wicker chairs to cabinets and beds. You can get your piece custommade as well. Wood n Wicker , located at Domlur too has quite a collection of corner units, huge grandfather clocks and bar cabinets.

Also selling prize items at affordable rates is Faberge Furniture Store located at 100 Ft Road. Kimera and Kian are other upmarket furniture stores. The major state emporia located on Residency Road are one-stop-shops for ethnic furniture and décor items.

For those with a proclivity to carved wood, Himalayan Dowry is just the ticket. Feast your eyes on lovely furniture pieces made of intricately carved walnut wood.

Classy combinations of wrought iron and wood can be picked from Top Line, a store located on Infantry Road while Nishat Building on Curzon Road houses a couple of wrought iron furniture shops as well. For the intrepid, ready to trawl through furniture shops, Infantry Road has options galore.

In a nutshell, with retail stores brandishing a striking variety, shopping for furniture was never as much fun!