Table Decor

The largest part of our decorative range and the one most people buy from first. These are the pieces that sit on a console, a sideboard, a shelf or a desk: solid brass and plated figurines, bowls and trays, tea light holders, mukhwas boxes, enamelled meenakari work and natural stone crystal trees.

What sits on a table well, and what does not

Scale is where most people go wrong, and it is less about the size of the object than the size of the surface. A single piece on a wide console reads as an afterthought. Three pieces at varying heights on that same console reads as intentional. On a narrow shelf the reverse holds, and one well-chosen object beats a crowd.

The practical constraint nobody puts in a product listing: solid brass is heavy, and a tall brass figure on a lightweight floating shelf is a real problem. Check the listed weight for anything going on a wall-mounted surface.

Light matters here more than in almost any other category. Brass has nothing to give in a dim corner and comes alive within reach of a lamp or a window. Decide where the light is before you decide what goes there.

What we make

Figurines are the bulk of it: brass elephant and animal statues, and deity pieces bought as much for the form as for worship, which are in god idols and figurines.

Bowls, trays and urlis. A brass urli bowl filled with water and floating flowers is the most common entrance piece in India, and one of the few decorative objects that changes with the season because you refill it. German silver mukhwas bowls and serving trays sit in the same group.

Lamps and tea light holders overlap with the ritual range; the full set is in brass diyas.

Enamel work. Meenakari, the Jaipur tradition in which coloured enamel is worked into engraved metal, fired and polished back. Among the most labour-intensive finishes we sell and the most delicate. See the meenakari collection.

Stone. Wire-wrapped crystal trees in nine natural stones, for a shelf that needs colour rather than metal.

Finishes. Solid metal in brass idols, plated pieces in gold and silver plated idols, deliberately aged pieces in antique finish idols.

Care, which differs by finish

Solid brass darkens over time. That is copper oxidising at the surface, not damage, and whether you polish it back or let it patina is preference. Lemon and salt or soaked tamarind lifts tarnish; rinse and dry fully, because trapped moisture is what dulls it again quickly. Deep clean occasionally, since the pastes are mildly abrasive and repeated cleaning wears fine detail away for good.

Three exceptions people regularly get wrong. Lacquered pieces take a dry cloth only, because an acidic cleaner attacks the seal instead of the tarnish. Antique finishes carry a patina applied on purpose, so cleaning paste strips the finish it was meant to restore. Meenakari enamel is wipe-dry only, never scrubbed.

To tell solid brass from plated: weight and sound. Brass is noticeably heavier for its size and rings with a sustained note when tapped, where plated resin gives a dull knock.

As a gift

Brass suits gifting because it needs nothing from the recipient to look right on the day, does not date, and lasts long enough to be handed on. Urlis, small figurines and lamp pieces are the reliable choices for a new home; see griha pravesh and housewarming gifts. For weddings, wedding gifts and wedding return gifts, where small brass pieces are the conventional return gift. Seasonal peaks are Dhanteras and Diwali. For volume see corporate gifts and bulk gift items, or send the details on the bulk order enquiry page.

For the rest of the range see home decor, wall decor and pooja essentials.

Before you order

• For a floating or wall-mounted shelf, check the weight, not just the height.
• Group at varying heights on a wide surface. Keep to one piece on a narrow one.
• Put it where light reaches it. Brass in a dark corner is a dark object.
• Confirm solid brass or plated. They age completely differently.
• Antique and meenakari finishes get dry dusting only.