An avalanche of arts and culture

By Shireen Senadhira

“How do you dress up a side table?
“Could a book case be dressed up too?”
“I need advice on lighting.”
“What should I make the most important feature in my salon?”

These are some of the questions young couples ask among other house proud people. Especially the ones setting up new homes and want to have trendy settings.

“Well, the answer is simple. Just ask Prasad.

“Who’s he?”

“He has just had a soft opening of Domus, which is a cornucopia of home décor, displayed in exhibition style in a craft and gift shop. It has stylish furniture, paintings, hand painted lamps and lampshades, hand painted trays, vases, wooden boxes, fancy cushions and cushion covers and other myriad articles to make a home look exquisitely beautiful.”

Domus is tucked away in the heart of Colpetty, Colombo. It is a vision to behold. There it is, winking and blinking with an invitation to come in. A couple of deer grazes at the entrance and they are entrancing, like they’ve been lifted from Wilpattu Sanctuary Park and placed there.

The owner greets you with a bright smile and then as you take the next step in this new abode, the beauty of the specialized art and craft work of home decor, aesthetically displayed, hits you like an avalanche. Prasad’s artistic talents and touch is everywhere, from ornamental tables and side tables to sideboards, from furniture to paintings. You have to see it and then you will believe it. In reality, Prasad had taken many months in planning this very creative arty place. Each room is a new discovery and as you look over all this arty stuff with wonder, you come into a room at the end and lo and behold, there is a painting of frolicking crows in the snow. Wow! What a theme.The painting hangs low on a wall above a black wooden side table and is guarded sentinel like, on each side, by two tall elegantly painted glass cylinders. This tableau held my attention for quite a while.

The eyes couldn’t decide to gaze at which one first. Then, as I was enjoying this setting, in trots pal Pri and asks pertinently, “Are crows intelligent?”

“Yes, they are, they have a good memory.”
“How can you say that? Can you prove it?”

“A study has been done and they have seen that they pursue the same person who had either harassed them or given them food. When the same people went disguised they didn’t follow the people.”

“I think they just a horde of black winged birds.”
“They communicate well with each other.”
“They are a nuisance, cawing too much.”
“There are myths about them, as well as poems on them.”
“Who are the poets?” Pri asks with disbelief in her voice.
“Ted Hughes and John Clare. Also, Lynn Samsel , tho I’m not sure of her name.”
“Oh! I haven’t heard or read such….”

Luckily, for us, at that moment, a young lady appeared with a tray of drinks. We took one each and drifted into the other rooms and met up with the people thronging there, admiring and buying the art works. Then we collected our items we had selected and placed them at the counter.

Then as I turned, I came across a little café by the side attached to the shop. The café too was equally adorned and a pleasure to sit awhile and sip a ‘cuppa’ or nibble a tasty morsel.

This place is certainly a stop-over when taking friends here and there in Colombo.

As you sit in the café, you can view the craft shop too in different angles. To me, it was like being inside a flower garden or was it just like Alice in Wonderland?

It actually seemed that I had got into a painting myself and was viewing the world from inside, outwards. I discussed this with my pal and we agreed, for once.

As we sipped our delicious tea, we talked about the gift items we had bought.

It seemed that Prasad had brought a breathtaking urban elegance in to the tropical capital of Colombo. The soft opening was such a success and the crowd that came were entranced and enthralled.

I heard comments like:
“This indeed, is a place to choose a trendy gift.”
“A wedding gift list is a must for this shop.”
“This is a place indeed to linger quite a while, before buying special gifts.”
“I feel relaxed as I enter these beautiful surroundings.”
“Good to recommend this place for soothing therapy.”