Found my way to Chikpet/ City Market today after many many years. All this while I have been doing my shopping for light fittings in and around South Bangalore, however for an an ongoing project I have been on the look out for specialty lighting hence thought of checking out what the most touted wholesale lighting market in Bangalore has to offer…all for goodness, was pleasantly surprised
Most of the shops dealing in light fittings are in around BVK Iyengar Road hence the good thing is that it does not take too much googling and navigation skills to explore the market. If you plan a visit just ensure to take Uber/ Ola to get there as there is no way that you will find parking or peace of mind if you are in your own car.
Back to the shopping experience and the good shops. So assuming that you are booking an Ola you should punch in “the junction of BVK Iyengar Road and KG road” as the drop off point (look it up in the map). Why, you may ask … we will get to that in a moment. Also ensure that you are wearing a good pair of walking shoes.
Why the Junction of BVKI & KG Road is important is that it is the only sane place till which the speed of motorized transport is greater than that of human walk. Beyond this point you are in a car (or for that matter even on a scooter) you will be overtaken both in speed and self pride by normal walking humans – hence the importance of good shoes. The second reason is that the junction is close to the main Electrical Market that is some 300 meters away.
In terms of the good shops I would recommend starting your trip with a visit to Aditya Lamps, they have a very wide range and some exclusive pieces that at least I did not find in other shops. In terms of price however Aditya is positioned at the top end of the market and maybe not ideal (economically) for regular & bulk lighting needs. The same lane has some 20 to 30 other shops dealing in light fittings that you should also check out. Further out on BVKI road there is Kingdom of Lights that too has a decent range. If you spend a couple of hours in this area of some three by four hundred meters you would have seen most of “the Lights” that City Market has to offer.
The surprise entry of the visit was the brass-ware collectibles market that is situated at the southern most end of BVKI road. I get a number of questions from readers on this blog on where to buy decor items in Bangalore and to them and especially for brass ware I would strongly recommend City Market for both the range and the price. I came across a couple of Krishna statues in brass that I just fell in love with and am now in the process of finding place for them at home 🙂
That sums up the trip today, if you have any experiences on shopping for Home Interiors in Bangalore then do share in the comments section below for the benefit other readers of this blog
Signing off for now
Nandita
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PS: I am not associated with nor do I endorse any brand or vendor mentioned in any of my blog posts. As a policy I do not blog or write for endorsements or money (thankfully God has been kind enough) as that defeats the entire purpose of what this blog stands for.
© Nandita Manwani – Interior Designer & Founder The Studio Bangalore
Amazing Article
thanks nandita..having restricted budget for the new home decoration would you be able to suggest come place where i can buy stuff for decor
hi nandita,,thanks for the article. can you also suggest a good place to shop for the decoratives…Also My kids wardrobe color is orange and white alternate so what would you suggest for the wall paper color. They like sky hot air balloon or aircraft or space.. A good place to buy them also would be helpful..
Lifestyle, Homestop, and @Home are best for decor items and nowadays there is a sale going on almost always. You can also try Evok.
Regards
Nandita
With Orange & White anything with a tinge of Green or brown will look nice. Most furnishing shops nowadays stock wallpapers, you can also check online for any closest wallpaper dealers
Rgds
Nandita
Hi nandita
Like to ask about false celling. Is there any requirements for tubelight after false celling.
From a brightness perspective you should ideally install wall lights to complement the light from the false ceiling when needed. At the same time, in my personal opinion, Tube-lights don't give a classy look and I prefer to use wall lamps instead.
Also read this http://www.standardpro.com/3-basic-types-of-lighting/
Hi Nandita ..
Thanks for a great blog as always. Your tips came handy when we did the interiors for our villa in Chennai in 2015. We are planning to refurbish an old apartment we have purchased recently in Bangalore. Few queries :
1. Tiles – where can we get good quality & cost-effective floor, bathroom & kitchen tiles in Bangalore (any shops / brand names would be helpful). The apartment has old mosaic and we are planning to redo the flooring.
2. Any suggestions on locations to buy sanitaryware ? We are breaking down the old bathroom & making a new one.
3. Which floor & wall tiles color will look good in small sized bathroom – about 10'x8' and 8'x6' sizes.
Thanks,
Sridhar
1. For regular tiles the shops closest to your home will suffice, nowadays prices are competitive and nearly the same everywhere. If you are looking for exclusive stuff then try Saamavesh or Ram Ceramics.
2. For sanitaryware – look up the catalogs of popular brands Cera, Parryware, Hindware, Kohler etc. and decide the models you need. Check our 2 – 3 shops closest to you and buy. Shops in Chikpet may offer a better price but if you have just 1 to 3 bathrooms to renovate then it is not worth the effort to source it from there plus the transportation cost will offset the price benefit.
3. For small sized bathrooms I recommend choosing anti skid floor tiles of 1/1 feet. Wall tiles – you can choose any based on the theme
Hello Nandita.
Very informative blog. Very thorough. 🙂
We have recently purchased a flat in Bangalore and we want to build the kitchen area. Can you suggest any local carpenters who can take up this project and deliver quality work. Budget is a constraint, so we don’t want to go with any big names.
Thanks in advance:)
Hi Puja, It is best to check any references of folks who would have done good work in your apartment complex or your area
Wish you the very best for your new home
Hi Nandita. Great reading your blog and tips. Very very informative, and the shops you have suggested to visit helped a lot.
I havent done any kind of false ceiling on my flat when I got the interiors done about 5 years ago.. but now feeling about getting this done. Do you have any suggestions/recommendations about false ceiling ?
The primary objective of the false ceiling in apartments and small to mid size villas/ independent homes is to optimize the lighting. Hence please don’t look at the false ceiling stand alone and plan it as part of the lighting optimization for the home. Second – use standard Gypsum board and frames for the false roofing – some folks still do it using traditional PoP which is a disaster.