Handcrafted in India · Heirloom brass & bronze
Entertaining · 6 min read
Five ways to set a table with Indian brass.
Brass has a way of making an ordinary dinner feel like an occasion. It catches candlelight, warms a neutral table, and sits as easily with banana leaves as with linen. Here are five ways we like to bring it to the table, at home and for guests.
1. Start with one urli at the centre.
A single hand-hammered urli, filled with water and a few floating petals or tea lights, is the easiest centrepiece there is. It needs no flowers and no fuss, and it reflects whatever light is in the room. Keep everything around it low so it stays the quiet focal point.
2. Mix brass with bare materials.
Brass looks its best next to plain things: raw linen, unglazed ceramic, dark wood, a stone platter. The contrast keeps it from feeling heavy. One or two brass pieces against simple tableware reads richer than a table full of metal.
3. Use the small pieces every day.
Bud vases, katoris, a little tray for salt and lime. The point of handmade brass is that it gets used, not saved. A few small pieces in daily rotation build the patina and the memories that make them yours.
4. Light it from low down.
Brass and candlelight belong together. A row of diyas or a pair of low holders throws warm light up onto the metal and across the faces at the table. Skip the tall candlesticks and keep the glow at eye level and below.
5. Let it age.
Do not chase a mirror shine. A little warmth and unevenness is what separates real brass from a plated imitation. Wipe it down, enjoy the patina as it deepens, and polish only when you want it to gleam for a particular evening.
However you use it, the rule is the same as the rest of the house. A few real things, made by hand, beat a tableful of new.
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The Gilded Haveli
Heirloom brass and bronze, sourced from family workshops across Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, made for homes around the world.
Handcrafted in India
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