Models at Kajaria World.Picture by Rashbehari Das

With marble and mosaic giving way to tiles on floors across the city, consumers are looking beyond boring beige. And at Kajaria World, housed on the ground floor of Kankaria Estate on Little Russell Street, they can find plenty that fits the bill. The high-end showroom for imported tiles is the company’s first in eastern India.

“The market for imported tiles is rapidly growing. We had been toying with the idea of opening up in Calcutta for quite some time and were waiting for the right location,” explains Prakash Guddad, president, marketing, Kajaria World. The first branch was born in Gurgaon around four years ago, followed by a chain of similarly swank stores in Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Bangalore.

The 2,500-sq-ft store wears a studio look, with metallic and beige porcelain tiles on the floor, paired with a black ceiling. “We wanted this to look like a lifestyle store. Kajaria World can give you complete solutions for your walls and floors,” adds Prakash.

Collections from Italy and Spain come in monochromatic pastel shades. “In Delhi, due to the Punjabi culture, people like jazzy colours. Here in Calcutta, it is more about the design.” White, brown, grey and metallic shades can also be seen.

Facia tiles for the living room are novel products. A section of the store has been decorated like a living room to give customers a first-hand feel.

Brightly coloured tiles in ochre and orange are great picks for kids’ bathrooms. Big floral motifs and loud geometrical patterns can be used as wall highlights.

Apart from tiles, bathroom furniture is also available here. “With a little effort, your bathroom can look like that of a five-star hotel,” smiles Prakash.

Non-corrosive brass fittings with steel coatings in a dozen different designs are on offer. Imported sanitary ware with a futuristic look is also available at the store.

While ceramic tiles are priced at Rs 75 per sq ft plus, the price for the porcelain variety starts at Rs 120. Imported sanitary ware is priced at Rs 10,000 plus. The store is open Monday through Saturday between 10am and 8pm.