An array of furniture that?s fashionable yet affordable. Picture by Rashbehari Das

If an interior decorator and imported furniture are out of reach for your pocket, there are aspirational options aplenty for you.

High-end lifestyle stores aside, there is a growing number of destinations for design-conscious urban dwellers, for whom the neighbourhood carpenter and traditional stores in north Calcutta are no longer attractive options.

The latest to join the mid-range home furnishing segment is Metallica D Art, on Beckbagan Row.

?The city is witnessing a lifestyle boom. Big brands are dropping anchor in the city and prices are sky-rocketing. But you cannot ignore the lower and the middle segment, which far outnumbers the people who purchase furniture worth lakhs,? says Ved Prakash Arya, owner of the 3,000-sq-ft wrought iron store.

The showroom, which will stick to the affordable metal, aims to keep prices competitive to appeal to the middle-class buyer.

?Even those buying furniture cheap don?t want to compromise on quality,? Arya stresses. European styles manufactured in a Beleghata factory keep the price tags low.

The new entrant follows the success of small shops in the area. ?The city is growing rapidly. In areas like Garia, Jadavpur, Rajarhat and Howrah, you will find lots of demand for economical yet durable furniture,? says Anand Gupta, owner of Decofur on AJC Bose Road, which has been catering to the mid-market for some time.

Carpenters, it is clear, are out. ?People now want to see and feel the furniture before they take it into their house. Furniture is not an impulse buy,? adds Gupta.

Buyers are typically those whose flats are nearing completion. ?They will look around most shops in the market and consider a range of designs. Influenced by the lifestyle boom, they try to squeeze in the best within their given budget,? says Pushkar Desai, D-Zone, another furniture address on AJC Bose Road.

Convenience is also a key factor. Such stores offer furniture packages ? for bedrooms, dining rooms or even the entire house ? at comparatively low rates. For example, Rs 31,990 can fetch a set to furnish a number of rooms, while a bedroom package could come at around Rs 15,000 and a four-seater dining table with chairs could be had at just Rs 6,500.