Maximalism’s tantalising grip on those who immerse in it, either by design or by default, is not just a waltz into opulence. It evokes an emotional response too, triggered perhaps by several juxtapositions. Of memories, artefacts, fabrics, colours and elements drawn from history and modernity curated to share space. This endeavour can sometimes be intimidating. It can send an observer or visitor—if it is a store, a home or a museum—into a flight away from clutter. But when maximalism is a harmonious mediation between things and thought, collectibles and culture, mind and material, the emotion usually is fascination. Some joy even, as fascination usually errs on the side of cheer. 

That would be one way to sum up this writer’s experience of the new Good Earth store in Lucknow. Opened to the public last week in the Nishatganj area of the Awadhi city, the 4500 sq. ft space emboldens all that the Indian luxury lifestyle brand stands for. Sophistication as a modern, functional promise. Elegance in the way things are drafted, designed and made. And, a remix of India’s finest traditions in crafts and culture. Under the aesthetic vision of Good Earth’s creative director, the tireless design toiler and thinker Anita Lal, in collaboration with Lucknow’s master maximalist interior designer Adil Ahmad, the store alluringly positions artistry from a consumerist perspective. 

The store interiors and the Baroda green marble water fountain.

The interiors are an orchestra of green hues. Udaipur green betrays the mind of teal demanding an urgent notice of its power. Then there are hubs of raw olive green. An oasis with a white marble checkerboard flooring (patang chal) leads visitors to a Baroda green marble water fountain, designed at the heart of the store. Inspired by the Mughal Charbagh, according to the press release, it features an intricate 8-point star design. The open archways framed by mirror borders in the boutique embody the architectural might of the city’s Rumi darwaza and Imambaras. 

The store of course is packed with home fabrics, table linen, velvet embellished cushions and furniture, fine crockery, glassware, lamps and art, apparel, saris, shawls and silks with influences drawn from cultural traditions of the world. Much like Good Earth stores in other cities, but with a wider range of merchandise given the expanse here. 

The lineup includes glassware, crockery, apparel, home fabrics and table linen.

It takes a visitor some time to absorb the Lucknow boutique’s maximalist design before focussing on the products. A competition ensues between the several offerings. Perhaps it serves the consumer’s advantage to acclimatise, view with care and then buy with conviction. 

Situated as it is, right next to Adil Ahmad’s own interiors studio (another headily, maximalist space), the big experience is of design, the use of dozens of diverse concepts and materials without it becoming so fragmented that it loses its hold. That it sits in Lucknow with the city’s historical Awadhi influences in architecture, lifestyle, food, dress, and its famed chikankari and mukaish traditions, the experience is complex. For those like this writer, who keenly follow the Good Earth aesthetic, the collaboration with Ahmad makes good sense. A fluidity between the brand’s fundamentals while honouring Lucknow’s heritage from Ahmad’s viewpoint is visible.

The store’s opulent interiors find inspiration in a Mughal charbagh.

Anita Lal and the effervescent Good Earth team didn’t just open the doors to this store with glass painted in vintage florals leading to marbled floors. They threw a party with an array of delicious food and wine, hosting the who’s-who of Lucknow who arrived dressed in the ilk of the store—opulent in tune, tone, textiles and jewels. It was Awadhi couture’s day out. If the hosts wore luxurious woven and embellished textiles, saris, kaftans, kurta sets with uncut diamonds and ruby-emerald strings, guests wore Lucknow on their sleeve. Featuring Suman Sridhar’s Black Mamba musical act, with infectiously exciting beats leading to dances and swirls, the evening was abundant in mood. 

Now begins the test on the ground, in the thickening forest of Indian retail where selling is also an art that blends strategy with hard-nosed business.