Considered Fab India For Furniture?
December 26, 2009 by Kartik Bajoria
Filed under Featured, Home, Shopping
When you think furniture, you think either crowded wholesale furniture markets or upmarket foreign furniture stores. What you surely don’t think, is Fab India. That old favorite store that we’ve patronized for generations now, for all our kurtas & jackets. While a tiny section of people knows, and an even smaller percentage of those people has bought into the lifestyle products & furniture from Fab India – that the brand produces a stunning range of furniture is still unknown to most of us. Its a shame really, because the gems that lurk in the furniture closet (pun intended) of Fab India, I dare say, are even more exciting than their apparel! Here’s the how and why…
Neutral Style Puts A Huge Smile!
Perhaps the single biggest advantage of the Fab India furniture range is its design simplicity. Clean, straight, simple lines dominate the aesthetic. Think beach resort meets mediterranean spa, only here the furniture is not rattan, but pure wood. In this day, when appointing one’s home with furniture is an expensive and once-in-five-year exercise; you’d be wise to choose a line of products that is neutral and non-offensive in design terms. Sure, you can get new-age ultra modern furniture. Chances are though, that in the short span of a year, it’ll start to look dated and out of place. On the other hand, if you opt for classic furniture, say Victorian (which a lot of us Indians seem to have a subconscious hangover with, thanks to our erstwhile rulers); it may last a lifetime, but will certainly be a nightmarish expense to maintain.. not to mention that each time you want to affect even the slightest change, you’ll need to get complete re-upholstering done, that too in pricey suedes and silks!! You’d be wise to restrict your false illusions of grandeur.
Stick therefore to the soothing, calming, and straightforward designs from Fab. They will never go out of style, be easy to clean and maintain, and will remain versatile as well. Not only will this furniture get easily teamed with most kinds of home-decor, also, being largely wood-based, you will be able to constantly vary the look by only getting the Cushions & Throws replaced!!
As these pictures would have borne out, there is a treasure trove that exists in the Fab stores. From dining area furniture including static and expandable dining tables, living area couches and coffee tables in different shapes & sizes, and bedroom furniture with the most gorgeous beds, side tables, and secretaries; it is a virtually endless range to choose from. All wonderfully styled products that will age gracefully and be easy on the eyes, and on the pocket!
Quality That’s More Than Skin Deep!
Having ranted on about the styling attributes of the Fab furniture (the happy corny coincidence of the nomenclature that we shall now on refer to as FF), I feel it is also crucial to assure you that the beauty here is not just skin deep. All the FF is made using the best quality wood, and it passes with flying colors in my book. We put the few pieces of FF we own to the toughest test possible. Sea side Mumbai apartment constantly subjected to over a year of moisture, grime, and humidity.
I am pleased as punch to share that not only have all the pieces survived, they look and feel as good as new! So like with many things that are pretty on the outside but not substantive on the inside, FF can not be accused of the same. You get great design here, with great robust quality!
Complete Furnishing Solutions!
The story does not end here. The most fantastic aspect about FF is the exhaustive range of peripherals that is present right there, in the same store. It is rare to find both furniture and furnishings together. I’m certain there have been times where you’ve identified pieces of furniture and then gone off on a hunt for that illusive furnishings store, to get your upholstery and curtain fabric from.
Well, none of that is required if you go to Fab. Its all there, under one roof. And that is not to say its some perfunctory few pieces of fabric. It is an enviable & complete range of furnishings and accessories. There is upholstery fabric (that Fab will be happy to tailor for you). There are curtains, both ready made and fabric that can be made-to-order. There is an entire range of Light fittings that goes perfectly with the mood that FF creates. There is table, bath and bed linen in all the wonderful Fab patterns and colors that we’ve come to love over time. There are even cushion & bolster fillers and then their covers!
And once you have gone through all of this and made your final selection, you can even partake of the slightly eccentric but thoroughly delightful choice of table-wear, cutlery, crockery, vases, and many many more home-decor accompaniments!!
Really speaking, it is a heaven for the home-maker.
DIY? No Thanks, This Is India & We Are Fabulously Spoilt!!
Aside from all the goodies that the Fab India brand brings us, they are also conscious of the fact that at the end of the day, we are Indians. And that means, we don’t really have a strong Do-It-Yourself kind of attitude.
So for the Memsahab from Malabar Hill, or the Nawab from Nariman Point, Fab brings you its proprietary Home Design Centre. So be it your home or your office, with the HDC, it is like engaging professional decorators who will kit-out your space for you, following your guidelines & brief but their hard work & creativity, using all those FF products you love, but can’t choose from
This is true style, when you can have your entire cake, and eat it too! Check out more details on Fab India Home Design Centre.
Must Visit
All I can say to conclude this piece is that the next time you are in the market for furniture, you must drop in at your nearest Fab India. Even if you don’t take a fancy to the merchandise, you will have a FAB-ULOUS time!
[Kartik Bajoria, a regular contributor, runs his own creative agency called BOLD & is also involved in Films & Music as a force of habit!]
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Looks like an ad for FabIndia.
As a regular customer of FabIndia, I must say that the furniture looks good but their Customer Service sucks. Had bought a dining table which developed some problem. No one has bothered even after multiple reminders
I totally agree…they claim to send someone to repair the furniture and once you buy it..you have to keep calling them and no one comes!!!
90% of the stuff they have is in Sheesham, which has that wierd powdery thing happwning to them and they dont send anyone.:(
Hi guys..Strangelu, I bought recently a Coffee Table made of Sheesham Wood and it develoed some insect problem within 4 months of buying. However, when I contacted them, they sent carpenter twice to my place. Though, it did take them 5-7 days to send the guy, but, he was extremely good and professional. I am hoping that the table does not further go bad else I would definitely pursue them to replace the same..I bought it from GK1, N block market. Would suggest to contact the Branch Manager and compliant or they have a commplaint register at the showroom wherein one can write ones complaint.
regards
pawan
Yes totally agree abt customer service sucking. Had bought a pair of earrings which broke in 2/ 3 months. They refused to accept it for repair even . It was sold to me as silver but when I took it to the local jeweler he told me its not.
CHEATS!
I toatally agree with Mohit. Fabindia not even bother about enquiry, then how could they bother about after sales service..LOL
we bought a dress from fab india and it left so much colour on the top i was wearning…they dont seem to care saying its natural…understand that its natural but should not look like a 2 rs cloth after a wash
bad quality stuff. brand new bed creaks. unbelievably bad bad after sales service
Poor post purchase management and the products are good, but yes they powder and also the nails rust inside. We bought sofas, dining, buffet tables and chairs and the table had nails falling off and the sofa had the under liner torn. Call after call was made and nobody repaired anything nor attended to it, it is calling some NGO Govt service. We eventually had to use a carpentar and Sheesham is a strange wood, sometimes good sometimes bad.
Good stuff, well sold badly managed after sales and customer support.
My wife is after Fab India furniture for last six months, but we have failed to buy even after numerous visits to their numerous stores and exhibitions which they hold because they do not have enough space to disply them in theit stores. Not that they have much design choices either in stores or in exhibitions. To top it their their sales guys have no discretion and have an attitude of take it or leave it on what they have on offer. They do not listen on any customization need- not in design, not in wood choice, nit even in polish shade! We found all three units of their mango wood sofa that we liked cracked and we thought sheesham might be better as we had not read comments on this website; but in anycase they did not offer that stuff in sheesham even though we tried desprately. Now we are foxed whether we should order or not.
Hi Mridyl Saggar, Sheesham Wood, if properly sourced, if properly seasonned, well manufactured and ofcourse well polished will last you for years. If you still have furniture requirement do get back to me at tggindia@gmail.com Wide range to select from and delivered at your doorstep (Home delivery at your cost) anywhere in India
Thanks & Regards!
Ishtiyaq
The Golden Gate
I had no idea that is what it is with my TV cabinet, i bought from fab..Worth a bomb..There was this powder thingy coming out of the holes here and there..I had a panic attack, thinking — Termites!! Sprayed it with 3 diff kinds of pesticides..I should’ve realized its the wood, when none of the other furniture around had any issues..
I suppose I just have to wait for it to disintegrate completely..
Amul, Even I bought a Coffee Table alongwith a TV Cabinet and it had same problem. There is an insect called “borer” which develops within the wood. Call FAbindia guys and they should come and fix this up by injecting a medicine and filling it up. This insect gets active in this season (monsoon).
Hopefully, you get good service from them..cheers..pawan
Hi All, Wow! Both my wife & I were so impressed by the FF (FabIndia Furniture) when we bought a few clothes the other day that we had decided to do up our entire new apartment (a large one) with FF. Thank God I just saw this site and the comments of (sorry, ‘unfortunate’) customers. Anyone from Bangalore who has bought/custom made FF and not liked it? I was to meet the FF interior designer as they now also customize it for clients (powder not included I hope!). Any inputs/suggestions to go with Sheesham wood is welcome. I intend to use Walnut wood for all the interiors. Thanks.
can you show the pictures.. actually i also purchased some items, if that happens like with you, that will be a guidance for me, i will find a way to rectify this problem.. Rakesh
hi am too a big fan of shesham wood furniture my suggestion go to ebay you will find many options for shesham furniture and at good rate
Hi Milan, Sheesham Wood, if properly sourced, if properly seasonned, well manufactured and ofcourse well polished will last you for years. If you still have furniture requirement do get back to me at tggindia@gmail.com Wide range to select from and delivered at your doorstep (Home delivery at your cost) anywhere in India
Thanks & Regards!
Ishtiyaq
The Golden Gate
Thanks for all the comments. I have recently shifted to a bigger flat and was in need of buying some more furnitures and had fabindia on my mind. Rreading this column saved my time & money. Thanks……
why are there so many negative reviews. seems people have not even used fabindia’s furtniture (atleast the ones who have remarked lately), and are saying thanks to have alerted them in advance. this is pretty ignorance. as a FI customer, i do appreciate their products, and after-sales.
Hi George, Sheesham Wood, if properly sourced, if properly seasonned, well manufactured and ofcourse well polished will last you for years. If you still have furniture requirement do get back to me at tggindia@gmail.com Wide range to select from and delivered at your doorstep (Home delivery at your cost) anywhere in India
Thanks & Regards!
Ishtiyaq
The Golden Gate
Hey ,
We have just bought numerous furniture from fabindia. infact the delivery is yet to take place. Reading the comments and feedback gives me a shock.
Well would like to know do the problem arises from day 1 or eventually.
The wood quality is bad ?
Eventually…But sooner than you expect..
We have a Queen size bed for the last 10 months – with storage drawers below. The slats in the headboard developed fungus soon after purchase and the sides of the pull out drawers collapsed because they are just anchored in slots, are made of compressed board and have a couple of screws at each right angle connection, which would NEVER hold in any case. We thought the whole bed was of solid wood, of course we were wrong… and misdirected.
As of the after sales service, I wish we had seen this website before finalising our purchase. The bed was expensive – The service is p***-poor and pathetic. repeated reminders and hollow promises of sending a carpenter have been of no use – and this while the warranty period holds. We tried registering the complaint at both the stores we know of in Pune, near the station and at Ishanya Mall Fab india, where we did hte purchase from.
Iconic brand, but what’s the use when what lies beneath is waiting to come apart.
When the carpenter doing our other work had a look, he told us in the first two minutes where-all the bed was weak by design and implementation, and how exactly it will start to give way. We’ve followed his precautions to prevent an early demise of the bed, but we couldnt do much for the shoddy storage drawers.
Fab India shouldn’t take its customers for granted.
The best part in shopping with FabIndia is the quality is streets ahead of the competition.
A complete no no to Fab India furniture . They break and after numerous complaints no one even calls or acknowledges it. The dining table broke within first 6 months ( approx 32,000) and its been 6 months still and no one has come.
They say they have only one carpenter in the entire city and hence the complaint cant be taken care of.
Hi,
I have bought quite a lot furniture from fabindia..i have not faced any problem till now ..its been almost 3 yrs now..plus i find their furniture very modern and traditional which compliments my home perfectly.Yes i agree there have been issues with their clothes range and other fabrics, even i have faced it specially with their cotton kurtas.
I still feel no lifestyle store is perfect ..where ever we go its highly overpriced and awful customer service.
Hello Everyone,
It was very informative reading all your reviews.
I’m looking to buy some furniture from Fab India for my home in Hyderabad.
I was wondering if any of you had the latest catalog for their furniture items. Can you please direct me to the links from which I can place these orders.
Any words of advice would be deeply appreciated!
Thanks
Anamika
Hi Anamika, for furniture requirement do get back to me at tggindia@gmail.com Wide range to select from and delivered at your doorstep (Home delivery at your cost) anywhere in India
Thanks & Regards!
Ishtiyaq
The Golden Gate
i like to buy shesham wooden three seater. please reply
best regards
subhash
Hi all, I have recently moved to Mumbai and wanted to buy some furniture for my house. I was considering FabIndia until I read this column. Thanks to all contributors.
That said, I really dont know much about furniture quality / price (hence was considerng Fab).
Can anyone direct me to furniture markets in Mumbai. I am looking for cheap use and throw kind of furniture, that can last max 2 years. In the roadside shops, I am not sure if I will be charged 10000 for something worth 1000. So, any market where prices are relative to quality will help.
Thanks again.
Market on the way to Malad is good and reasonable..depending on what you wanna buy..I know a carpenter from whom I got my sofa made and can give you his details..HIs name is Saleem Bhai and he also has a shop in the same market..
pawan
I have bought a lot of furniture recently from Fabindia and am planning to buy a 4-seater dinning table & a set of 4 chairs, your comments have scared me what do I do now? the store wont refund my money if I return the furniture. Do they become totally unusable pretty soon?
Is sheesham a bad quality wood? What about the polish does it stay in a good condition over a period of time? PLEASEEEEE HELP ME!!!
Guys I have some furniture from Fab made of Sheesham and one item (didn’t check and assumed that would be too) made from mango wood.. the Sheesham furniture is not bad but the mango wood is a complete no-no.. not long lasting and has the borer/ powdering issue..
While the staff does need lessons in customer service more often than not, I’ve been relatively lucky with the furniture given the comments above.. I’ve had this furniture for over a year and the sheesham stuff has given me no trouble (touchwood)! While the mango wood set of drawers developed the powdering issue soon after I bought it, all I did was to leave it in the sun for a day and spray it liberally with baygon (believe it or not) and I’ve not had any touble thereafter for more than a year.. and a monsoon…
So give that a try if you want.. much easier than dealing with not so ‘Fab’ customer service…
I also found a great (slighly more pricey) alternative to Fab with chick designs.. visit http://www.inliving.com if interested.. they ship everywhere
I have recently bought some furniture from fabindia, and came across this article only now..too late to be warned! However, what got to me so far is the attitude of most of the staff in the various stores. I have had furniture delivered from other stores in Delhi at a nominal price but one of the fabindia stores which is just about a km from my place, charged me the same which a store about 7km away did! Also, we bought a couple of lamps, and did the mistake of not checking each one at the GK store. One of the largest ones did not work when we got home and fabindia refuses to send someone for a replacement. They simply insist that we get it back to the store whenever we pass by that part of Delhi, and they will fix it or replace in ‘a few weeks’..absolutely non-customer oriented. I agree with most of the comments – the designs are good but since fabindia has built up a brand presence they do not care a hoot for customer service.
was contemplating to buy FI furniture…in fact banked on it as the furniture looks good…now in a fix.. any suggestions on similar looking good furniture shopping places in hyderabad?? sheesham is of course good quality wood.. feel sorry for those who experienced it all and saved our money!!
Hi Vandana, Sheesham Wood, if properly sourced, if properly seasonned, well manufactured and ofcourse well polished will last you for years. If you still have furniture requirement do get back to me at tggindia@gmail.com Wide range to select from and delivered at your doorstep (Home delivery at your cost) anywhere in India
Thanks & Regards!
Ishtiyaq
The Golden Gate
Hey all
Like most people on this page, I too now am bewildered and confused. We have almost decided to go with a fabulous sofa set and dining table from Fab, but after reading all your negative comments, are flummoxed as to what to do. Is the furniture really bad? And the powder problems, does it occur with all Sheesham wood furniture.. Is this problem because of Sheesham, would we be wiser to go for teakwood or other hardwood furniture? Pleeeaasse advise.
Hi Supriya, Sheesham Wood, if properly sourced, if properly seasonned, well manufactured and ofcourse well polished will last you for years. If you still have furniture requirement do get back to me at tggindia@gmail.com Wide range to select from and delivered at your doorstep (Home delivery at your cost) anywhere in India
Thanks & Regards!
Ishtiyaq
The Golden Gate
hi all..
i wanted to buy fabindia furniture but a little wary now after reading these comments.. any place suggested for fabindia like furniture ??
sincere advise is get it done through some carpenters as per your designs
and like. never pick ready made furniture they just simply mug u.
Hi Ankita, Sheesham Wood, if properly sourced, if properly seasonned, well manufactured and ofcourse well polished will last you for years. If you still have furniture requirement do get back to me at tggindia@gmail.com Wide range to select from and delivered at your doorstep (Home delivery at your cost) anywhere in India
Thanks & Regards!
Ishtiyaq
The Golden Gate
we built a new house now and decided to buy all the furnitures from Fabindia.After reading all your comments i am really confused.Having such reputation in the market,how can fabindia ignore these feed backs from the customers?I still want to buy the furnitures from fabindia as i am so much impressed with them,but ofcourse after a complete investigation.
Don’t they give guarantee certificate for sheesham furnitures?
Hi Valsa, Sheesham Wood, if properly sourced, if properly seasonned, well manufactured and ofcourse well polished will last you for years. If you still have furniture requirement do get back to me at tggindia@gmail.com Wide range to select from and delivered at your doorstep (Home delivery at your cost) anywhere in India
Thanks & Regards!
Ishtiyaq
The Golden Gate
Totally agree with their pathetic customer service. especially the ladies (not sure if owners-sales girls)one at the whitefield one.
Curtains just look pretty and elegant only for a period of max 6 months.
Ishtiyaq,
Do you have any website ? if so send me
Hey Valsa, I don’t have a website, but can mail you my product pictures according to your interests. I can also manufacture products according to your designs & specifications. you can check my product pics on facebook @ Ishtiyaq Tughlaq.
Do get back to me…Ishtiyaq
hello
same thing is happening with my furniture. powder is coming from the dining table stripe. what should i do? should i call fabindia and keep calling calling or should i take help from local carpenter?
Hello,
if you would like to buy febindia kind of furniture on affordable rates than this is the online store just for you : https://www.induscraft.com
The ice of the cake is that they provide FREE SHIPPING anywhere in INDIA, accepting payment online and based in Jodhpur ( Rajasthan ).
please visit our pune store on baner road. we have quality and proper seasoned sheesham wood furniture. we have our own manufacturing unit in jodhpur. visit our pune store Natural Living