What the pols of old Ahmedabad taught us about wood

Ten minutes from Bodakdev and a few centuries away, the pols of old Ahmedabad are narrow neighbourhoods of wooden houses around the Manek Chowk and Kalupur areas. Many of their facades are carved teak, some more than 150 years old. Our designers visit them often.

The first lesson is about joinery. The old houses were built from timber frames held together with pegs and mortise joints, with almost no metal, so they could flex in earthquakes and in the swing from hot summers to wet monsoons. Many have outlasted the brick buildings around them. We join our cabinets and chairs the same way, with timber pegs and dowels, and use screws only where hardware needs them.

The second is about light. The jharokhas, projecting carved windows, are deep and screened with lattice, so harsh daylight reaches the room softened and broken into patterns. That idea, of light filtered through something made by hand, is behind our cane pendants and the carved front of our stepped teak cabinet, whose pattern was drawn from a bracket in a pol near Raipur Darwaja.

The third is about time. Many old doors have been oiled, repaired and re-hung for generations rather than replaced. If you would like to see them, the heritage walks that start early in the morning from the old city are a good way in, and the light before 9 am is soft enough for photographs. Bring water, wear comfortable shoes, and respect the families who still live in these houses.