A souvenir from India: Claud Cecil Gurney bought silk saris from Kolkata, used them for making lampshades

Claud Cecil Gurney, founder of British hand-painted wallpaper house de Gournay, is a well-travelled man, enjoying the aesthetics of a new place. More importantly to him, he makes sure he picks up something unique to take home. For Gurney, the biggest challenge of luxury today is to become too commonplace. He was quoted saying that to be considered luxury, the item should “continue to offer some or many unique characteristics that cannot be offered by other brands”.

And that’s why he considers saris from India to be some of the best souvenirs he’s brought home. Gurney said in an interview, “The best souvenirs that I have bought home are old silk saris from Kolkata that make for wonderful lampshades. A sari is generally not a repeating design, so you get a sense of movement. They’re very pretty and each one is different.”