Upstairs Downstairs Antiques with Ron Kandelaars: In the Adelaide Hills region of South Australia

One of the attractions in the main street of Nairne is an antique shop known as Upstairs Downstairs and as the name suggests it’s a two storey building that has a long association with the town.

When Henry Timmins built the house and shop in 1870 the downstairs rooms were jammed packed with tanned goods. Now the leather has given way to teak and a host of exotic pieces from the subcontinent. The first thing that strikes you about the pieces is the vivid colours and as owner, Morag McIntosh explains, they are from India.

“They are from an area in India where the houses are beautifully painted and they have been for the last one hundred and fifty years. So you've got a modern cupboard in traditional painting.”

Every four months Morag and her husband Ray lose themselves in the bazaars and markets of India in search of more exotic antiques and curios to bring back to Nairne. Upstairs Downstairs is proof of their love affair with India and in particular, pieces from the British Raj.

“The British Raj is a three hundred year period up until 1947 at the time of partition when they left there and India got independence,” said Morag.

Over the past fifteen years Morag has collected pieces from Jaipur to Mumbai to Delhi. But in recent times the truly unique pieces have been harder to find as the increasingly wealth Indian middle class buy up more of their own heritage. That means the search for a 150-year-old cupboard made of thick Burmese timber has taken Morag further afield. But invariably the classic pieces reflect the aspirations of the Indian people at the time.

“This piece was probably either from the British era for a British person or for a rich Indian,” said Morag. “We found that last century a lot of the Indians wanted to have British furniture so they would have something like this made up to emulate the British style.”

At Upstairs Downstairs you can let your imagination run wild. We admired a pair of doors that had been purchased by an Adelaide couple to use as a dramatic entry to their renovated bathroom. Another set of doors could be used as a classic entry to a secret courtyard.

It's all part of Upstairs Downstairs in Main Road, Nairne.

Upstairs Downstairs
103 - 105 Main Road, Nairne
Open Thursday to Monday 11am - 5pm
Ph (08) 8388 6167
If you have any further questions please email info@postcards-sa.com.au