Priyanka Chopra isn’t one to relaxation on her laurels. Final 12 months, the actress opened Sona, a luxe Indian restaurant in New York Metropolis, in partnership with longtime buddy and entrepreneur Maneesh Goyal. Right now, the duo follows with Sona Residence, a line of dishes, linens, and barware pulled straight from the restaurant’s pressed-white tablecloths.
“My pals who would go to Sona would ask me, ‘How will we get this decor?’” Chopra tells ELLE DECOR. “One texted me: ‘The meals hasn’t even come out but, and I’m asking how I can steal the plate.’”
The brand new assortment, now obtainable on Sona Residence’s web site, is infused with the identical inspirations because the restaurant. “To me, it was a philosophy of luxurious from the East, with an ethos of internet hosting and constructing communities and creating an area the place you’ll be able to have enjoyable,” says Chopra.
Sona’s delicacies represents the India that Chopra knew and grew up in: a various nation with an historical tradition. These concepts had been mirrored within the restaurant’s inside design, from the elegant gold accents to the mirrored arches—the latter a refined nod to the palaces of Rajasthan—and, in fact, the rigorously thought-about tableware.
In some ways, Chopra and Goyal designed Sona Residence to subvert preexisting expectations of what Indian meals—and design—can appear to be. Take, as an example, the palm tree motif, which seems all through the gathering’s dishware, sometimes alongside an ibis (the espresso cup and saucer), a lion (the platter), or a monkey (the ramekin).
Whereas many consider the palm tree as a logo of Florida seashores or Los Angeles vistas, right here it references India’s picturesque tropical areas. “Your entire line is pushed by the sudden,” provides Goyal. “Folks have a way of what India is and what it may be, or they put India right into a field. We’re right here to interrupt open that field.”
“[People] put India right into a field. We’re right here to interrupt open that field.”
Whereas the whole lot within the assortment will be displayed proudly in a china cupboard, Chopra and Goyal designed Sona Residence for use and appreciated day by day. Just like the restaurant for which it’s named, the concept right here is conviviality, a welcome theme as all of us come again collectively within the wake of lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders. It’s a flexible vary too: Whereas the bread baskets and matching liners can be utilized for naan, in addition they work with croissants, bagels, and even French fries. The entire gadgets are considerate, however nothing is just too valuable.
In truth, Chopra and Goyal already use a lot of the gathering for his or her at-home gatherings. “Each get together now we have, the wine cooler is on our bar,” says Chopra. “It’s so beautiful.” Notably for vino lovers, the golden cooler can maintain not one however two bottles—nice for having pals over (or only a very taking place get together of 1). For Goyal, the green-and-white salad plate is one other standout: “I might use it for 3 meals a day. Each time I look down, I smile.”
In the meantime, one of many fundamental atmosphere makers at Sona, the desk lamp, additionally makes an look within the residence assortment, obtainable in white and inexperienced shade choices. The third, a colourful floral sample, is made with classic saris—one other nod to Sona’s wealthy influences.
Naturally, the gathering is made nearly totally in India, one thing that was vital to each of its founders. However whereas Indian tradition and heritage is at Sona Residence’s core, in apply, the duo designed it to work in a myriad of contexts. “We journey the world, we dwell around the globe,” provides Chopra. “That is one thing that may work in each nation.” Put merely, everybody can have a seat on the desk.