Paradise Road Studio @ Alfred House Garden
Paradise Road (trademark) is the brainchild of Udashanth Fernando and is also famous because all the galleries/ cafe/ studio are located in buildings designed by famous European-Ceylonese architect Geoffrey Bawa. A google search brought me to a Wikipedia page dedicated to him and these words "among the most influential architects in southeast Asia in the last decades of the 20th century, he is the principal force behind what is today known globally as ‘tropical modernism’" says alot about his works and contribution to Sri Lanka. Unfortunately he has passed away in 2003, but there's no doubt his designs and works still lives on and I'm glad Paradise Road has brought a new lease of life to the premises.
Before I went to Sri Lanka, I had a colleague who kept insisting I have to visit Paradise Road. He told me that in a state of drunkness and I actually thought he was fooling around (Me thinking: Paradise... Road? Is it a road where drug addicts gather to 'feel' like they're on paradise? Or where magic mushrooms are available?) Of course I didn't pay much attention to him and brushed aside the drunken 'tip'.
When I touched down in Colombo, I was whisked to Cinammon Lakeside Hotel where I spent a month there. Everytime I passed by the lobby or waiting for my vehicle I could see hoards of European tourists carrying paperbags with the two words printed on it: Paradise Road. That was when I learnt, those are not magic mushrooms and neither it is a road name. Google came to the rescue again and I then found out about Gallery Cafe (own & managed by Paradise Road group), subsequently Paradise Road Galleries (Design Warehouse and Studio), and Tintagel.
I love Paradise Road. There's always so much to see, and I never get bored of it. There's always something that I want to buy and I'm looking forward to have my own house one day and decorate it with home decors from Paradise Road!
Paradise Road Studio
12, Alfred House Gardens,
Colombo 03,
Sri Lanka.
Tel: +94112506844
Website: www.paradiseroadsl.com/studio/Index.htm
Paradise Road @ Dharmapala Mawatha; Unmistakable black & white
Just another 10 minutes away from my apartment, there is another Paradise Road Studio which sits in a huge white bungalow opposite the Viharamahadevi Park. While selection of goods are almost the same with the one at Alfred Garden, I find this studio has a little bit more of extra stuff like kids wooden toys and food stuff (hand bottled chutneys, jams, spices, olive oil, etc).
Paradise Road Cafe; Have a slice of cake and rest your feet
Pretty hand bottled food stuff available; The White Room- you can't go wrong with white ceramics
Gift wrapping service is also available here free of charge and wrapping papers come in a myriad of colors with thin manila ropes for ribbons.
Paradise Road
213, Dharmapala Mawatha,
Colombo 07,
Sri Lanka.
Tel: +94112686043
Paradise Road Design Warehouse @ Ward Place; Ayubowan book stopper
Paradise Road Design Warehouse opened its doors in December 2010. It is more spacious and houses more antique furnitures rather than knick knacks and ornaments. Most of the furnitures showcased are of Chinese influence and there are also modern leather furnitures on the upper level.
Prices of things in Paradise Road ranges from about Rs. 50 for the smallest little thing like tealight candle to Rs. 100,000++ for antique furniture pieces. There's always something for everyone!
Paradise Road Design Warehouse
61/3, Ward Place,
Colombo 07,
Sri Lanka.
Tel: +94112691056
Website: www.paradiseroadsl.com
Green Path Art Gallery on weekends
My colleagues knew I like arts after knowing that I bought a painting at Gandhara Crafts. They recommended me to pay a visit to Green Path where there is a painting exhibition every weekend by independent artists. Coincidentally, Green Path is just 10 mins walk away from where I stayed so it was really convenient. While not all paintings caught my fancy but there were a few good ones too...
An Aliya painting sold for Rs. 6,500 to me!
... like this water color painting on an aliya (elephant in sinhalese) which was again love at first sight just like the buddhist monk painting I bought earlier. Fortunately this costs only a fraction of the first painting!
Now.......... I need to buy a house to put my paintings!
Green Path Art Gallery
Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha,
Colombo 07,
Sri Lanka.
(within the Viharamahadevi Park)
If you like this, you may also be interested in:
Yiling - The Gallery Cafe
Yiling - Tintagel
Yiling - Gandhara Crafts
Eiling - The Gallery Cafe
Eiling - Tintagel
