uring the late 1700s, providing accommodation to travelers, took a shift from ‘Hosting’ to ‘Hospitality business’ or ‘Service business’.  Interestingly, furniture from old English villas were being shipped from England to English Colonies, where anything foreign was considered far superior to local wealth and design.

One such shipped piece of furniture is this ‘Guest Room Cabinet’ also referred to as ‘Room Cupboard’ or ‘Hotel Bureau’. The design is not typically run of the mill but seems specially designed for commercial guest accommodations during late 1800s.  The design accommodated a three-tier storage facility. The ‘Roll Top Cabinet’ on top for valuables, jewelry and other day to day accessories. The ‘Wardrobe Cabinet’ for pressed clothes. Obviously hangers were not in vogue.  And the bottom most space was a ‘Drawer’ provided as a safe for documents and other business stationeries.  Habitually this space got used for storing soiled clothes and the designers were forced to provide woven cane panels on sides for air circulation. Unlike royal furniture, hotel room furniture was designed carefully for operational convenience.

Therefore, wood maintaining high shines were used. This “Guest Room Cabinet” was labeled as a modern thought and comprises of a beautiful mix of Rosewood and English silk.  Both of which exhibit not only high shines but also shines for a long duration. This piece of hotel furniture was possibly used in one of the city’s first hotels, the ‘IMPERIAL’ and later was abandoned by the Triplicane Ratinaveloo Mudaliar family, the owners. 

The Guest Room Cabinet was acquired, restored and listed into the collection of The STEVE BORGIA INDIAN HERITAGE MUSEUM in 1990 and can be currently located at INDeco’s Lake Forest Hotel, Yercaud.