Located on the busy stretch of road between Nagarjuna Circle and Punjagutta Circle, Skipper Home Furnishings doesn't have a problem as far as its traffic is concerned. With a little help from the gendarme, you can locate the stairs that will take you up to the shop. The porch, replete with some modern art paintings, and the large paneled desk across a glass door, with a stoic manager behind it, might mislead you about your whereabouts. But be assured, you are not about to be dazed with logic from the art world, but are entering the familiar territory of home furnishings.

The first thing that strikes your mind is - curtains. Hundreds and thousands of them. Though at Sipper you may come across other objects essential for dressing your home, it is their collection of curtain material, draperies, that will awe you.

Starting from cotton, you can find material in silk, satin, crepe, cotton-mix and sheer. Cotton fabric starts at Rs. 295 per meter, while silk and crepe are priced between Rs. 595 per meter and Rs. 1,095 per meter. The sheer curtains are available at Rs. 500 per meter and above. It is not hard or surprising to find embroidered, wrinkled or satin curtains. All the above are not only present in enormous quantities, but also in almost all shades that you can think of.

In addition to the curtains, there are bed-sheets, both double and single, starting at Rs. 350, and a comfortable large collection of material for the sofa covers. The sofa cover material starts at Rs. 495 per meter, and Skipper is glad to revamp your sofa-sets for you, albeit at extra cost.

There are sashes for the windows, linings for your curtains, and an assortment of laces for decorating your doorways. Going by the dictum that no home qualifies as furnished unless it has a bona fide carpet, Skipper has added a small collection of both wool and silk carpets to its booty. Depending upon the size and the quality of the thread, you can get carpets priced at Rs. 10,900 and above.

At Skippers you can also get your curtains stitched - with pleats at Rs. 110, and with loops at Rs. 175 per length. After days of heckling yourself about the just-right color or the just-right material for your abode, you can feel light-headed once you arrive at Skipper; there is, however, the side-effect of getting light-pocketed involved.