Akshay Sharma ordered propellers from the US a couple of years ago. But lost in transit, they never made it to his home in Mumbai. After much time spent looking for alternatives, out of sheer frustration, he decided to make his own. The 38-year-old certified hobby pilot who fulfilled his childhood dream by getting a license in 2010 shares, “I fly at least once a year, it is the most elating feeling in the world. And from there grew my urge to bring the spirit of flying into my house.” Incidentally, Akshay pursued a career in marketing, and also runs a food business.
But we understand why flying remained so dear to him when he recalls, “As a kid, I wanted to be a commercial pilot but a weak eyesight prevented that pursuit.” He couldn’t have anticipated at the time that he would later fly despite the obstacle, and chance upon a new hobby, one that engaged his passion for planes even when not up in the air. Months of trial and error later, he proudly hung a propeller on his living room wall. Then suddenly, everybody who saw it wanted one...
So goes the story behind WoodFeather, a Mumbai-based luxury aviation décor brand, which began its operations in March this year. Each creation is four-feet long and handcrafted from a single log of wood (pine or teak). This could take anywhere between three to four weeks, from carving to polish. At the moment, the brand has 15 designs, ranging from classic wood polished ones with brass edges to more
contem-porary spray-painted options in black, white silver and even neon.
One particular design that seems to have caught the fancy of most is a comic-inspired collage creation that features the likes of Wonderwoman and Superman. “Who doesn’t like superheroes?” queries Akshay with a laugh. Similar to this, he adds, one can customise their own propeller using anything from personal photographs, newsprint, movie posters and if you’re interested in a touch of sentiment, he suggests etched initials on the blades.
Hoping to collaborate with renowned artists, Akshay tells us that he plans to put together a line of auction-worthy propellers associated with a cause by next year. For now, his team of artisans have their hands full with clients requesting centre tables with propellers as legs, uber luxurious pieces like Swarovski-studded blades and even demonetisation-inspired propellers that are wrapped in defunct 1,000 rupee currency notes!
WoodFeather’s price range starts from Rs 17,500 and goes up to Rs 30,000 Details: www.woodfeather.com