Dadabhai & Sons restores century-old antiques in Chor Bazaar
Dadabhai & Sons, a 122-year-old family-run antique shop in Chor Bazaar, Mumbai, continues to preserve the city's design heritage through the meticulous restoration of vintage furniture, industrial lighting, and decor. Currently run by Husain Furniturewala and his two brothers, the business has evolved from a 1904 trading shop into a specialized restoration workshop.
The business traces its roots back to 1904, when Furniturewala’s great-grandfather, Mohammadali Dadabhai, opened a furniture trading shop. By the 1960s, the business had become a familiar supplier for Hindi cinema, providing props and furniture for elaborate film sets representing hospitals, casinos, and bars. During this period, prominent Bollywood actors including Raj Kapoor, Feroz Khan, and Amitabh Bachchan visited the family’s warehouse to select antique pieces.
As film productions gradually transitioned to building their own sets, the demand for rented furniture declined. Around 2004, the family adapted by shifting their focus to industrial antiques and Art Deco restoration.
Today, almost nothing is sold in the condition it arrives. Every object that enters the Chor Bazaar workshop is stripped down completely before being rebuilt. According to Furniturewala, some restorations can take close to a month, with the primary emphasis placed on preserving the original character of the piece rather than making it look brand new.
The restoration process varies by item. Lamps are taken apart screw by screw, polished, and rewired. Wooden furniture requires even greater care, involving scrubbing out every screw and wire before polishing to ensure the natural grain remains visible.
Among the workshop’s prized restorations is a delivery table from around 1910, featuring an adjustable backrest and leg supports, which took three months to restore. Other notable items in their collection include a dentist’s chair from around 1890, an early studio lamp manufactured by RRB, and a functioning Murphy radio.
The family travels across India to source their antiques, working through a network of dealers spread across different states. While they also ship pieces to international buyers, high freight costs often influence what overseas customers choose to purchase. For trusted clients who rent their pieces, the family frequently waives security deposits, reflecting a relationship built over generations.
