When you have a splendidly intact 19th century Kerala canoe, you want it to be in every room you conceive. We allowed ourselves to expand beyond a minimalist frame. The longer we circled the room, the more we felt compelled to add: an antique Indonesian batik textile, a simple ebonized mid-century French étagère , and a pair of faux bamboo lamps.
By the time we were finished, the power of the canoe had been diluted a bit by the coziness of the installation. And we realized that, after all, our favorite way to see a 19th century Kerala canoe is all by itself.