Personalised Ancestral Home Plaque – Antique Brass Haveli with Jharokhas

The House

A haveli facade set inside a cusped Mughal arch. A carved doorway at the centre under a scalloped arch, a three-bay balcony above it beneath a ribbed dome, and a jharokha standing proud on either side, each carried on its own bracketed corbel. Lattice screens fill the upper windows. A scroll banner runs across the base with the house name, and the year sits beneath it. The ground behind the building is blackened, so every column and cornice throws its own shadow.

Not a drawing of a house. The house itself, in relief, with the light falling across it.

Craftsmanship

Real metal, formed over the sculpted shape rather than cast, so the lattice screens stay open and the columns keep their fluting instead of filling in. The metal is bonded to the surface, not painted or plated, so it will not chip, flake or peel. Raised gold, buffed back by hand, against a blackened ground: the same contrast that makes carved sandstone read at a distance.

Built to last

UV-protected and weather-treated after finishing. It is made for a wall inside the house, but it holds its colour in direct sun and through the monsoon, so a covered verandah or a porch wall is equally safe. No fading, no rust bleed, no repainting.

Personalisation

Two lines are yours: the house name across the banner, and the line beneath it. Written in any language, English, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali. Long names are welcome; the lettering is set to fit your name rather than your name cut to fit the banner. Send the spelling exactly as you want it and a design preview comes back by email before anything is made.

Most families use the year the house was built. A city, a street or a family motto works just as well, and leaving it blank finishes the line plain.

Specifications

• Material: Electroformed metal over a solid core
• Finish: Antique gold, raised and hand-buffed, on a blackened ground
• UV-protected and weather-treated, safe for outdoor use
• Sizes: 4x6 to 8x10 inches, portrait
• Depth: 0.5 in, with a 3 mm solid back
• Any language, any script
• Long names accommodated, lettering is sized to suit
• Made to order in our own workshop

This is the most detailed of our family pieces. The lattice screens and the jharokha brackets read fully at 6x8 and above; at 4x6 and 5x7 the facade is simplified a little so the doorway and the banner stay sharp.

Mounting

Three ways, chosen at checkout.

• Peel-off tape: three sealed strips across the back, no drilling at all. Best on a tiled or granite surface, or anywhere you would rather not make holes.
• Keyhole slots: two screws in the wall and the plaque lifts on and off. Simplest permanent fix, easiest to level.
• Floating stud mount: four threaded studs on reinforced bosses, set into the wall so the plaque stands a few millimetres clear. Throws a shadow line under the arch and no fixing ever shows.

Where it works

A panelled study, the entrance hall of a flat, above a sideboard, a stair landing. It suits a dark wall especially, where the blackened ground disappears and the facade looks lit from the side.

Gifting

A generous gift. For a family who left a house behind, or who still hold one, this is the thing that puts it back on the wall. Works well for a griha pravesh, a wedding anniversary for parents or grandparents, a retirement, and the first Diwali in a new house.

Care

Wipe with a soft dry cloth. No metal polish or scouring, the dark ground is meant to stay dark.