Tiffin-box


The featured piece this week is a large brass tiffin-box with a spoon latch closure. Tiffin-boxes are the the lunch boxes used throughout India and Asia. An ingenious collection of stacking containers, they are used to transport rice, dhal, naan, curries and other dishes, each in its own compartment.

In Mumbai the tiffin-wallahs (or dabbawallahs) are remarkable for their ability to transport thousands of lunch tiffins from homes to people working in central Mumbai. Following a complex system which uses neither computers nor telecommunications nor documents (many tiffin-wallahs are illiterate) they are so effiecient that they claim only one mistake for each million deliveries.

Modern tiffins are made of stainless steel. This one is an antique made of brass with tin lining the insides of the containers. We do not recommend it be used for food, but it makes a wonderful storage container for buttons, coins and other curios.

Each piece of furniture at Maiwa East is unique. All have personality. The featured piece of the week is an example of the variety that we carry. Containers arrive on a regular basis so check back often to find the one that is right for you or your special space.

Maiwa East
Design Studio

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Thursday - Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday - 11am - 5 pm