Bedrooms in Panjim are seldom large, and the walls behind the beds are not all alike. In a city flat, a wall-mounted headboard saves the depth a bed frame would take, and it can run wider than the bed to carry a shelf on each side. In a ground-floor room on the low streets near the creek, the outside wall holds damp, so thick padding should not be pressed against it: hang the panel with a gap behind and choose leatherette or a tight synthetic weave that wipes. Houses in Fontainhas often keep their old carved beds. An upholstered insert made to fit the existing frame leaves the woodwork as it was.
- Flats in Tonca and St Inez: a panelled headboard fixed to the wall, the width of the bed plus room for narrow side shelves.
- Old carved beds in heritage houses: a padded panel shaped to sit inside the frame, in a plain fabric that lets the carving show.
- Rooms facing a main road: a smooth panelled design, because deep buttoning traps the traffic dust that drifts in through open windows.
Panjim, or Panaji, is the capital of Goa, built along the south bank of the Mandovi. The old quarters of Fontainhas and São Tomé keep their narrow streets of painted Portuguese-era houses, the centre has government offices and shops around the church square, and newer apartment blocks spread towards St Inez, Tonca and Taleigao.
Panjim homes range from restored houses in Fontainhas, with wooden balconies and windows opening straight onto the street, to flats in buildings from the 1970s onwards. Street-level windows need privacy without losing light, which makes sheers and zebra blinds popular. Offices and clinics are a large part of the work here.
The river and the nearby sea keep the city humid. Low-lying streets near the creek at St Inez flood in heavy rain, and ground-floor walls there hold damp. Traffic dust settles on fabrics in rooms facing the main roads.
Visiting Panjim
Panjim is about forty-five minutes from our Margao showroom, over the Zuari bridge. We measure free of charge and plan Panjim, Miramar, Altinho and Dona Paula visits for the same day.