Soon to become the art capital of India, thanks to the upcoming Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Kochi is a place that offers a lot in the way of art and history, but not much when it comes to design, or design stores.

This is why a place like Cinnamon holds a special place in our consideration. Just a few hundred metres from another Kochi favourite, Malabar House, and just next to Malabar House's Trinity, Cinnamon Kochi is the seaside home of Bangalore's famous design store.

Just as the main boutique, the Kochin shop's design is minimal and a contemporary, far from the stereotypical kitsch. The store is a treasure of handpicked jewelry, textiles, and objects, some of which especially designed for the boutique itself. We like most of the selection, especially the hands and feet sculptures and the custom made tableware.

The shop is the perfect place to buy unusual gifts (for others, or yourself) in Fort Kochi, or to spend a bit of time checking out new trends and designs "proud to be made in India," as the company motto goes.

The Bangalore boutique also organises interesting exhibitions and events (on textiles, saris, traditional art and more), and although the Kochi one hasn't picked up the habit yet, we hope it'd follow Bangalore's example soon.