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` 200 MARCH-APRIL 2020 THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HOMES IN THE WORLD
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NTEN ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST
` 200 MARCH APRIL 2020 THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HOMES IN THE WORLD
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SELF PORTRAITS
CO VE R 1 B H AR AT SI K KA
MARCH-APRIL 53 ZEITGEI ST
BHARAT SIKKA DOUGLAS FRIEDMAN FRANÇOIS HALARD
One of India's finest photographers,
Gallerist Peter Nagy shows at
Sikka shoots his Delhi home. (pg 331)
Jeffrey Deitch; Case Design’s latest
IWAN BAAN MARTIN PARR MASSIMO LISTRI PRABUDDHA DASGUPTA RAGHU RAI SHILPA GUPTA
CO VE R 2
ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST
` 200 MARCH APRIL 2020 THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HOMES IN THE WORLD
collection for Van Rossum; Pavitra
MASSI MO L I ST R I
Rajaram designs French bistro
Far away in Florence, Listri's palace
Soufflé S’il Vous PlaÎt in Mumbai;
is his "architecture, memory and
Flexform moves its iconic pieces
utopia". (pg 256)
outdoors; Christian Louboutin
INDIA
SELF PORTRAITS BHARAT SIKKA DOUGLAS FRIEDMAN FRANÇOIS HALARD IWAN BAAN
CO VE R 3
MARTIN PARR MASSIMO LISTRI
showcases his life’s work in
PRABUDDHA DASGUPTA RAGHU RAI
FR AN ÇO IS H AL AR D
SHILPA GUPTA
"When you're under an Italian ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST
` 200 MARCH APRIL 2020 THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HOMES IN THE WORLD
Paris—and more.
98 WH Y SO BLUE?
INDIA
SELF PORTRAITS
spell, it never lets you go," says
From hand-carved teak dining
Halard of his breathtakingly
chairs to a special-edition scented
beautiful villa in Arles. (pg 220)
candle by Louis Vuitton, AD
BHARAT SIKKA DOUGLAS FRIEDMAN FRANÇOIS HALARD IWAN BAAN MARTIN PARR MASSIMO LISTRI PRABUDDHA DASGUPTA
42 ED I TOR ’S L E T TE R
curates a selection of the most
44 C ON T R I BU TOR S
covetable products this season.
RAGHU RAI SHILPA GUPTA
1 22 TRENDS
T HE P HOTO G R AP H ER S ISS UE
1 34 OM BASE
19 0 T H E P HOTO D E SK
In the Yoga Studio—designed by
Polaroids never go out of fashion
Pravir Sethi of Studio Hinge— at
at AD—a behind-the-scenes look at
the Cricket Club of India, Mumbai,
what goes into an editorial shoot at
AD uses wallpapers, fabrics and
AD proves just that.
soft furnishings to create a stylish
20 0 P RA BU DD HA DASG UP TA
VEENA POTTERY, LE MILL. PHOTO: JIGNESH JHAVERI.
NTEN 9 8
212 RO HIT CHAWLA
This collection of self-portraits
The renowned photographer’s
from Prabuddha Dasgupta’s estate
repertoire of celebrity portraits
Greenlam and AD celebrate the
is a nostalgic reawakening even as
demonstrates his ability to reveal
brand’s new collection, interior
it spotlights his singular skill.
the person behind the personality.
space for aligning one’s chakras.
1 42 C HE E RS DELH I
trends and a special installation
2 1 2
made by architect Saurabh Dakshini
names in architecture and design.
PHOTO: ROHIT CHAWLA.
AD’s annual list of the biggest
The finest architecture and interiors photographer in the world turns his
of Studio Organon.
1 55 AD 100
220 F RAN ÇOI S H ALARD
lens inward, to photograph “with delight and pleasure” his home in Arles, France.
NTEN PHOTO: FRANÇOIS HALARD.
2 2 0
25 6 MAS SI MO L I STRI The Italian photographer’s
Between jetting in and out of
exceptional talent for composing
homes of the rich and famous,
evocative architectural imagery
Douglas Friedman anchors himself
reflects in his own home—a
at his home in Marfa, Texas.
16th-century Florentine palazzo.
2 34 RAGH U RAI
290 DO UGLAS F RIE DMA N
298 M AX VAD UKUL
27 0 U MR AO SI N GH SH E R -G I L
The Indian-born photographer
Surrounded by nature, Raghu Rai’s
Drawing attention to Sher-gil’s
recently shifted not just homes, but
New Delhi home is a sublime space
lifelong study of photography,
continents, moving from New York
of light and warmth.
featuring rare self portraits and
to a bright and airy Milanase home
interiors of the family’s homes in
that his wife grew up in.
This world-travelling lensman’s home in the Berkshires—in the
Budapest, Paris and Simla.
2 5 6
28 4 MARTI N PARR
middle of a forest—is a stark
The Magnum photojournalist, in his
departure from the urban
signature style, gives us a leaf out
landscape that he masterfully
of his home in Clifton, Bristol, along
captures in his work.
with its tiny objects.
PHOTO: MASSIMO LISTRI.
2 48 IWAN BA AN
N E W D E L H I : T H E E M P O R I O . M U M B A I : TA J H O T E L C O L A B A - D I O R . C O M
NTEN 31 8 BJÖ RN WAL L AN DE R
PHOTO: MAX VADUKUL.
2 9 8
3 06 ROL A ND BEAUFRE
331 BHAR AT SI KKA
The globetrotting Swedish
India’s most celebrated fashion
photographer’s Manhattan pad,
photographer opens the doors to
in a Frank Gehry building, offers
his home with a series of intimate
a retreat from the world and a
portraits of his children and his
showcase of his travels.
interiors—as it is lived in.
32 4 S H IL PA GU PTA
AFTER PARTY 355 STYLE NOTES
The location where city-dweller
An artist is how an artist lives, as
Roland Beaufre decided to put
these images from Shilpa Gupta’s
Our selection of the best design
down roots was surprising: an old
‘Smoke’ series—taken in her
products to own this season.
farm in the French countryside.
Mumbai home—proved.
3 12 M ANOLO YLLERA
3 3 1
One of the most popular
370 STOCK ISTS An A-to-Z listing of stores.
376 THE MO OD: D E V I K A D A U L E T-S I N G H
Condé Nast titles, Manolo Yllera’s
The PHOTOINK founder and director
Madrid loft expresses the heart of an aesthete.
PHOTO: BHARAT SIKKA.
photographers for across-the-board
puts together a nostalgia-evoking mood board for AD.
www.flexform.it
AD Beatrice Rossetti - Photo Federico Cedrone
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SPLASH!
BHARAT SIKKA DOUGLAS FRIEDMAN FRANÇOIS HALARD IWAN BAAN MARTIN PARR MASSIMO LISTRI
L A ST LAAGROUNDBREAKING NDSC APE PRIVATE HOUSE IN DELHI
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*Chhatarpur not Scotland!
` 200 MARCH-APRIL 2020 THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HOMES IN THE WORLD
PRABUDDHA DASGUPTA RAGHU RAI SHILPA GUPTA
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W I L KE
I spend a lot of time talking to photographers. Briefing them on the corners of a house they shouldn’t miss, on the temperament of the homeowner and why we commissioned them for a particular project. Calling in feedback on images while they’re shooting (I like to see shots as they happen). Then calling again to ask why the high-res files haven’t arrived. But more often than not, I listen to photographers. Listening to their ideas, their tips about incredible houses that no one else knows about, about the clever new stylist they just started working with. After all, they’re the lucky ones who’ve seen it all and who have cultivated the eye. I listen most carefully to Dayanita Singh. Some of the best advice I’ve received since becoming editor of this magazine has generously been offered by the master of light. Our WhatsApp conversations are peppered with nuggets of brilliance from the left of the screen. “Tight and abstract rather than descriptive,” she once succinctly wrote in response to a layout. It’s in my mind with every story we work on, my natural inclination being to show absolutely everything in a house, right down to guest bathroom number four. It was while listening to Bharat Sikka last September that this entire issue was born. Bharat is a genius, everyone knows that. And I’d been pursuing him to work on his first cover for AD ever since he shot the Royal Bombay Yacht Club for our March 2017 issue. But Bharat almost never shoots for magazines anymore and needs a concept rather than simply a guaranteed place on page one. What about his own home designed by Saurabh Dakshini? Super intimate was my pitch: unmade beds; toothpaste dripping out of the tube; family portraits. Real life. We’ve spoken once a week from that moment on and, oh, his 22-page ode to family life reveals he is much more than just a man who knows how to use a camera. I knew that asking the world’s greatest photographers to shoot their own homes was a golden idea. But I was surprised at how fast and enthusiastic the response was. The brilliant interiors maestro François Halard immediately sent out-takes from his new book on his country house in Arles. Iwan Baan, sometimes referred to as the Julius Shulman of his time, swiftly launched his drone into the sky to get his signature aerial shot of his Massachusetts cabin. And Massimo Listri, the expert at capturing Italian palazzos, shot a series of vignettes at his spectacular Florentine home that’s worthy of a gallery show in itself. While The Photographers Issue had been in the works for months and was already looking sexy, it took an interesting turn during the India Art Fair in January. I made a point of seeking out Devika Daulet-Singh, founder of Photoink in New Delhi, who is considered India’s leading figure within the photography world (and who really should have been my first call). I had an agenda: I wanted the witty Martin Parr to shoot his Bristol house for us, chronicling quintessential Britishness from his own sofa. Devika offered to introduce me to him there and then, but I had already a meeting with Tania Das Gupta, who looks after the estate of legendary fashion photographer Prabuddha Dasgupta. However, we did have time to look through the book Devika produced on Umrao Singh Sher-Gil and his Paris apartment that he shot in 1930. Wow! Three conversations on that tired last Sunday of the India Art Fair that led to three absolutely magic stories. Just as we closed Self Portraits, I saw a photograph by Wolfgang Tillmans at David Zwirner Gallery. It was of a washing machine, surrounded by piles of sheets and clothes that tumble out of the frame. An ultra-familiar scene. Goosebump-inducing intimacy. Beautiful in its banality. Exactly what I hope you feel when reading this issue.
GREG FOSTER
An exclusive collection by Jumbo Group
gianfrancoferrehome.it
RAGHU RAI
MARTIN PARR
PHOTOGRAPHER
PHOTOGRAPHER
India’s leading photojournalist and a Padmashree awardee, Rai has captured the story of India in his 50-year-long career. For the first time for AD, Rai shoots his own home in Delhi (pg 234), complete with its people, pets and views from inside out.
FRANÇOIS HALLARD
The British photojournalist’s take on modernity sets him apart as a cultural chronicler of our times. The Magnum photographer has published over 100 books. For AD, he photographs his home in Bristol, England (pg 284).
PHOTOGRAPHER
The man who has captured the ateliers and residences of the greatest artists and architects of the 20th century—including Luis Barragán, Eileen Gray, Cy Twombly, Giorgio Morandi and many, many others—Halard creates portraits of people through their spaces and work. He gives to AD unpublished outtakes of his own home in Arles, France (pg 220), excerpted from his newest book.
MASSIMO LISTRI
PHOTOGRAPHER
No art, architecture and interiors publication is complete without Listri’s photographs of the most beautiful palaces and villas from all periods. As he shoots his own home in Florence (pg 256) for AD, it emerges that his preferred style of shooting is also his preferred style of living.
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BHARAT SIKKA PHOTOGRAPHER
Sikka’s photographic work is easily the finest of the moment. Over conversations that went on for many months, Sikka shoots his Delhi home for AD like never before (pg 331)—contemplative and casually beautiful; family life as it is.
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PERNILLE SANDBERG
MATTHEW SPENCER
BJÖRN WALLANDER
LAURA WING
PHOTOGRAPHER
New York-based Wallander contributes to some of the world’s leading publications, including all Condé Nast titles. “It was nice to look at my own apartment through the way I look at other projects through my lens. It made me see things I didn’t think so much about before” (pg 318).
WRITER
This New York-based writer’s work combines cultural anthropology, poetics and design studies. In this issue, she writes about Björn Wallander’s home in New York (pg 318). “Björn’s home felt like a secret garden of things that he has collected through his travels.”
DOUGLAS FRIEDMAN
IWAN BAAN PHOTOGRAPHER
For AD’s photography special issue, the inaugural recipient of the Julius Shulman award shares a bird’s-eye view of his family cottage in the Berkshires (pg 248).
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ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST | MARCH-APRIL 2020
Friedman’s work features in all Condé Nast titles, Harper’s Bazaar and numerous advertising campaigns. He shares with AD photographs of his home in Marfa, Texas where he lives with his two dogs and a lot of snakes (pg 290).
ANAND GOGOI
JONAS ERICSSON
PHOTOGRAPHER
SHILPA GUPTA ARTIST
The contemporary artist photographed her Mumbai home, as part of her ‘Smoke’ series artwork. She shares with AD (pg 324) photographs from this series, reimagining ideas of domesticity and beauty.
www.baxter.it
DEVIKA DAULET-SINGH
MAX VADUKUL
CURATOR & PUBLISHER
Daulet-Singh established PHOTOINK in 2001 as a photo agency and publication design studio based in New Delhi. In this issue, she lets AD into her work space to reveal her “deeply personal” moodboard of design and inspirations (pg 376).
Vadukul has contributed to The New Yorker, Italian Vogue, Egoïste, Rolling Stone, and W magazine. For AD, he shoots his home in Milan (pg 298), “where the light is incredible, arriving through the windows like gallons of rich oxygen”.
SYED HUMAM
MANOLO YLLERA PHOTOGRAPHER
FREDDY BIRDY WRITER
The New Delhi-based designer— The Kimono Club, Whisky Samba, The Wine Rack and Bohca— is also India’s most-awarded advertising copywriter of the year. Birdy is an old friend and admirer of photographer Bharat Sikka, about whom he writes in this issue (pg 331).
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ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST | MARCH-APRIL 2020
“I began taking pictures just because I saw a picture of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s that hooked me forever.” The Spanish photographer today contributes to Condé Nast titles around the world (pg 312).
CRISTINA PIOTTI WRITER
Indo-Italian journalist, Piotti writes about Max Vadukul’s home in Milan (pg 298). “My favourite piece from Max’s home is the Studio 44 Olivetti typewriter, designed by Marcello Nizzoli. I have a similar model, inherited from my Italian family.”
MAX VADUKUL
PHOTOGRAPHER
RITUPRIYA BASU WRITER
AD’s new features writer tackles the daunting AD100 (pg 155) list for the first time. “It was a treat to talk to the leading architects of the country, and understand their innovative, often radical ideas about shaping the future of architecture in India.”
ROHIT CHAWLA PHOTOGRAPHER
After spending over 20 years in advertising, Chawla embraced editorial and fineart photography. “My midcareer retrospective is a special milestone to relive some photographic memories. I am glad I could share a little of this journey in the pages of AD.” (pg 212)
SAMIR WADEKAR STYLIST
ARVIND VIJAYMOHAN WRITER
The chief executive of art advisory firm Artery India, Vijaymohan writes about the remarkable repertoire of Rohit Chawla, ahead of the artist’s retrospective tour (pg 212).
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ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST | MARCH-APRIL 2020
AD’s stylist moves on to new adventures after a seven-anda-half-year stint. “It is difficult to say goodbye to the AD team. I have cherished every minute of this rollercoaster ride. I will now look at the magazine from the other side with equal thrill.”
SHREYA BASU PROJECT COORDINATOR
Returning to AD to work on the annual AD100 (pg 155), Basu finds “it’s always a pleasure to reach out to all the fun and brilliant architects and designers, plan a party for them and see it through.”
table Skorpio Keramik chairs Belinda lamps Phoenix sideboards Tiffany rug Mumbai
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A H APR ZEITGEIST
Salone del Mobile may have been postponed until June, but the spring design calendar is still action-packed. From Mumbai to Manhattan, AD brings you what’s fresh.
BEFORE HE WAS ONE OF INDIA’S LEADING GALLERISTS, PETER NAGY WAS AN ARTIST WORKING IN MANHATTAN’S EAST VILLAGE. A NEW SHOW AT UBER GALLERY JEFFREY DEITCH CELEBRATES HIS PREVIOUS LIFE
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n the 1980s, when Nature Morte—Peter Nagy’s legendary East Village, New York gallery—was championing a new kind of neo-conceptualmeets-pop art, its founder and gallerist was also, in parallel, working as an artist. His work during this period reflects the spirit of the city back then. This month, a new exhibition focuses on that work, which Nagy produced between 1982 and 1992. Titled ‘Entertainment Erases History’, the exhibition features black-and-white works that use seriality and repetition to build a clever criticism of traditional methods of representation. This includes his anti-commodity ‘Xerox’ works of the early 80s, his ‘Cancer Painting’ series, and later architectural paintings, museum floor plans and tongue-incheek timelines of contemporary art history. For the ‘Xerox’ series, Nagy photocopied multiple collages made from advertisements, logos and found images. Visitors to Nature Morte back then fondly recall the bin in the back of the gallery with works-onpaper for sale, which included his “Xeroxes”. The process of “xeroxing” transformed the collages into physical objects while ensuring their unlimited reproduction. In the exhibition at Jeffrey Deitch, they are presented in their traditional format, as well as enlarged on vinyls to take on the mantle of “important works”. This collection of Nagy’s work takes off from the agitprop of artists such as Barbara Kruger and Louise Lawler, reflecting the dominant trends of the decade: from the beginnings of a digitized information culture to the infatuation with logos and branding; the obsession with photo-mechanical reproduction techniques and the degradation of information; the development of a hyperinflated art star system; the rise of institutional critique; and finally even the juggernaut of globalization on the distant horizons. Many of the works are being shown only for the second time, having premiered in galleries and museums in the 1980s and rarely seen since. ‘Entertainment Erases History’ will be on at Jeffrey Deitch, 18 Wooster Street, New York, from 6 March to 25 April 2020.
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TEXT: DIVYA MISHRA. PHOTO COURTESY OF PETER NAGY AND MAGENTA PLAINS.
PETER THE GREAT
TEXT: DIVYA MISHRA. PHOTO: AUDREY CORREGAN/COURTESY OF HERMÈS.
GREEN HOUSE EFFECT
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HERMÈS BRINGS A PROFUSION OF PLANT LIFE TO THE DINING TABLE WITH ITS NEW TABLEWARE DESIGNED BY NATHALIE ROLLAND-HUCKEL
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he idea was to rediscover the richness of the floral world—the richness of plants and leaves, intimately intertwined,” says Benoît-Pierre Emery, creative director at Objets et La Table at Hermès, about the intent behind the luxury maison’s newest tableware collection. On this journey of discovery, Emery was led by artist and ornamentalist Nathalie Rolland-Huckel, courtesy whose delicate renderings the collection seems to almost pulse with life. Launched at Maison et Objet in Paris early this year, the collection is named Passifolia—a portmanteau of Passiflora incarnata (the scientific name of the passionflower), and ‘foliage’—but channels into its 30 pieces a variety of flora that blends the real with the imagined, the familiar with the fantastic. “We started with existing flowers,” says Emery, adding, “but allowed ourselves the freedom to associate with them freely. A bit like the Dutch paintings of the 17th century that evoked imaginary bouquets.” Huckel and Emery worked on the designs for months, swapping images and “sending each other a lot of flowers”, says Emery. The results fell into two pattern categories—lush, dense and jungle-like; and single, isolated elements. “The alternating rhythms are an important aspect of this collection,” says Emery. Aside from the visual break, what the pattern categories also do is make a kind of customization possible. Since the pieces are all sold separately, customers can create tableware sets according to their own taste. “Each piece must have its own identity. It must be able to exist when isolated, but at the same time be able to fit with the rest,” says Emery, reinforcing the idea. What remains standard across the collection is quality. The entire service is made in Limoges porcelain with the patterns printed using a palette of 32 colours—a significantly higher number than what is used for most dinner services. “It took more than 2,000 hours of engraving just to separate each [colour] element,” says Emery, but the results prove the effort worthwhile. Each piece in the collection is almost luminous; more work of art than mere functional object, and distinctively, characteristically Hermès.
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HOUSE OF ART
TEXT: KOMAL SHARMA. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHEMOULD PRESCOTT ROAD.
THE ICONIC BANDRA MANSION OWNED BY GALLERIST KEKOO GANDHY GIVES THE NAME TO A NEW DOCUMENTARY BY HIS DAUGHTER, BEHROZE
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young, lean Maqbool Fida Husain painting, intensely, intently; Tyeb Mehta’s wife, Sakina, speaking into the camera, “People say his art is violent; I say it is against violence”; the demolition of Babri masjid—these are scenes from independent film Kekee Manzil: The House of Art. While it’s a brief history of modern art in India, the film is also a tender, charming portrait of Kekoo and Khorshed Gandhy, a Parsi couple who facilitated the careers of some of the most brilliant artists of our time. Behroze Gandhy, their daughter, had been filming her parents with a camcorder for over 20 years, “more as an archivist than anything else”. In 2016, a few years after they passed away, she partnered with Dilesh Korya, a Bristolbased filmmaker, to tell this deeply personal story set within a highly political context. The family’s ancestral house, Kekee Manzil, a 100-year-old structure overlooking Bandra’s Bandstand Promenade, is an ideal vehicle for the story. A montage of scenes of the family seated around its grand dining table, picnics at a pristine Juhu beach, a flamboyant Kekoo at parties and a stylish Khorshed managing the affairs at Gallery Chemould (originally on the secret first floor of the Jehangir Art Gallery in Bombay), the story plays out around the house. The narrative is pieced together by significant voices: Anish Kapoor, Jerry Pinto and Sidharth Bhatia, plus anecdotes by (and about) SH Raza, Ila Pal, Bhupen Khakhar, Atul Dodiya, Krishen Khanna, Salman Rushdie and Nalini Malani, interspersed with Talvin Singh’s spectacular soundtrack. Kekee Manzil is special because it’s intimate. It has a sense of humour as it is confrontational. It is a daughter’s return to and realization of her father’s legacy. It captures a world as it slips away, the absences becoming palpable in the concluding scenes of an empty dining room and an older Kekoo Gandhy swaying to the Viennese waltz. Screenings will be listed at gallerychemould.com.
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Kekoo Gandhy in front of Kekee Manzil, the home in which he was born.
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U A CASE FOR WOOD
TEXT: GAURI KELKAR. PHOTO: PAUL MICHELON/CASE DESIGN.
THE NEW COLLECTION OF TABLES BY CASE DESIGN FOR NETHERLANDSBASED FURNITURE MAKER VAN ROSSUM AROSE FROM A SIMPLE BRIEF
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se these logs.” As briefs go, this Van Rossum brief to Case Design was brevity at its best. For the latter, it was enough. As Paul Michelon—who heads the Mumbai-based firm’s product and furniture arm, Casegoods, along with Samuel Barclay—says, “Van Rossum has been designing and hand-making sustainable oak furniture for 40 years. A mutual love for wood and craftsmanship is what pushed all of us to work together.” This partnership had its roots in a December 2018 visit made by Marlieke Van Rossum to Mumbai. “She was curious to see the furniture and objects we design under Casegoods.” A trip Barclay made in February 2019 to the furniture maker’s workshop in The Netherlands initiated this collaboration, where they would design furniture that Van Rossum would then craft and produce in its workshop. And 15.5-inch-thick, sustainably sourced French oak logs were at the heart of it. Michelon explains, “[Van Rossum] usually uses relatively small oak logs to produce items for their collection but for several years they had kept a special stock of massive sustainably sourced French oak logs.” So they thought about a design that could use them well, and use them whole, in a way that “showed how massive they are. Our preliminary sketches and models relied on combination more than transformation, trying to keep the logs intact but finding playful ways to arrange them.” The result was Adjacencies, a collection of tables launched last October at the Vincent Van Duysen-designed Graanmarkt 13 in Antwerp. “We went with a U shape carved out of a simple cube, which we assembled with different orientations. The collection—a side table, a long thin table to double up as a low bench, and rectangular and square coffee tables—has virtually endless possibilities of combinations, associating them together and rearranging them”. All this from a debut collaboration between kindred spirits—making the possibilities for the future seem just as endless, and as interesting.
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PRIME TIME
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TEXT: SEAN RAI-ROCHE. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND CHATTERJEE & LAL.
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ark Prime’s second solo exhibition in Mumbai emerges from the memories of his father’s factory in England. Form, light and rhythm converge in his artworks to evoke a deep connection to industrial basics that are being left behind. “I wanted to take this show back to using a lot of raw materials and the feeling that the factory— with all its rhythms, patterns and sounds—brought to my memories,” says the Mumbai-based artist, who spent much of his youth around his father’s engineering works, observing its “disjointed and unplanned rhythm”. Now, he seeks to capture that mood in his latest series, ‘Heavy to Light | Light to Heavy’. Audio recordings of the factory, collected over a decade ago, have been processed into an accompanying track, “setting the mood or ambience” and taking viewers further into that disappearing world. Made using an array of metals and common industrial materials like engineering ink, the works feature a collection of pieces brought together by the artist. Spiralled wires of different types and colours hang from the ceilings, while aluminium sculptures are presented atop traditional engineering tables, and twisted, taut wires are set against unusual substrates. A collection of such variety could have risked slipping into esotericism were it not for Prime’s attention to how viewers perceive the art. “It is important to me that the show works together and has a continuity to it.” Prime bends away from previous works by embracing the fluidity of curves: the straight lines of his previous series have been replaced by sloping, twisting and flowing metal wires that are used in multifaceted ways. There is no particular emotion Prime wants to produce through his work but, unless you are as mechanical as the pieces in the exhibition itself, you cannot help feeling something profound. Heavy to Light, Light to Heavy will be on at the Chatterjee & Lal gallery in Mumbai from 12 March.
A HOMAGE TO A FADING PAST, MARK PRIME’S LATEST EXHIBITION FOCUSES ON THE RHYTHM AND FLOW OF INDUSTRY
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TEXT: RITUPRIYA BASU. PHOTO: NIVEDITAA GUPTA.
TERRA FIRMA RENESA STUDIO CREATES A SPACE FOR DECOR LABEL RUSTICKONA IN AMRITSAR THAT IS AS MUCH FLAGSHIP STORE AS ART GALLERY
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t Rustickona’s flagship store in Amritsar, a swirling pattern of terracotta walls wraps around a central viewing space, almost turning the decor showroom into an art gallery. When Sanchit Arora of Renesa Studio first conceptualized the space, he started by colouring outside the lines: “Steering away from the traditional design approach for a showroom, we sought to contextualize the space as a gallery by opting for an open floor plan, with varied volumetric adjunctions that cut across the space, creating pockets for display.” Through the 1,300-square-foot store, the curved terracotta walls sculpt out transitory galleries. Arora says, “We wanted to experiment with the very idea of space, pushing the boundary of the showroom to act as a gallery, where the sculptures and the products become a seamless part of the design.” Employing elements from the brand’s identity, Arora scooped out circles and squares from the terracotta bricks, creating a jali pattern that lets light flood the space. The bricks were perfected at a local kiln in Delhi, where artisans baked bricks at higher temperatures than usual to preserve the character and colour of the clay. The thin strips of concrete that join the brick draw the eye back to the interplay between the two elements, while fronds of plumeria and banana palm soften the materiality of the space. The exercise was not without its challenges: the heavy beams that jutted out of corners had to be washed in concrete to create a uniform finish, and the low-hanging ceiling coated in white to “conceal the heaviness of the low beam heights”. With an experimental format that shuffles between the footprint of a retail store and a gallery, this new space may not mirror the design of either, but packs the punch of both.
A PRÊT-À-PORTER
TEXT: GAURI KELKAR. PHOTO COURTESY OF TAPESTRY.
DESIGNERS ROHIT GANDHI AND RAHUL KHANNA BRING THEIR HIGH-FASHION COUTURE AESTHETIC TO HOME FURNISHINGS WITH ORAAN, THEIR DEBUT COLLECTION FOR TAPESTRY
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dding to the surge of couturiers (think Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Tarun Tahiliani and Raghavendra Rathore among so many more) moving onto parallel design tracks are Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna. For the duo, designing home furnishings seemed to be a tangent worth exploring after over two decades of successfully expressing the high glamour that is their aesthetic signature through elegant clothes. “With modern minimalism, abstract art and effortless design aesthetic being illustrated in diverse arenas, we decided to venture into textile design and creation,” says Khanna. Clearly, the opportunity with Tapestry was the stars aligning themselves just so; the Indian luxury home-furnishings brand approached Khanna and Gandhi to do what they do best, on a similar canvas, but with a wholly different intent. Oraan, their collection for Tapestry, articulates the essence of the designers’ aesthetic—“a love for fashion, art and travel with a vision to bring together our innate passion for art and design”, says Khanna. Central to Oraan is the use of “subtle metallics to infuse glam into the world of upholstery”. The designers were able to achieve this through a confluence of the kind of fabrics that would effortlessly exhibit their design sensibility of contemporary luxury, and fit seamlessly into modern spaces. The upholstery collection orchestrates a play of shadow and light and the idea of subtle, fluid layering with evolving textures. The decision to liberally use a gold shade in the collection, in consonance with other colours—sea foam, muted beige, grey ash—was down to its changeability. “Various visual wavelengths, intricate and detailed weave structures with gold’s ability to radically change colour create an exquisite design affair with [the] textiles,” Khanna explains. Gandhi and Khanna found themselves enjoying designing Oraan so much that they’re already onto their next. And they are by no means done with this detour. Khanna states, “After furnishings, we would like to go into interiors and furniture. We are also diversifying into carpets and wallpapers.”
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STEP ONE PROJECT 810’S FIRST FURNITURE COLLECTION WALKS THE TIGHTROPE BETWEEN MATERIAL, TRADITIONAL CRAFTSMANSHIP AND A MODERN INDIAN AESTHETIC— WITHOUT ONCE WOBBLING TEXT: DIVYA MISHRA. PHOTO: AMLANJYOTI BORA.
Vritima Wadhwa on a ‘Dori’ high stool, in front of the ‘Merak’ desk; behind her is the ‘Merak’ centre table. To her right is the ‘Dori’ single-seater armchair and the ‘Dori’ bench.
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ery often, space and furniture design are seen as two separate pursuits,” says Vritima Wadhwa, founder of design studio Project 810. The seven-year-old studio has, since its inception, worked towards building congruence between the two, in projects that cover retail, hospitality, offices and homes, designing both the spaces, and, to the extent possible, the furniture that goes into it. “Furniture plays a crucial role in an interior or architectural space. It is these objects that make the human tactile experience possible,” says Vritima. She would know. Along with having studied furniture and interior design at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, Vritima is the daughter of Vibha Wadhwa, who set up craftsmanship-led furniture studio Designers’ Home, 35 years ago. The two studios have collaborated on multiple projects over the years, creating bespoke pieces and sharing a bank of karigars—exercises that led to a deeper understanding between the designers and the craftspeople. “These artisans have had their set ways of working for years,” says Vritima, adding, “It took some time before they understood why we wanted a specific joinery or detail.”
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That understanding, though, helped lay the foundation for 810 / One—the young design studio’s first furniture collection. 810 / One is made of six sub-collections—titled Rumi, Rukh, Mahtab, Dori, Merak and Renga—with each focusing on either a piece of furniture and its variations, a particular craft technique, a combination of materials, or pieces with similar silhouettes. The range comprises tables, multiple seating solutions, lamps, desks and room-dividers, among others. It is basically all the furniture a modern living room could need, in a material palette that is simple but powerfully rendered. The choice of materials—teak, brass, mild steel, cotton rope, Indian leather and linen—was deliberately limited, to “play to our strengths”, says Vritima, and each piece highlights both the material and the technique used in its design. The ‘Rumi’ armchair, for example, drapes a sheet of Indian leather on to a turned-wood skeleton that throws into focus both the shape of the chair (a midcentury-style frame), and the richness of the leather. Another example is the ‘Merak’ centre table. The three-legged design features a simple slab of polished wood, one half of which highlights its natural grain; the second half contrasts it against white resin inlay work in a pattern that appears almost futuristic. Balance through contrast is clearly an underlying principle of this collection—hardwood polished to a silky smoothness; rounded corners and soft edges; natural materials juxtaposed against man-made renderings; luxury in design that is both austere and playful. But achieving this kind of balance takes time, and the studio took a good 18 months to work on the collection. “It took us 12 months to get to just the prototype stage,” says Vritima, adding, “We designed a large number of pieces and rejected any one that wasn’t resolved to its last detail.” The attention to detail, though, has paid off and the studio’s debut collection, its first major step into the furniture design space, is a sure one.
PHOTO: REUBEN SINGH
The ‘Renga’ room divider and ‘Renga’ swivel stool.
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A ALL RISE
TEXT: ROSHNI BAJAJ SANGHVI. PHOTOS: SARANG GUPTA.
SOUFFLÉ S’IL VOUS PLAÎT, THE NEW RESTAURANT IN MUMBAI FROM THE SLINK & BARDOT TEAM, IS A QUINTESSENTIAL FRENCH BISTRO DESIGNED BY PAVITRA RAJARAM
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t Soufflé S’il Vous Plaît—between a textured ceiling and black-and-white mosaic floor—are apricot banquettes, and walls of soft pink, lilac and warm nimbus grey. Outside, a sidewalk garden and Parisian street lamps border an al fresco section decorated with classic bistro chevron wicker seats and marble-topped tables. On customized black- and brown-banded china arrive traditional French bites and meals, and Soufflé’s eponymous wobbly, towering, cloud-like baked-egg dishes. Yet each of these is made almost entirely from local ingredients. The coq au vin is made with Kadaknath chicken; ravioli is stuffed with Ooty artichoke hearts; a salad of ancient grains features finger millet and emmer wheat (known locally as khapli gehu); and among soufflés of chocolate and Grand Marnier are also a rocher (quenelle) with 72 per cent Aurovillian chocolate, and a classic crème caramel with Tamilian vanilla. The idea for Soufflé was born over five years ago. Before Canadian Nick Harrison and French chef Alexis Gielbaum launched Slink & Bardot, a contemporary French restaurant and lounge in Worli, they met as colleagues in Delhi’s Le Bistro du Parc. There, they almost instantly became thick friends and soon, over many beers, began to dream of opening a French bistro in India some day. Soufflé is that aspiration actualized.
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Ra jara ma nd N ick Harri son.
Their space on Veer Nariman Road is steeped in repasts past; it previously housed dining institutions Berry’s, Mocha, and Salt Water Cafe. When restaurateur Riyaaz Amlani, the Slink and Soufflé duo’s business partner, offered the space to them, they knew it was ideal. “The space itself, the skeleton, was screaming out for exactly what we wanted to do,” says Harrison. “It seemed like the perfect home for [our] concept. It has so much history; people have personal memories here.” Designer Pavitra Rajaram, responsible for Slink, was brought on board to convert the space. “I thought recreating a Parisian bistro would be fake,” she says. “I did not want to appropriate one and plonk it in Churchgate. I kept thinking of the sun and the tropics; I thought of it as an imagined French bistro in a film. To have the idea of Paris without being explicit.” She decorated the bistro and everything in it with fresh, cool, contemporary, tropical layers. There are droll details everywhere for those who look. On the walls are framed images from Jean-Luc Godard’s 1960 movie À Bout de Souffle (French for ‘breathless’). Cherubim abound—one perched on a post by the steps to the sunken seating, others from ramekins bearing soufflés both savoury and sweet. Much like the dish it is named after, everything here feels light and airy. And so, a cuisine thus far treated as posh, pricey, perhaps even poncey, in the city has, at Soufflé, arisen to become one that’s casual in its classicism—credible, but congenial. The plating here is decidedly unfussy and simple. “In a bistro like this, the taste, the recipes and the elements [in the dishes] are more important than the garnishes and the plating style,” says Gielbaum. “In reproducing classical French cuisine, you just need it to taste delicious.” Not to be seen are the seriousness and high-handedness that have often accompanied traditional French food in Mumbai. Amlani admits that when Gielbaum and Harrison approached him with the idea of a place serving confit de canard and gratinated onion soup in Mumbai, it wasn’t just the idea of classic French bistro fare that won him over, but the people who wanted to do it. “I have faith in Nick and Alexis,” he says. Already, on weekends, it’s nearly impossible to get a table at Soufflé.
TEXT: DIVYA MISHRA. PHOTOS COURTESY FLEXFORM.
MOVING OUT The ‘Alison’ armchair by Italian designer Carlo Colombo.
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he idea of setting up Flexform came to the Galimberti brothers—Romeo, Pietro and Agostino—in the late 1950s, in Brianza, in northern Italy. And it was as much about time and place as it was about inspiration. The area sat at the crossroads of traditional craftsmanship and modern design, and was home to a number of artisanal workshops that crossed paths with modern designers who had trained at the School of Architecture in nearby Milan. This serendipity led to a melding of ideas, forms, materials and techniques that laid the foundations for Flexform’s design philosophy of discreet elegance above all else. Over the years, the company created for itself a design culture that blended understated elegance with fine craftsmanship and led to a signature sensibility—one that grew out of its in-house design centre and collaborations with designers who held the same values. Flexform had successfully dabbled in outdoor furniture for a few projects—yachts and resorts—and this, combined with their decades of experience in creating high-end indoor pieces, gave them the confidence to launch their own dedicated collection. Launched during Salone in April last year, the collection features
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USING AN INVENTIVE MATERIAL PALETTE, FLEXFORM REINTERPRETS SOME OF ITS ICONIC DESIGNS TO CREATE AN OUTDOOR COLLECTION THAT IS PATIO PERFECT
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seating systems, tables, chairs and accessories that are as stylish in appearance as they are confident in execution. A good example is the ‘Alison’ armchair by Carlo Colombo. The Italian architect’s first collaboration with Flexform was in 2013, when he designed a series of clean-lined furniture pieces for the brand. He designed the original ‘Alison’ armchair in 2018—a sinuously curved structure with a distinctly Scandinavian spirit. In that version, it was made in Canaletto walnut with the seat-back in saddle hide. In its new avatar, the frame of the armchair is in extruded aluminium (for lightness), and has an epoxy powder-coated finish in a range of colours. The base is made of marine plywood, and the backrest, in polyurethane rubber. The design mirrors the original armchair, but transforms it into a piece fit for the outdoors by tweaking the parameters of performance and durability. Like most Flexform designs, the seat and backrest can be upholstered in any of the brand’s outdoor textiles collection. A second iconic design that has been reinvented for the outdoors is the ‘Ortigia Outdoor’ bench from Flexform’s own design centre. Comprising chairs, armchairs and footstools, the Ortigia Outdoor range is made in solid iroko wood—known for its durability and resistance to both rot and insects. The chair frame can be lacquered in either grey or white, and rests on die-cast milledmetal alloy tips and nylon pads. Where the indoors version of the chair has a backrest made of hand-woven cowhide cord, the outdoors version has it in polypropylene cord or polyurethane rubber. The whole range adds a refreshingly tropical vibe to spaces with pieces that are solid, practical and built to withstand the elements. The collection also includes outdoor versions of iconic pieces by old Flexform hands Antonio Citterio, and Mario Asnago and Claudio Vender, that bear the airy elegance the six-decade-old brand has come to be known for. Flexform’s latest outdoor collection may be new, but it has a firm hold on the brand’s age-old legacy of quality and craftsmanship.
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‘Ortigia’ armchairs by Flexform’s design centre.
THE EXHIBITIONIST TEXT: KOMAL SHARMA. ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN.
CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN’S CELEBRATORY MUSEUM SHOW IN PARIS IS A DEEP DIVE INTO HIS FABULOUS, FANTASTICAL WORLD
Making-of artist Imran Qureshi’s artwork for ‘L’Exhibition[niste]’.
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s a chic Parisian boy of about 10, Christian Louboutin would walk to the galleries and aquarium at the Palais de la Porte Dorée in the French capital. “I would be confronted with that big, magnificent facade with its bas-relief work, walk through the (Jacques-Êmile) Ruhlmann rooms, be enamoured by the aquarium underneath. It’s where I first saw a sword, a mask, a totem, a crown,” remembers Louboutin as he talks to AD ahead of the opening of ‘L’Exhibition[niste]’, not a “nail-in-the-coffin retrospective” but a celebration of his own work and that which has inspired him. It is a showcase of art, objects, sculptures and photographs drawn from private collections and public museums; never-seen-before shoes; semi-biographies created by artists on invitation; and objects celebrating artisanship. “Palais de la Porte Dorée was where I discovered the exoticism of different countries and cultures. I wanted to recreate that childhood sensation of walking around, feeling a mix of mystery and fear of what was unknown to me then and being inspired by it all,” says Louboutin.
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Left: Christian Louboutin at 14. Below left: A sketch forbidding high heels at a museum proved to be a lasting inspiration to him.
It’s also where he first saw a sketch of a woman’s shoe. In the 1950s, the museum forbade high heels on its mosaic floors because the metal tips would damage them. So the museum authorities put up a sign with a sketch. “For me, it was the first time that I saw a sketch of a woman’s shoe. I was captivated not only by the shape but also the idea that one could actually draw something that does not exist yet and make it a reality—the idea that everything begins with a sketch.” And ever since, Louboutin became that “mad boy” in school who was constantly, unstoppably found sketching, “like the boy from the classic French advertisement of Guy DeGrenne”. As the designer talks about these childhood memories, “sensations” in his own words—more felt than thought—his own wildly creative design journey becomes evident. Louboutin’s empire of red heels has a boundless, joyful, prolific life of its own. And little pieces of this life are on display at ‘L’Exhibition[niste]’, curated by Olivier Gabet, French art historian and the director of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. A room decorated with stained-glass works created in the workshops of the Maison du Vitrail in Paris; a Bhutanese “cabaret” (a theatre stage) crafted by artisans in Thimpu; a 16th-century portrait of a young French prince in Lorraine, attributed to the artist François Quesnel (1543-1619), “whose legs with colourless shoes add a sense of length and beauty, and one may or may not
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Contact: india@andreuworld.com
Nuez Chair by Patricia Urquiola Extra by Lievore Altherr Molina
Gurgaon Showroom F-2/20, DLF Phase-1 Gurugram-122002
Bangalore Showroom #8/4 Ulsoor Road, Bangalore 560042
Pune Showroom 3a,3b, Siddharth Court Society, Off Dhole Patil Road, Pune
Curator Olivier Gabet and Christian Louboutin at La Maison du Vitrail, Paris.
notice the trajectory that has inspired my nude series of shoes”; a silver palanquin handcrafted by coppersmiths from Seville, its velvet embroideries done in the atelier of Sabyasachi, holding within it a “sculpture of an unfinished shoe”—‘L’Exhibition[niste]’ shows Louboutin’s love for the decorative arts, for storytelling, for the unfinished nature of all creative work, as well as his relationship to contemporary art. Pakistani artist Imran Qureshi is creating a sculpture with shoes; “Imran and I had a conversation about red and gold and blood and protection.” Lisa Reihana, a New Zealand-based artist of Maori descent, is creating a semi-biography of Louboutin, filming in places where he’s been or with objects that he is associated; “I first met Lisa at the Venice Biennale and saw a panoramic work that was beautiful and feminine, but if you looked closely, it spoke of colonization and violence. It’s difficult to explain, you have to just see it,” he says. In those words, Louboutin unwittingly (or rather, wittingly) gives away the heart of ‘L’Exhibition[niste]’—an “unchapterable” walk-through of different galleries with exhibits that leap between time, place, technique and category. Yet bound by a notion of beauty; not without its politics; connecting dots that may or may not be evident; and about artistic collaborations that may or may not be referential. Louboutin’s exhibition has to be seen and experienced, not just captured in language alone. Christian Louboutin, ‘L’Exhibition[niste]’ is on till 26 July 2020 at Palais de la Porte Dorée, Paris.
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THE OBJECTS AND ACCESSORIES BRINGING US BACK TO LIFE PHOTOGRAPHER JIGNESH JHAVERI STYLIST SAMIR WADEKAR BLUE BACKGROUND ‘CURIOSITY’ (9680), ASIAN PAINTS’ COLOUR OF THE YEAR
KAMDAR Located in the Churchgate area of south Mumbai, Kamdar has, for 82 years now, been creating highquality bespoke furniture pieces— an example of which is this dining chair, hand-carved in teak.
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Mumbai: Shiv Sagar Estate, Block ‘A’ Basement, Dr. Annie Besant Rd., Worli, 022-24928647/48 Bengaluru: 2nd Floor, KP Towers, 777-A, 100ft Road, Indiranagar, 080-25201120/44 Kolkata: Ground Floor, Aspirations Vintage, 12 Pretoria Street, 033-22907390/91 Jaipur: D-12, Hanuman Nagar, Vaishali Nagar, 0141-2350934
WWW.COCOONCARPETS.COM
SETTING A NEW BENCHMARK Amey Dahanukar of ARA Designs lives and breathes design and architecture. For him, no detail is too trivial and no project impossible. A well-respected figure in India’s hospitality industry, his projects are renowned both nationally and internationally. Here, we look at two dining spaces in Mumbai that have been exceptionally designed by ARA Designs
Hard Rock Café, NESCO, Mumbai
For as long as he can remember, Amey Dahanukar of architecture and design firm ARA Designs, has been surrounded by architecture, in large part thanks to his father, who is an architect. In fact, Amey’s fondest memories include accompanying his father to construction sites when he was all of 10 years old. And thus began a never-ending love for architecture and design that spilled over into his firm, ARA Designs, which he founded in 2011. Today, Amey’s firm, ARA Designs, is a force to reckon with in the industry. Hospitality, residential and commercial projects—the firm does it all. Their design language is both universal and inclusive. Amey reveals, “Design, to me, is everywhere, right from a car to a piece of clothing. Delving into the technicalities, it feels as though urbanism is the father of it all that
Shiro, NESCO, Mumbai
lighting complements the defining architectural lighting which suits any time of the day—at once making the guests feel comfortable and relaxed. The best bit? To gel with the vibe of the venue, the lights have been designed to resemble musical instruments!
helps put together everything and amalgamate it into a living space.” At ARA Designs, no detail is ignored—everything from largerthan-life architectural ideas to the most miniscule furniture details are paid equal attention to result in spaces that are a seamless mix of form and function. Some of Amey’s defining projects include Bengaluru Airport, a gurdwara in Punjab and a hotel in Anaklia, Georgia. But closer to home, at NESCO in Mumbai’s Goregaon suburb, stand two shining examples of ARA Designs’ design sensibility and two of the city’s hippest dining venues—Hard Rock Café and Shiro. HARD ROCK CAFÉ, NESCO Residing in Mumbai’s NESCO exhibition centre is the ever-popular Hard Rock Café. Designed by ARA Designs, the space retains its
Amey Dahanukar
rock ‘n roll aesthetic, with the design focused on the guiding service philosophy of ‘Love All – Serve All’. A strong narrative of the franchise shines through the details of the design, with each element serving a precise purpose. For example, the soft ambient
SHIRO, NESCO When it comes to Japanese cuisine, there’s no place quite like Shiro. And the brand’s NESCO outlet has been thoughtfully designed by ARA Designs, keeping in mind the Japanese aesthetic, blending it with Chinese and Balinese cultural inspirations. The zen-like interiors, accompanied with soaring ceilings and enormous statues, immediately capture the essence of a castle (Shiro is Japanese for ‘castle’). The rustic monochromatic yellow ochre stone cladding that envelops the space evokes a sense of mystery while the walls merge into antique friezes and are punctuated by abstractly composed niches. Striking teardrop pendants add to the visual drama while mood lighting and soft music lend the atmosphere a sense of calm and soothing, transforming the space into something akin to a lounge or club.
IDLI This wall bracket is part of the Coral range from the Jaipur-viaParis fashion-, textile- and homefurnishing atelier founded by French designer Thierry Journo. Crafted out of wood and metal, it brings an interesting touch of oceanic surrealism to spaces.
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MUJI The classic cuckoo clock gets a makeover in this design by Muji. Embodying the Japanese brand’s philosophy of “simple yet smart”, the clock houses a light-sensitive bird that tweets once every half hour, with natural sounds produced by handmade pressure bellows.
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IKKIS These ‘Chai Stem’ glasses are part of Ikkis’ second collection of 21 objects. The shape of the bowl channels the glass used for cutting chai (the half portion of tea served by street vendors) but the final design places it atop a delicate brass stem, transforming it into a champagne flute.
IKAI ASAI This craft label from Ananya Birla was previously known as CuroCarte. Hand-carved in Jaipur from local amethyst, the shot glass, coaster and peg measure (below left) were designed by Ayush Kasliwal for its Kama tableware collection.
SHAZÉ Made of borosilicate glass, stainless steel and aluminium, this drip-brew, pour-over coffee maker is part of the lifestyle brand’s Hosting collection. And with a name like ‘Caffeinator’ (below right), there’s little doubt that the cup of joe it makes will be rich, bold and strong enough to wake the dead.
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INDULGE YOUR SENSES
Whether you’re looking to unwind over the weekend or planning an extended staycation in the capital, Andaz Delhi will bring to life immersive experiences one of 401 unique artworks that are inspired by Delhi. If you are planning a longer stay, put up at one of the 129 serviced apartments (the Andaz Residences) in one, two, or three bedrooms, or in a duplex townhouse.
Along with being the food capital of the country, New Delhi is also steeped in history and culture. And with its close proximity to the airport, Andaz Delhi, a luxury lifestyle hotel by Hyatt, is perfect for the discerning traveller of today. From modern amenities and spacious rooms that offer every possible luxury, here are six reasons to stay here on your next trip to Delhi 1. ROOMS AND RESIDENCES For a unique taste of Delhi, each of the 401 residential-style guest rooms and 45 suites at the property features locally inspired details and holds
2. FOOD AND BEVERAGE Each restaurant at the property offers a unique gastronomical experience. AnnaMaya, the modern European Food Hall is best for lazy Sunday breakfasts while Soul Pantry impresses with sustainably sourced meals. With a modern Cantonese menu and Chinese zodiac-inspired cocktails, The Hong Kong Club is a great place to feast the senses. But, for exquisite handcrafted cocktails, do not miss visiting the Juniper Bar. 3. RECREATION At Andaz Delhi, sweat it out at the well-equipped 24-hour fitness centre or swim a few laps in the pool. For ultimate relaxation, head to Andaz Spa and immerse yourself in a state of well-being with the innovative apothecary approach guided by your Chakra energies and desires. 4. 401 REASONS TO FALL IN LOVE WITH DELHI What’s better than catching up on
your reading while you get to know more about the city? Pick up a copy of Fiona Caulfield’s book, 401 Reasons to Fall in Love with Delhi, and set off on a journey to explore the city’s history and culture. 5. EVENT SPACES Featuring functional design, Andaz Delhi offers 37,500sq ft of event spaces. The Andaz Ballroom is apt for receptions while the royal Elephant Path is fitting for a baraat. The eight Andaz Studios or residential style spaces are perfect for meetings. 6. PET FRIENDLY At Andaz Delhi, you don’t have to feel sad about leaving your fourlegged furry friends behind. Basic necessities will be provided to your pet during your stay to ensure that they’re comfortable.
Asset No. 1, Aerocity, New Delhi, India, 110037. For more information, visit delhi.andaz.hyatt.com, email delhi.andaz@hyatt.com or call +91 11 49031234. Follow @AndazDelhi on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
THE GEM PALACE This ‘Ruby Pan Dibbi’ from the Jaipur-based jewellers channels the house’s carefully nurtured traditional craft techniques into a gold-andprecious-stones-encrusted box with kundan (gold foiling) and meenakari (enamelling) work on it.
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KUTCH CLAY CRAFT This â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Maatiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; pot is made by the Bhuj-based Ramzubhai Kumbhar, whose family has been in the pottery business for generations. The vessel is made of local mud, painted using natural colours, and fired at high temperatures to ensure the designs are permanent. Available for delivery across India. To order, call 9712736168.
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TIFFANY & CO The iconic jeweller is now available in India, with a new store in Delhi. Bearing the luxury house’s signature robin’s-egg blue, these twin cups in bone china are part of Tiffany & Co’s Everyday Objects collection—a clever salute to the paper cups used in Tiffany & Co stores around the world.
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distributed by: Greenply Industries Limited t +91 33 24500400 toll free: 1800 -103- 4050 monday â&#x20AC;&#x201C; friday, except holidays, 10am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5pm e marketing.ply@greenply.com
POLTRONA FRAU The ‘Ren’ wall mirror with hangers (right), is yet another iconic piece resulting from Poltrona Frau’s collaborations with designers and architects. It was designed by Shanghai-based Neri&Hu using brass, leather and wood.
DYSON The home-appliance brand’s ‘Pure Hot + Cool’ air purifier (below left) is futuristic and supremely multifunctional. It captures both particulate matter and gases, can project over 360 litres of purified air per second into a room, and even works as a heater and a cooler, in winter and summer respectively.
PARADISE ROAD These tie-and-dye cushion covers (right) in canvas are from Sri Lanka’s famous homeware and handicrafts retail chain, Paradise Road, which was founded in 1987 by designer and aesthete Shanth Fernando.
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SPECIAL FEATURE
DESIGNED FOR LUXE LIVING
With its endeavour to bring the very best in furniture, lighting, fixtures and artefacts to its clients, boutique living space designer and consultant Vita Moderna collaborated with Raj Anand to celebrate 25 successful years of Maison et Objet Gauri Khan
Akshay Adhalrao and Pritesh Modi
Founded in 2008 by luxury and design merchants Akshay Adhalrao and Pritesh Modi, Vita Moderna has built a legacy for itself over the last decade. Vita Moderna’s partnerships with world-renowned European brands and close associations with India’s celebrated interior designers and architects, along with a strong execution of projects with an adept,
multidisciplinary team, has been the reason for the company’s massive success. And in their endeavour to bring luxury to Indian homes, Vita Moderna recently collaborated with Raj Anand to celebrate 25 successful years of Maison et Objet—a great platform for clients and designers to experience the very best in furniture, lighting fixtures and artefacts. The event was held in collaboration with Gauri Khan Designs and was attended by members of the design fraternity including Zarir Mullan, Seema Puri, Ashiesh Shah, Rooshad Shroff, Shobhan Kothari, Anand Menon, Rajiv Parekh, Rupesh Baid, Zubin Master, Ruby Khanna, Kanhai Gandhi, Nimesh Shah, Shresth Kashyab, Ahasan Ansari and Sahil Jain.
TUSHANT BANSAL Designer Tushant Bansal’s debut furniture collection, Kogeta (Japanese for ‘burnt’), uses the island country’s ancient woodweatherproofing technique known as shou sugi ban. The ‘Kogeta’ screen is entirely handmade in charred and waxed European ash wood with the tips clad in patinated steel.
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LOUIS VUITTON The special-edition ‘Louis Vuitton I (RED)’, a scented candle by master perfumer Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud, is the result of the maison’s association with (RED), an organization cofounded by U2 frontman Bono that raises awareness and funds to help eliminate AIDS. TEXT: DIVYA MISHRA. ASSISTED BY MITALEE MEHTA. FOR DETAILS, SEE STOCKISTS.
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ESCAPE TO SERENITY
With a Portuguese-inspired facade, intimate interiors accentuated with antique decor, state-of-the-art amenities and tranquil, verdant surroundings, Isprava’s latest luxury address, Fairview Estate, in northern Goa’s Assagao neighbourhood, is at once exclusive and idyllic As far as luxury homes in India go, there’s one brand that consistently finds itself in the top tier—Isprava. Having been in the business of building, managing and renting luxury properties for seven years now, Isprava is a leader in the luxury home segment. Guided by the principles of exclusivity, comfort
and integrity, the brand has crafted unique lifestyle experiences for the discerning few. From villas, ‘vaddos’ and estates extending from Alibaug and Goa to Coonoor and Sri Lanka, Isprava has built and designed over 110 homes and hosted over 9,000 rental guests. And adding yet another feather to
their cap is the brand’s breathtaking Fairview Estate in Assagao, north Goa. Built and designed over 380 days by 2,795 workers, this striking home skilfully weaves Goan Portuguese architectural influences with a hint of contemporary design elements, making the space luxurious and homely in equal measure.
THE ARCHITECTURE Design inspiration for Fairview Estate came from the landscapes of Goa, with Isprava’s team employing traditional methods of construction. Portuguese design elements are evident in the laterite brick walls, sloping Mangalore tiled roofs and sweeping arches that were made with reinforced concrete. Working within the natural layout of the land, the architects integrated its natural contours as a part of the structure’s form to create open spaces for natural light and cross-ventilation. KEY FEATURES Bookended between green spaces, Fairview Estate is sprawled across two floors and features four en-suite bedrooms, a self-sufficient kitchen, a utility area, a sun-filled living room that opens out onto a balcony overlooking the lush estate gardens and a dining room that leads into the gardens on one side and the natural pool on the other. Isprava has ensured that the entrance to the property
STRIVING FOR THE SUSTAINABLE As a brand, Isprava is conscious of its impact on the environment and so, incorporates sustainable practices across their properties to ensure a negligent carbon footprint and help make the world a greener place. At Fairview Estate, they employ drip and sprinkler methods of irrigation, wherein every drop of water is used, saving approximately 30 to 40 per cent of the water that would otherwise have gone to waste. Better still, in a bid to keep Goa clean, they have also employed an efficient waste management system. Standardised colour-coded and odour-free German bins with clear signage make waste segregation easier, with the compost from the dry waste being used for gardening. There’s even a home composter kit that is used to create manure from food waste.
is equally magical—a bridge-like entrance makes you feel like you’ve bridged worlds...from the chaotic one outside to a quiet transcendental one within. More intriguing are the shutters at the entrance that open into secret compartments in the wall where you can store your keys. THE INTERIORS Isprava’s interior design team has incorporated the art of reusing, repurposing and refurbishing to make the estate as eco-friendly as possible whilst retaining a contemporary charm. Doors and windows: Experimenting with material and texture, the doors and window frames were bought from durbars and palaces and are a mix of custom-made and reclaimed antique wood, further enhanced by polishing to give them a distressed finish and rustic appeal. Flooring: The passageways and common areas of the space flaunt black tiles with white inserts in a vintage pattern, but the rhythm
SPECIAL FEATURE
changes once you move to the bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen, where they form geometric patterns, reminiscent of Portuguese design. What’s more, many of the bathrooms are handcrafted using impressive stone patterns and mosaic. Lighting: In contrast to old Portuguese estates, the light fixtures in Fairview Estate are contemporary in form, particularly the chandeliers in the living room. Furniture and decor: A combination of refurbished and newly-crafted pieces along with curated artefacts and antiques that have been sourced from stately homes across India, the decor oozes a sophisticated feel, with some teak and Sheesham furniture adding opulence. Colour palette: A melange of white, black, grey, blush pink and sage green envelops the space, facilitating a sense of continuity and harmony. GREEN SPACE To ensure that you’re ensconced in serenity during your stay, Fairview
Estate abounds with verdant foliage. Isprava has introduced ficus planters in the interiors, while the landscape outside boasts a curated mix of flora and fauna, including, among others, traveller’s palms, frangipani, areca palms, elephant ears, spider lilies, night jasmines, gardenia, mulberry trees, ornamental banana trees, lantanas, bougainvillea, orchids, ivy creepers and water papyrus. There are even garden ornaments and bird baths that serve as resting spots for birds and butterflies. COMFORTS AND CONVENIENCES A seamless blend of form and function, Fairview Estate is equipped with state-of-the-art amenities and appliances. The kitchen comes with a well-stocked refrigerator, microwave oven, coffee machine, juicer and water dispenser. Other amenities include a washing machine and drier, a vacuum cleaner, a garment steamer, an HD Smart TV and a 100mbps internet connection.
THE LITTLE THINGS At Fairview Estate, you can tell that the team at Isprava has paid keen attention to every little detail. The bedsheets in the bedrooms are double mercerised sheets while the bath linens are sourced from specialised curators of exquisite linens. There are also zero twist towels, made exclusively for Isprava, that are extremely soft to the touch and feel. That’s not all. The crockery in the dining room is made of the finest Bone China—known for containing zero toxic elements—and the coffee in the kitchen is Isprava’s Peaberry blend (each Peaberry bean has been handpicked from estates in Karnataka and freshly roasted).
For more information, visit www.isprava.com; email info@isprava.com or call +91-8080808797
FOCAL POINT
STYLIST: MITALEE MEHTA.
HANDS ‘Suzette’ (10x8 feet) from the Cryptos collection, hand-knotted in 100 per cent botanical silk, `3,00,000. HERMÈS ‘Avalon Vibration’ throw blanket (5.5x4.5 feet) in wool and cashmere from the Spring/Summer 2020 collection. JAIPUR RUGS Hand-knotted rug (8x5.6 feet) from the Uvenuti collection, `1,06,200. LEMA ‘Taiki’ two-seater sofa by Chiara Andreatti.
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TÊTE-À-TÊTE ANDREU WORLD ‘Ronda’ chair by Lievore Altherr Molina, `99,500. BOCONCEPT ‘Disc’ rug (4.9 feet), `78,450. VISIONNAIRE ‘Camden’ leather easy chair. TURRI TV unit from the Milano collection.
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RETRO VIBES MINOTTI ‘Jeff ’ coffee table, `4,88,000, with an optional raised tray by Rodolfo Dordoni. GIANFRANCO FERRÉ HOME ‘Malasaña’ five-light chandelier. ETRO HOME INTERIORS ‘Goa’ central table in wood, `14,50,000. FLEXFORM ‘Sveva’ sofa from the Indoor collection, `9,00,000.
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DELHI SHOWROOM: 218, 223 DLF Grand Mall, Second Floor, MG Road, Gurgaon | Tel: 124-4108800/9900 MUMBAI OFFICE: 1115-11th Floor, Hubtown Solaris, NS Phadke Marg, Andheri East, Mumbai - 400069 WWW.RAVISHVOHRAHOME.COM
RUBY WOO
IKKIS ‘Chai Surahi Kettle’ in copper coated in terracotta, from the Unlimited 2020 collection, `10,150. IKAI ASAI ‘Kansa’ totem stools from the Junoon collection, `4,72,000. INDIA CIRCUS BY KRSNAA MEHTA ‘Doors of Mystical Wonder’ copper jug from the Sustainable Copperware collection, `2,399. BEYOND DESIGNS Chest with leather drawers and beaten-brass base. For details, see Stockists.
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WHERE NATURE MEETS LUXURY
A holistic approach with superior design that brings together light, materials, space, form, function and environment is Hyderabad based architect Niroop Reddyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s forte. His 9,500 sqft sprawling house in an upscale Hyderabad neighbourhood is a seamless culmination of rustic charm and modern luxury while blurring the boundaries between the outdoors and indoors
RUSTIC YET LUXURIOUS Reddy’s house is simple, calming and has an uncluttered appeal with clean, minimalistic usage of colour and material. But at the same time, he wanted his house to exude a hint of luxury. “Normally if you see rustic homes, they have simple furniture with stone flooring and concrete ceilings. But I wanted to build a luxurious home with a rustic touch. And since it was my personal home, I wanted to experiment and see what I was capable of,” says Reddy. Building his house took him close to a year-and-a-half and the entire ceiling flaunts patterns that have been moulded into a concrete slab. “For me, I always feel luxury is about what catches your attention. Even a small house can be luxurious, if it has the right decor. The focal point in my house is the main door that is 20 feet tall. For me, that is luxury. With every small detail, we at NA Architects try to add an element of luxury,” he explains.
GREEN HOME, CLEAN HOME Reddy who set up his architectural firm, NA Architects, in 2003 with wife Rupana, says that building sustainable homes has always been a priority for his company. “When we started, there was no awareness about green homes and we didn’t have any ratings, but we have been using sustainable resources for the past 12 years. We like our homes to be flooded with natural light and we don’t like forced ventilation,” Reddy says. His house was built with an ‘inside-out’ design where all indoor spaces are enveloped by nature. In fact, his house is platinum rated IGBC certified, which is the highest certification for sustainable practises being adopted by any establishment.
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY NA Architects’ approach towards design is such that it prioritises the client’s need through intense conversations and design sessions. “My design strategy is to blend architecture and interior elements with client’s comfort and requirements as a palette. As the end user is the client, its wise to provide a design and style of architecture that adapts to the client’s comfort rather than inflicting a trend that discomforts them”, says Reddy whose design style is minimalistic and contemporary. In fact, when they started in 2003, their firm was known for their clean designs and their single-tone palette. But they’ve started experimenting with colour in the last few years. “Contemporary homes are our style. We gained popularity for using the white colour scheme that blends throughout the house but now, out of the 100 homes we design, 95 are contemporary and five are classic,” he explains. Plot no. 319/320, 6th floor, East Avenue, Ayyappa Society, Madhapur, Hyderabad, Telangana, India - 500081. For more information, email hyd@naarchitects.net, call +91 9949100009 or follow @na_architects on Instagram and @Naarchitects on Facebook
(Clockwise from left) ‘Aurora’ and ‘Imperial’ rugs, Jaipur Rugs. ‘Plumage’ wallpaper from the Nilaya Reflect collection, Nilaya by Asian Paints. Towel by Himêya, Surprise Home Linen. ‘DWQ0212’ wallpaper from the Gallery 15 Urban Metallics collection, Wall Art by D’Decor. Towel by Himêya, Surprise Home Linen. Facing page: (From top) ‘Mausum’ rug by Hemant Tanwar, Jaipur Rugs. ‘Rossini 70 - BO1’ rug from the Abstract collection, D’Decor Rugs. ‘Rust’ D’Decor towel, SIMONE. ‘CE134B’ rug from the Premiere collection, Cocoon Fine Rugs.
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OM BASE
THE NEW YOGA STUDIO AT MUMBAI’S CRICKET CLUB OF INDIA, DESIGNED BY PRAVIR SETHI OF STUDIO HINGE, MAKES THE PERFECT SPACE FOR AD TO PRACTISE ASANAS ON THE SEASON’S RUGS, CARPETS, LINENS AND WALLPAPERS. PHOTOGRAPHER JIGNESH JHAVERI STYLIST SAMIR WADEKAR
(Clockwise from bottom right) ‘Kazak’ carpet, The Carpet Cellar. ‘CEA7278B’ rug from the Colors of Life collection, Cocoon Fine Rugs. ‘Optimist 54504 - 94’ rug from the Spectrum collection, D’Decor Rugs. ‘Green’ D’Decor towel, SIMONE. ‘CX-2807 (Classic Gray/Ashwood)’ rug, Jaipur Rugs. ‘True Navy’ D’Decor towel, SIMONE. ‘Trezzo 521LR3’ rug from the Into The Blue collection, D’Decor Rugs.
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Above: (From left) ‘Peony Garden Argent’ wallpaper from the Good Earth for Nilaya collection, Nilaya by Asian Paints. ‘True Navy’ D’Decor towel, SIMONE. ‘Venezia’ wallpaper, Sarita Handa. ‘Green’ D’Decor towel, SIMONE. ‘Cleo’ wallpaper from the Nilaya Geonature collection, Nilaya by Asian Paints. Towel by Hygro, Surprise Home Linen. Below: ‘DWQ0212’ wallpaper from the Gallery 15 Urban Metallics collection, Wall Art by D’Decor. ‘Ceylon’ bamboo basket, Nicobar. Towels, Sarita Handa. ‘Dhanush’ rug by Savitri, Jaipur Rugs.
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INSPIRED LUXURY DESIGN
Expertly crafted bespoke designs to transform your space, be it professional or personal—that’s what interior solutions brand FTS by Sharmilee promises its customers
Since we’re still in the early months of 2020, you might want to think about giving your space a lovely little makeover; and luxury interior design brand FTS by Sharmilee has just the kind of solutions to help you reinvent your space and infuse it with character. True to its name, the brand offers ‘furniture that speaks’─speaks to your personality and aesthetic sense. Founded a decade ago by Sharmilee Chopra, FTS by Sharmilee redefines product and space design by employing state-of-the-art German technology to craft bespoke designs, made all the better thanks to superior craftsmanship and timely delivery.
Speaking about her brand, Sharmilee states, “Our attention to detail and the quality materials used ensure both luxury and durability, with our unique design stamp. We understand your needs and our approach to design your space is that of openness. We create personalised furniture and interiors, collaborating with you to ensure that your space is an extension of you.” But more than just crafting unique design pieces, FTS by Sharmilee goes a step further and offers signature artworks, created in collaboration with art galleries, artists and designers, to lend your space that extra hint of glam. Some of the brand’s defining collaborations have been those with Art Pilgrim Live and with artists Thota Vaikuntam and Dharmendra Rathore for The Legacy Collection. What’s even better about FTS by Sharmilee is the fact that the brand allows you to be privy to the entire design process, with one-on-one access to the factory and the designers, ensuring complete transparency at all stages. That, in addition to the fact that the assembly is carried out by specialised personnel to guarantee
thorough solutions, with precise installation. What does this mean for you? Exceptionally crafted customised design offerings that promise to be a seamless extension of both your personality and your aesthetic sense! “We are always innovating and introducing a freshness to our interior design solutions. We design a space based on international standards of design, quality and precision. The attention to detail while integrating a diverse range of materials ensures a flawless outcome,” concludes Sharmilee.
For more information, follow @ftsbysharmilee on Facebook and Instagram
(Clockwise from bottom left) Tibetan rug with dragons, The Carpet Cellar. ‘Optimist 54586 - 34’ from the Into The Blue collection, D’Decor Rugs. Towel from the Roman Bath collection, Surprise Home Linen. ‘Verna’ rug, Jaipur Rugs. ‘CEA7399’ rug from the Alchemy collection, Cocoon Fine Rugs. ‘Eden (66504-60)’ rug from the Abstract collection, ‘Xanadu - 1330 - LO6’ rug from the Spectrum collection, D’Decor Rugs. Rug (beige charcoal) from the Comely collection, Hands. ‘True Navy’ D’Decor towel, SIMONE.
ASSISTED BY MITALEE MEHTA. TEXT BY RITUPRIYA BASU. PRODUCTION: CUTLOOSE PRODUCTIONS. FOR DETAILS, SEE STOCKISTS. THE YOGA STUDIO Tucked under the historic Brabourne Stadium stands, the swooping ceiling of the Yoga Studio at the Cricket Club of India plunges down, and opens up the 1,320-square-foot space to a stunning view of the pitch and lawns. When Pravir Sethi of Studio Hinge set out to reimagine the space, he offset a palette of white with warm browns, accented by the occasional glint of steel. “The overarching design intent was to de-clutter and open up the space—and hopefully, the mind— by relocating storage to the rear wall, creating an open, brightly lit, and well-ventilated studio that would accommodate the practices of yoga, kick-boxing and dance, while providing a quiet space steeped in calm and serenity,” says Sethi. The defining aesthetic elements are understated, yet unmissable. The fluted plaster profiles on the undulating, curved ceiling create a pattern referencing magnetic lines of force that draw the eye towards the expanse of green outside. The two free-standing columns— clad in mirrors and curved stainless steel—almost seem to disappear, visually expanding the sense of space. The thin strips of steel lining the joints of the Kota stone flooring double as a visual guide, helping users stay perpendicular to the wall. Sethi also gently softened the edges and capitals—a subtle reference to the curved balconies that cushion the towering facade of the club’s main building. It makes for a space that is at once contextual and downward-dog friendly.
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CHEERS DELHI ON A CHILLY EVENING IN NEW DELHI, GREENLAM AND AD CELEBRATED INTERIOR TRENDS AND INSTALLATIONS, AND LAUNCHED THE GREENLAM NEW COLLECTION 2020-2022 WITH SOME OF THE BIGGEST NAMES IN ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
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1. Deepak Prem. 2. Hartmut Wurster, Verendra Wakhloo. 3. Sandip and Geeta Uppal. 4. Vivek Gupta. 5. Rano and Ashna Singh. 6. Romesh Sapra. 7. Abhimanyu Dalal. 8. Rahul Shankhwalker, Laura B Robin. 9. Rajesh Thampi. 10. Greenlam MD and CEO Saurabh Mittal, designer Didier Galerne, Greenlam director Parul Mittal, AD publisher Armaity Amaria, AD editor Greg Foster. 11. Lipika Sud. 12. Parul Mittal, Greg Foster and Saurabh Mittal reveal the Greenlam Laminates 20202022 Catalogue. 13. Anil Badan. 14. Rohit Chawla. 15. Didier Galerne. 16. Anubhav Savaria, Rachna Agarwal. 17. Vaibhav Dimri. 18. Parul Mittal, Kohelika and Sunita Kohli. 19. Martand Khosla. 20. Sidhartha Talwar. 21. Medha Khosla. 22. Saurabh Dakshini. 23. Nomita Sawhney. 24. Sketches of Cocoon, a Greenlam New Collection installation, by Saurabh Dakshini.
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PHOTOS: GULSHAN SACHDEVA.
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Designer of the Year (Bridal) Sabyasachi Mukherjee
Condé Nast’s Alex and Namita Kuruvilla
Nykaa Fashion’s Adwaita Nayar Gupta and Nykaa’s Falguni Nayar
Disruptor of the Year Hrithik Roshan for HRX
THE
POWER LIST
Emerging Fashion Star (Female) Janhvi Kapoor
2019
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Nykaa’s Anchit Nayar
The stage was set, the guests seated, the evening ready for kick off. Vogue India was hosting its first ever fashion awards, co-created with Nykaa Fashion. The night had all the ingredients for an evening to remember, and it definitely delivered. Members from the fashion and film fraternity flew down from all over the country to be a part of Vogue x Nykaa Fashion The Power List 2019 — an evening dedicated to the Indian fashion industry. From the coutur who have dressed the brides of the country, to the red-carpet mavericks and even the ne generation of fashion breakout stars, promi names were accoladed for their contribution the growing industry. Held at The St. Regis Mumbai, the night a meeting of minds between Vogue India, th last word in fashion, and Nykaa Fashion, the future of fashion. The concept, The Blend Chivas, our associate partners for the eveni came through as the India Modern theme. This was encapsulated perfectly in a pre-ev fashion show by Global Indian designer As Gupta. Guests, too, blended it into their dr code, resulting in various versions of the six staple and floor-grazing gowns with traditio embroideries and flourishes. Here’s a lowdown on everything that wen down at the inaugural Vogue x Nykaa Fashi The Power List 2019.
e of the Year Most Stylish Coupl kh Khan Gauri and Shah Ru
Style Icon of the Year (Female) Anushka Sharma
Patron of Crafts of the Year Manish Malhotra for Mijwan
Designer of the Year (Menswear) Gaurav Gupta
Shilpa Shetty Kundra
Style Influencer of the Year Karan Johar
The stage all set
Style Icon of the Year (Male) Akshay Kumar Katrina Kaif
The Chivas bar
Vogue’s Priya Tanna
Stylist of the Decade Anaita Shroff Adajania Revivalist of the Year Sanjay Garg
Designer of the Year (Evening Wear) Shane and Falguni Peacock
Diva Dhawan and Rohan Joshi
Aditi Rao Hydari
Rising Stars of Fashion from left Kriti Kharbanda and Priyanka Bose present the award to Kunal Rawal (Menswear), Jayanti Reddy (Bridal Wear), Deepa Gurnani and Jay Lakhani (Accessories)
Mira Rajput Kapoor Designer of the Year (Resort Wear) Payal Singhal
Designer of the Year (Womenswear) Dhruv Kapoor with Neha Dhupia
Pernod Ricard’s Pulki th Modi, Vogue’s Dilshad Aro ra and Condé Nast’s Arjun Mehra
Vogue x Nykaa Fashion Sustainability Award Anita Dongre
e show with The models from th ta sh designer A ish Gup
Trailblazer of the Year Rahul Mishra
Couturiers of the Year Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla
Natasha Poonawalla Fashion Entrepreneur of the Year Masaba Gupta
Minimalist Designer of the Year Rina Singh for Ekà
Model of the Year Saffron Vadher
International Designer Maximalist Designer of of the Decade the Year Amit Aggarwal Mary Katrantzou
Fashion Legend Tarun Tahiliani
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Ever since its inception in 2003, ColourNext by Asian Paints has celebrated colours that have stemmed from extensive research and trend mapping exercises conducted by industry professionals. An annual trend forecast, ColourNext presents carefully curated colour schematics that inspire and mirror our aesthetic sensibilities.
“I had left the visible, physical blue at the door, outside, in the street. The real blue was inside, the blue of the profundity of space, the blue of my kingdom, of our kingdom!.... The immaterialisation of blue, the coloured space that can not be seen but which we impregnate ourselves with.” – Yves Klein, French Artist
Asian Paintsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Colour of 2020 is Curiosity. This year, we yearn for knowledge and harbour a strong desire to progress. With wellbeing and self-growth topping our list of priorities, we chart a path to further our pursuits. Curiosity, a shade thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high on chroma and low on grey value, is a radiant colour that represents our burning need to expand our potential. Inspired by azurite (the copper mineral ore), it is a concentrated hue brimming with energy. Modern and clear, Curiosity energises us with an optimism to persist with our pursuits, inspiring us to live our best lives.
For more information, visit: Website: www.asianpaints.com/colournext, Youtube: youtube.com/asianpaintsindia, Facebook: facebook.com/AsianPaints.in, Twitter: twitter.com/asianpaints, Instagram: www.instagram.com/asianpaints
Soundâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;it helps us disconnect, relax, learn and enhance productivity. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s precisely why it needs a vacuum to exist. This vacuum is characterised by deep greys and calming whites that inspire a meditative state of mind, with hints of darker shades serving to relax and brighter hues serving to boost activity. Pinewood and aluminium metal foam, with their sound-absorbing qualities, make for ideal materials to enhance the sound qualities of reflective surfaces.
A monotone palette, with pops of contrast, Potent is indicative of a shift in our preference to partake in fewer, but more concentrated, experiences. The tone-on-tone shades exemplify minimal application for maximum impact while high-performance materials such as volcanic ash and hemp, being adaptable to various purposes, lend themselves perfectly to the trend.
When disparate fields merge to create exhilarating experiences, the sum is always greater than its parts. Blend challenges the ideas of form, function, perception and bias that once restricted creativity with a vibrant palette that incorporates a range of bold, cheery colours as well as composite materials that blend components to create a new entity and blended textiles that express textiles in a renewed fashion.
A visual manifestation of our desire to explore ancient wisdom, practices and philosophies, Mystique transfixes you in a magical, meditative gaze, with a palette comprising elemental colours of wood, earth, fire, sky and water. Deep, dark hues hold you in their spell, balanced by paler tones. And materials such as rosewood and raw silk work wonders in spiritual contemporary spaces.
SILVER NIGHT Asian Paints’ Wallpaper of the Year is Silver Night. Exploring our unending relationship with moon-gazing, Silver Night is tribute to the connection between man and the moon. This enchanting wallpaper is part of Nilaya Luna—a collection of wallpapers aimed at rekindling our celestial aff air with the moon—and designed in collaboration with Nicobar.
IN ASS OCIATION W ITH
PARTN ER S
THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL ARCHITECTS AND INTERIOR DESIGNERS IN INDIA ABHA NARAIN LAMBAH ASSOCIATES ABHIMANYU DALAL ARCHITECTS ABIN DESIGN STUDIO ABM ARCHITECTS ABRAHAM JOHN ARCHITECTS ABU JANI SANDEEP KHOSLA ADIL AHMAD ALVA ARCHITECTS ANAGRAM ARCHITECTS ANNKUR KHOSLA DESIGN STUDIO ARCHITECT HAFEEZ CONTRACTOR ARCHITECTURE BRIO ARCHITECTURE DISCIPLINE ASHIESH SHAH ARCHITECT AYUSH KASLIWAL DESIGN BANDUKSMITHSTUDIO
MALIK ARCHITECTURE MANCINI ENTERPRISES MARIE-ANNE OUDEJANS MATHAROO ASSOCIATES MATHEW AND GHOSH ARCHITECTS MATRA ARCHITECTS AND RURBAN PLANNERS MICD ASSOCIATES MORPHOGENESIS NETERWALA AND AIBARA INTERIOR ARCHITECTS NOTE-D NOZER WADIA ASSOCIATES NUDES _OPOLIS ORPROJECT PAVITRA RAJARAM DESIGN
PINAKIN DESIGN PRABHAKAR B BHAGWAT PRISM RAJIV SAINI + ASSOCIATES RAVI VAZIRANI RED ARCHITECTS REFLECTIONS RITU NANDA DESIGN RMA ARCHITECTS
ROMI KHOSLA DESIGN STUDIO ROOSHAD SHROFF S.P.A DESIGN SABYASACHI MUKHERJEE SAMIRA RATHOD DESIGN ATELIER SANJAY PURI ARCHITECTS SERIE ARCHITECTS SEZA SHALINI MISHRA SHROFFLEÓN SIMONE DUBASH PANDOLE SITE PRACTICE SJK ARCHITECTS SP+A
CALM STUDIO CASA PARADOX CASE DESIGN CLAY ARCHITECTURE & INTERIORS COLLECTIVE PROJECT CORMAC LYNCH DOMINIC DUBE INGE RIECK ARCHITECTURE STUDIO (DDIR) DEMURO DAS DESIGN BY DARSHINI SHAH DESIGN CONSULTANTS ECRU ELSIE NANJI FAQUIH AND ASSOCIATES FREDDY BIRDY GAURI KHAN DESIGNS INI CHATTERJI & ASSOCIATES IQRUP DESIGN IRAM SULTAN DESIGN STUDIO ISLA MARIA ‘LOULOU’ VAN DAMME JAI DANANI K2INDIA KHOSLA ASSOCIATES KUNAL MANIAR & ASSOCIATES LAB LIJO.RENY.ARCHITECTS
SPASM DESIGN STAPATI STUDIO ARCHOHM STUDIO HBA STUDIO HINGE STUDIO II STUDIO LOTUS STUDIO MUMBAI STUDIO ORGANON STUDIO POMEGRANATE SUSSANNE KHAN TALATI & PANTHAKY ASSOCIATED TANYA SINGH STUDIO TARUN TAHILIANI UNTITLED DESIGN CONSULTANTS VAISHALI KAMDAR ASSOCIATES VASTUSHILPA CONSULTANTS VIKAS DILAWARI ARCHITECTS VIKRAM GOYAL VIR.MUELLER ARCHITECTS ZZ ARCHITECTS
Narlai Mural Carpet by Raghavendra Rathore for Obeetee
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PHOTO: VIBHOR YADAV.
ELSIE NANJI | MUMBAI Coming Up: A Mumbai home with sP+a’s Sameep Padora; a maternity ward and a new building for the Breach Candy Hospital. Sourcing Haunts: Mahendra Doshi, Taherally’s and Phillips Antiques in Mumbai; Los Angeles-based contemporary design gallery, The Future Perfect. elsienanji.com IQRUP DESIGN Iqrup Dhamija | GURUGRAM Coming Up: Two Palladianstyle villas in Lutyens’ Delhi; a Hollywood Regency– style furniture collection. Collaborations: With Heirloom Naga founder Jesmina Zeliang for a cane furniture collection; Mughal era-inspired beds for a project in Mumbai by Parisian interior design firm Tino Zervudachi & Associés.
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PAVITRA RAJARAM DESIGN | MUMBAI Recent Projects: Soufflé S’il Vous Plait, a Mumbai restaurant; private residences in Hampi. Collaborations: With artisans of tholu bommalata, a shadow puppetry form from Andhra Pradesh, “merging traditional puppet-making techniques with origami for a sculptural installation—a collaboration with [Andhraite] craftsman S Chidambara Rao and [origami maker] Aditi Anuj.” SEE PAGE 72
DOMINIC DUBE INGE RIECK ARCHITECTURE STUDIO (DDIR) Dominic Dube | BENGALURU Recent Projects: Private residences in Bengaluru, Chennai and Coimbatore. Favourite Forgotten Architect: “Futurist Italian architect Antonio Sant’Elia is probably not forgotten, and yet he is not as remembered as he should be,” says Dube. Coming Up: An in-house art space called DDIR ART, which will focus on bimonthly shows of modern art, digital media and photography. ddirarchitecture.com
ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST | MARCH-APRIL 2020
FREDDY BIRDY | NEW DELHI Project in Focus: It’s the talk of the town and it is much-applauded copywriter Freddy Birdy’s latest interior project. At New Delhi’s The Kimono Club (above), 20th-century chandeliers share space with vintage wallpapers and bell lamps, with Birdy drawing on a range of inspirations, from vintage Parisian dance clubs like Castel’s and Regine’s, to their modern counterparts in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Recent Projects: Bohca, a tapas bar in New Delhi; residences in Mumbai and New Delhi. freddybirdy.com
Experience Centre: 122, DLF Grand Mall, M.G. Road, Gurgaon, Haryana â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 122002 info@coasttocoast.in / office@coasttocoast.in +91-11-47079901-08 / 9873599000 www.coasttocoast.in
PHOTO: SULEIMAN MERCHANT.
SHROFFLEÓN Kayzad Shroff, Maria Isabel Jimenez León | MUMBAI Project in Focus: The architects transformed this existing apartment (right) into a two-bedroom home for a young entrepreneur, imbuing the space with a playful vibe where an elegant material palette merged with curious innovations, like a wallpaper embedded with LED lights. Recent Projects: Private residences in Mumbai and Lonavala. Coming Up: Bungalows in Karjat and Lonavala; a factory in Vadodara. shroffleon.com
LAB Shonan Purie Trehan | NEW DELHI Recent Projects: Tarini JindalHanda and Vikram Handa’s home in Hampi; stores for Anita Dongre in Kolkata, Mumbai and Chandigarh. Sourcing Haunts: Flea markets in Sri Lanka; Jew Town in Kochi; Chor Bazaar in Mumbai; Amar Colony in New Delhi. labwerk.in
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FAQUIH AND ASSOCIATES Kaif and Bahaar Faquih | MUMBAI Craft Initiatives: “For a largescale fused-glass installation in a cafe, we collaborated with Mumbai-based Abdullah Khandwani Studio, specialists in bespoke baked, fused glassworks,” says Kaif. Favourite Forgotten Designers: Spanish designer Rafael Guastavino and Eladio Dieste from Uruguay, whose works included industrial and agrarian structures, public infrastructure and small churches in his home country. faquihandassociates.net
ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST | MARCH-APRIL 2020
CLAY ARCHITECTURE & INTERIORS Ahsan Ansari | MUMBAI Recent Projects: Homes in London and Mumbai; film production offices for Siddharth Roy Kapur and Rajkumar Hirani in Mumbai. Collaborations: With Baaya Designs for a set of three table lamps made using a Mughalera copper-enamelling craft. clay.net.in
AYUSH KASLIWAL DESIGN | JAIPUR Recent Projects: The design of the India Pavilion at Ambiente 2019—a trade fair in Frankfurt— was inspired by old Indian markets; RRAP Music Museum and Hub in Jaipur. Craft Initiatives: A range of stationery in collaboration with bidriware artisans from Bidar; serveware made with Longpi pottery. akfdstudio.com
PHOTO: GAJENDRA MANDREKAR.
SEZA Seema Puri Mullan, Zarir Mullan | MUMBAI Recent Projects: Homes in New Delhi, Mathura and Mumbai. Sustainability in Action: “At a vocational training centre in Aurangabad, we used local materials, ensured the waste is managed onsite, and recycled all windows and doors,” says Seema. seza.in ROOSHAD SHROFF | MUMBAI Recent Projects: Retail stores for fashion label Bhaane in Bengaluru, and for fashion designer Kunal Rawal in Hyderabad and New Delhi; a ‘museum on wheels’ for CSMVS, Mumbai. Collaborations: Shroff collaborated with 12 designers, architects and artists to create designs for marble inlay plates. rooshadshroff.com
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KUNAL MANIAR & ASSOCIATES | MUMBAI Garden in Focus: In the hands of one of India’s leading landscape architects, an untamed tropical garden sprouts around this residence in Alibag and wraps around the house (above). From the frangipani trees leaning over the pool to the gravel on the driveway that maintains the groundwater level—Maniar’s trademarks are apparent in the smallest details in this project. Sustainability in Action: “Some of the most effective changes are the smallest ones, like using jute bags to grow saplings instead of plastic ones.” Coming Up: “We are working with farmers from the interiors of Maharashtra to grow plants with medicinal value, and indigenous species that have been lost and forgotten in a bid to use hybrid and genetically modified trees.” kunalmaniarassociates.com
ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST | MARCH-APRIL 2020
DESIGN CONSULTANTS Taera Chowna | MUMBAI Recent Projects: Landscaping at a restored Jaipur haveli, and an upcoming spa in the Himalayas. Sustainability Icon: Eco-warrior Jadav Payeng, who “planted and cared for trees encompassing 1,360 acres along the Brahmaputra river, creating an ecosystem where there was none”. SERIE ARCHITECTS Kapil Gupta, Christopher Lee | MUMBAI Recent Projects: Qualia, a 100-seater restaurant in Mumbai; a 650-unit net-zero township near Nashik; a residential complex in Kuala Lumpur. Sustainability in Action: “We are exploring the use of CLT (cross-laminated timber) in our projects; if sourced sustainably, timber remains the only carbonnegative building material,” says Gupta. serie.co.uk
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PHOTO: AYUSH GUPTA.
TARUN TAHILIANI | NEW DELHI Coming Up: A 20,000-squarefoot family estate in New Delhi. Collaborations: With Viya Home for brass repoussé panels; with Jaipur-based Frozen Music for mother-ofpearl wall panels and a blownglass dining table. Sourcing Haunts: “Ancestry, an antique store in Mumbai; Schiraaz M Tanksalwalla’s warehouse in Kolkata; Aqeel Khan in Mapusa, Goa.” taruntahiliani.com MARIE-ANNE OUDEJANS | JAIPUR Recent Projects: A hotel in the Kasauli mountains; interiors of design consultant Filipa De Abreu’s Lisbon home; the terrace floor in Natasha Poonawalla’s Mumbai bungalow. Collaborations: With Frozen Music for a range of marble furniture. Coming Up: In Italy, a store in Capri and a bar in Positano; in Lisbon, a new “secret project”.
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ECRU Nur Kaoukji, Noor Al Sabah | JAIPUR Coming Up: A retail space for a lifestyle brand in Jaipur. Sustainability in Action: “We’re trying to switch to natural pigment dyeing, which is challenging because of the restrictions of the colour,” says Kaoukji. Craft Initiatives: Worked with artisans on glass, ceramic and brass works. ecruonline.com SABYASACHI MUKHERJEE | KOLKATA Recent Project: In 2019, Mukherjee unveiled his new flagship jewellery store in Mumbai, featuring handpicked antiquities and curios. Collaboration: With Thomas Goode & Co on a trousseau collection hand-rendered by 43 artists from the Sabyasachi Art Foundation. sabyasachi.com
ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST | MARCH-APRIL 2020
ADIL AHMAD | NEW DELHI Project in Focus: For the restoration of Aiwan-e-Ahmad (above)—the 40,000-square-foot ancestral manor house in Lucknow built in the 1950s by his great-grandfather Iqbal Ahmad—the designer drew impressions from his Awadhi lineage and the romanticism of the Indo-Saracenic period. Antique boiserie and marble fireplaces meet hand-painted decor in this home where each room leads to more rooms, and new treasures and interior landscapes are revealed with each turn. Recent Projects: A private residence and a boutique hotel in Jaipur. Favourite Forgotten Designer: Nancy Lancaster, a 20th-century interior designer famed for creating the English country-house look. thepalacecollection.in
PHOTO COURTESY OF MANCINI ENTERPRISES.
MANCINI ENTERPRISES Bharath Ram K, JT Arima, Niels Schoenfelder | CHENNAI Recent Projects: Interiors for Common House (right), a clubhouse at the Svasa Homes towers in Bengaluru; a private estate in upstate New York; and interiors for a penthouse overlooking the Bay of Bengal. Collaborations: With Jean-François Lesage and his team at Vastrakala for a range of embroidered, appliquéd and hand-painted products. Favourite Forgotten Designers: “Maybe not forgotten, but the underappreciated works of Finnish-American architect Eliel Saarinen, and architects Gunnar Asplund from Sweden and Peter Behrens from Germany,” says Schoenfelder. mancini-design.com
MICD ASSOCIATES Channa Daswatte, Murad Ismail | SRI LANKA Recent Projects: A private residence for industrialist Jay Mehta in Mumbai; ongoing work for a museum in Gujarat and a hotel in Sikkim. Favourite Iconic Designers: American architect Frank Llyod Wright “for the similar approach he had to Geoffrey Bawa’s, characterized by a search for new experiences, forms and use for new materials in architecture,” says Daswatte. micda.com
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ISLA MARIA ‘LOULOU’ VAN DAMME | KODAIKANAL/ MUMBAI Recent Projects: Interior design for Raw Mango’s store in New Delhi and Mateus Boutique Hotel in Panjim, Goa. Coming Up: Serendipity, a 10-room guest house, and three residences, all in Kodaikanal; a Raw Mango store in Hyderabad; a restaurant in Mumbai.
ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST | MARCH-APRIL 2020
SITE PRACTICE Anne Geenen, David Schmidt | MUMBAI Recent Projects: A home in Bali; in Mumbai, interiors for a home and the renovation of a girls’ shelter. Favourite Forgotten Designers: Sri Lankan architect Minnette de Silva. Sourcing Haunts: Retrouvius in London; Maniera in Brussels. sitepractice.com
ANAGRAM ARCHITECTS Madhav Raman, Vaibhav Dimri | NEW DELHI Recent Projects: An onsite office for AAVAAS, an affordable housing project in Chennai. Sustainability in Action: “‘Dismantability’ of architecture is an important idea to explore for our practice, especially in current times,” says Raman. anagramarchitects.com
PHOTO: KARAN GAJJAR/SPACE TRACING COMPANY.
NOZER WADIA ASSOCIATES | MUMBAI Recent Projects: Private residences in Alibag, Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai. Craft Initiatives: Giving a new lease of life to found materials, Wadia collaborated with Mumbai-based artisans to create intricate chandeliers made of reclaimed timber. STUDIO MUMBAI Bijoy Jain | MUMBAI Coming Up: Now working between his studios in Mumbai and Italy, Jain is currently conceptualizing an apartment in Mumbai, for which all materials have been sourced from the same site. Also coming up is a small hotel in the south of France, and a furniture collection to be showcased at the Maniera gallery in Brussels. studiomumbai.com RMA ARCHITECTS Rahul Mehrotra, Robert Stephens, Nondita Correa Mehrotra, Payal Patel, Romil Sheth | MUMBAI Recent Project: School of Arts and Sciences, Ahmedabad University. Highlight: Mehrotra is set to launch a book, Working in Mumbai, slated for release this year, to celebrate the firm’s 30th anniversary. rmaarchitects.com
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MATHAROO ASSOCIATES Gurjit Singh Matharoo | AHMEDABAD Recent Projects: A private residence in Ahmedabad; a 35-acre lakefront township in Hyderabad; a homestay on the edge of the Ranthambore National Park. Collaboration: An optical-illusion-cuminstallation created in collaboration with artist Karl Antao that re-imagined the humble chair, for ‘10 Chair’, an exhibition by Gallery Espace. matharooassociates.com
ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST | MARCH-APRIL 2020
VASTUSHILPA CONSULTANTS BV Doshi, Rajeev Kathpalia, Sönke Hoof, Khushnu Panthaki Hoof, Radhika Doshi Kathpalia | AHMEDABAD Project in Focus: In Ahmedabad’s KĀ House (above), private spaces are tucked into clusters of red-brick blocks, and then pushed apart to accommodate the public areas spread over levels. Craft Initiatives: “The walls of KĀ House were finished with a local variant of Venetian plaster, made by replacing marble dust with that of bricks,” says Sönke. “In the technique developed with local masons onsite, we made the plaster that gives the house its red colour.” sangath.org
PHOTOS: DEEPAK AGGARWAL/COURTESY OF K2INDIA. (BELOW) COURTESY OF VIYA HOME.
K2INDIA Sunita and Kohelika Kohli | NEW DELHI Project in Focus: This sprawling 5,000-square-foot apartment (left), in Gurugram’s Ambience Caitriona towers, effortlessly showcases Peruvian paintings and pottery, antique English silver, contemporary hemp carpets and bronze vessels from south India, Himachal Pradesh and Tibet. The space is a melting pot of diverse art and artefacts carefully curated by Kohelika. Craft Initiatives: “Over the last couple of years, we have collaborated with stone carvers from Odisha and Mahabalipuram, pietra dura artisans from Agra, glassblowers from Firozabad, metalwork artists from Bastar and Gond painters from Bhopal,” says Kohelika. k2india.com
PRISM Vinita Chaitanya | BENGALURU Favourite Iconic Designer: “Photographer and interior designer Alberto Pinto, whose work is deeply inspirational for me.” Collaborations: With Rajasthani karigars for floor inlays; with Viya Home for brass and semi-precious works; with Trunks Company Jaipur on leather work. vinitachaitanya.com REFLECTIONS Kavita Singh | MUMBAI Recent Projects: An Amrapali store at The Taj Mahal Palace hotel and a private residence in Mumbai. Craft Initiatives: Collaborated with Jaipur craftsmen on intricate thikri glass work at the Amrapali store, referencing the brand’s Rajasthani heritage. kavitasinghinteriors.com
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VIKRAM GOYAL | NEW DELHI Recent Projects: A Beaux Arts-inspired mansion in New York City. Project in Focus: These panels (below right)—inspired by chinoiserie, Mughal art and botanical prints—have been created using the repoussage technique, a metalworking practice where low-relief panels are created by hammering thin brass sheets onto pre-designed forms. Coming Up: Architecture and interiors for a house in the Himalayas; interiors for a Chennai residence by Sandeep Khosla. viyahome.com
ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST | MARCH-APRIL 2020
PINAKIN DESIGN Mohak Mehta, Pallavi Choksi | MUMBAI Profile: Mohak Mehta and Pallavi Choksi continue to advocate Pinakin’s brand of refined minimalism, using site and context to create memorable design. Recent Projects: Homes in Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad. pinakin.in
PHOTOS: PRAVEEN MOHANDAS.
VIKAS DILAWARI ARCHITECTS | MUMBAI Recent Projects: Repairs to the Commissariat Building; restoring the century-old Ma Hajiani Dargah, both in Mumbai; for the latter, Dilawari collaborated with masons specializing in china mosaic work and limestone carving. Coming Up: Restoration of the CSMVS, Mumbai. vikasdilawari.in
LIJO.RENY.ARCHITECTS Lijo Jos, Reny Lijo | THRISSUR Project in Focus: The architects connected two separate parallel bays to lay the foundational groundwork for the House within the Grid (above). Two large courtyards between the parallel bays let seasonal winds fluidly course through the spaces. Sustainability in Action: “In a private residence in Kerala, we designed floating roofs that would collect rainwater, and drain it into a collection chamber,” says Jos. lijoreny.wordpress.com
STAPATI Tony Joseph, Anupama, George Seemon, Mohandas P, Devarajan M, Rajesh KA | KOZHIKODE Project in Focus: Every room, courtyard and water court in this Kozhikode house (below left) leverages the panoramic view of the rolling hills that surround the property. The nature that abounds outdoors spills inside too—with lilies swaying in the water court and shrubs sprouting around the open sitout area—creating amorphous boundaries between the outside and the inside. Favourite Forgotten Designers: Perumthatchan of Kerala—the original master carpenters. Sourcing Haunts: Antiquities and furniture from Crafters, in Mattancherry, Cochin. stapati.com
TALATI & PANTHAKY ASSOCIATED Noshir D Talati, Nozer R Panthaky, Naushir Devitre, Phiroze J Panthaki, Sharookh Mehta, Zahir R Cassum, Xerxes N Talati, Ria Talati | MUMBAI Recent Projects: Renovation of Bombay Hospital & Medical Research Centre; INOX Cinemas at Bandra Kurla Complex; and Shandilya Terraces, a residential tower, all in Mumbai. tparch.net
ABHA NARAIN LAMBAH ASSOCIATES | MUMBAI Recent Projects: The interiors of Lambah’s apartment in Mumbai; Balasaheb Thackeray National Memorial and Municipal Commissioner’s Bungalow, both in Mumbai. Sustainability in Action: “Recycling buildings is as important as recycling water, paper and energy: a reason why we’ve been committed to conserving the rich built heritage of India. We believe that the greenest building is the one that already exists.” anlassociates.com
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PHOTOS: ISHITA SITWALA/THE FISHY PROJECT; (BELOW) JEETIN SHARMA.
STUDIO HINGE Pravir Sethi | MUMBAI Project in Focus: The design language of this 4,700-square-foot apartment (left) in Pune is in keeping with the oeuvre that defines this six-year-old multidisciplinary firm’s projects— embedded firmly in its contemporary contextual framework and leading towards the cutting edge. Pod-like vestibules flank the entrances to the different areas of the house—the arcs cloaking views of the private spaces. Recent Projects: A yoga studio and a library at the Cricket Club of India, Mumbai; a 100-room hotel in Calangute, Goa; private residences in Pune and Mumbai. Coming Up: A farmhouse in Kalyan, Maharashtra; interiors for a 9,000-square-foot bungalow in Pune. studiohinge.in SEE PAGE 134
DESIGN BY DARSHINI SHAH | MUMBAI Recent Projects: Director Imtiaz Ali’s Mumbai home; actor Kartik Aaryan’s bachelor pad, styled in collaboration with Anaita Shroff Adajania. Craft Initiatives: “I recently commissioned a temple made of beaten silver and miniature paintings by artists from Jaipur for various projects.” darshinishah us RAVI VAZIRANI | Mumbai Recent Projects: Homes in New Delhi, Pune, Mumbai and Goa; a flagship store for Jaipur Rugs and Pali Village Cafe—both in Mumbai. Coming Up: Stores for designer Arpita Mehta and lifestyle brand Himêya; private residences in Hyderabad and Mumbai. Collaborations: With designer Kunal Merchant for a shou sugi ban console. ravivazirani.com
ARCHITECTURE DISCIPLINE Akshat Bhatt | NEW DELHI Project in Focus: This small firm has made a big impression with projects that express regional context and sustainability through thoughtful architecture, as seen in the Common Room (right). This coconut-woodpanelled co-working space remapped the footprint of an old warehouse in New Delhi’s Dhan Mill Compound. Coming Up: A farmhouse in Himachal Pradesh; a showroom for label Jakob Schlaepfer. architecturediscipline.com
ABM ARCHITECTS Alfaz Miller | MUMBAI Coming Up: A bungalow in Odisha; a home in New Delhi. Sustainability in Action: “We’re increasingly focusing on using natural light and ventilation—sunshades and louvres to direct light, and under-deck insulation to manage heat inflow.” abmarchitects.com
PHOTOS: IRA GOSALIA/PHOTOGRAPHIX. (BELOW) SULEIMAN MERCHANT.
MALIK ARCHITECTURE Kamal and Arjun Malik, Ketan Chaudhary | MUMBAI Coming Up: A preschool in Hyderabad; headquarters of the Mathrubhumi newspaper in Kochi; resorts in Lonavala and Paro, Bhutan. Craft Initiatives: “We collaborated with artisans in Bhutan adept at working with rammed earth to create a local resort and a residence,” says Arjun. malikarchitecture.com
ARCHITECTURE BRIO Shefali Balwani, Robert Verrijt | MUMBAI Project in Focus: A fiddle-leaf fig tree rising from the centre of the double-height courtyard (above) anchors this Mumbai residence for a multigenerational family. The green canopy that sprouts from the central courtyard envelops the entire property, ensuring a seamless blend with nature. Sustainability in Action: “We’re committed to designing climate-resilient, [self-sustaining] homes that produce 20 times more energy than they consume and can adapt to changing climates a decade or two from now,” says Balwani. Coming Up: A yoga and health retreat in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh; homes in Goa. architecturebrio.com
SPASM DESIGN Sanjeev Panjabi, Sangeeta Merchant | MUMBAI Collaborations: With Gujarat-based Hunnarshala Foundation to create rammed-earth walls for a farmhouse in Hyderabad. Coming Up: Sanskriti Vihara, a centre for religious learning in Mumbai; a private residence in Ahmedabad. spasmindia.com
STUDIO ORGANON Saurabh Dakshini | NEW DELHI Recent Projects: The Roseate Ganges hotel, Rishikesh; retail store VegNonVeg, New Delhi. Sustainability in Action: “If possible, we use existing structures and build only as needed. Brussels-based architecture practice Rotor never ceases to inspire.” studioorganon.org
NOTE-D Smita Khanna, Hemant Purohit | MUMBAI Project in Focus: In this 2,800-square-foot Mumbai apartment (above), Khanna and Purohit softened the sharp angular nooks and recesses with custom woodwork, wall panels and cabinets. Warm, polished wood and brown marble define the base material palette, while various furniture elements double as accents. Favourite Iconic Architects: Swiss architect Aurelio Galfetti and French architect and designer Jean Prouvé. note-d.in
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IRAM SULTAN DESIGN STUDIO | NEW DELHI Project in Focus: For this office (below) of a pharmaceutical company, Sultan rounded the corners of the space, drawing inspiration from the shape of a capsule. The receding arches that flank the long corridors underscore the curvilinear trend that runs through the project. Collaborations: With Loco Design, Rooshad Shroff and DeMuro Das on furniture collections; a site-specific blown-glass installation created in collaboration with Klove Studio; a set of handcrafted hemp rugs designed for high-end carpet brand HummingHaus. Favourite Iconic Designer: French architect and designer Charlotte Perriand and her functional spaces that pioneered the idea of modernity. iramsultan.com
BANDUKSMITHSTUDIO Melissa Smith, Sachin Bandukwala | AHMEDABAD Recent Projects: A lake redevelopment project in Ahmedabad, pocket parks, urban islands and a civic centre facelift in Mandvi, Kutch. Philosophy: “We’re committed to finding different ways to improve the public spaces in our cities,” says Smith. banduksmithstudio.in
NETERWALA AND AIBARA INTERIOR ARCHITECTS Phirosa Neterwala, Sunu Aibara | MUMBAI Recent Projects: Private residences in Surat, Kolkata, Jaipur, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Craft Initiatives: “We have collaborated with craftsmen from Rajasthan and Maharashtra for metal installations, custom floor and wall surfaces, handcrafted stonework, and cane and jute detailing,” says Aibara. neterwalaaibara.com
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ORPROJECT Rajat Sodhi (New Delhi), Francesco Brenta (London), Christoph Klemmt (Beijing) | NEW DELHI/LONDON/ CINCINNATI/BEIJING Project in Focus: Working with Alina Vadera of Ava Studio, Orproject created six sculptural partitions for fashion designer Amit Aggarwal’s New Delhi flagship (right). The undulating forms fluidly define private and public spaces in the store. Coming Up: Retail stores for Kama Ayurveda across the country. orproject.com
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PHOTOS: AVESH GAUR; (ABOVE) ISHITA SITWALA/THE FISHY PROJECT.
SIMONE DUBASH PANDOLE | MUMBAI Recent Projects: Dharmatic, an office for Netflix India; a music and art wing in the BD Somani International School; and private residences— all in Mumbai. Sourcing Haunts: Heeramaneck & Sons, Ancestry and Essajees in Mumbai for antiquities and light fixtures.
PHOTOS: FABIEN CHARUAU; (BELOW) SAMEER CHAWDA.
RAJIV SAINI + ASSOCIATES | MUMBAI Project in Focus: This private residence (left) in Indore is split over two levels, and flanked by outdoor decks and pavilions that interlink each area of the house. Each detail in the home—such as its diverse material palette, solid wood furniture and staggering art— hints at Saini’s signature aesthetic. Coming Up: A residence in Delhi in collaboration with Verendra Wakhloo of Matra Architects and Rurban Planners; interiors for two homes in Chennai designed by Rahul Mehrotra of RMA Architects. rajivsaini.com
SP+A Sameep Padora, Vami Koticha, Aparna Dhareshwar | MUMBAI Recent Projects: Kasu Vana villas in Assagao, Goa; a temple in Andhra Pradesh built entirely out of local limestone; Eau Bar at The Oberoi, Mumbai. Craft Initiatives: The firm worked closely with artisans in Madhya Pradesh to create woven bamboo screens and custom stonework for a forest lodge near Kanha Tiger Reserve. sp-arch.net
ARCHITECT HAFEEZ CONTRACTOR | MUMBAI Recent Projects: Largescale residential projects in Gurugram, Noida, Mumbai and Kolkata. Sustainability in Action: “In our dedication to zero-waste architecture, we’re always on the lookout for new-age, inventive materials that are going to be key in the future.” hafeezcontractor.com ANNKUR KHOSLA DESIGN STUDIO | MUMBAI Recent Projects: Mumbai home of restaurateur Camellia Panjabi; Screen House, a private residence in Bengaluru. Craft Initiatives: Custom glassworks for Khosla’s project, created in collaboration with glass artist Abdullah Khandwani. annkurkhosla.com NUDES Nuru Karim | MUMBAI Project in Focus: The BookWorm pavilion (left) at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) in Mumbai was imagined as an interactive learning space. Crafted with recycled plywood, the pavilion ‘worms’ through the landscape along a meandering pathway, teaching a lesson or two about sustainable building methods for public spaces. Coming Up: A lakefront villa in Hyderabad; a mosque in Mumbai; an artist’s home in Rajasthan. nudeoffices.com
PHOTOS: ASHISH SAHI. (BELOW) SUBIN SELVA.
CASA PARADOX Raseel Gujral Ansal | NEW DELHI Recent Projects: It’s been a busy year for Delhi-based interior designer Raseel Gujral Ansal. After wrapping up a private residence in Hyderabad and an apartment in London, she completed a New Delhi house for Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur. casaparadox.com RED ARCHITECTS Rajiv and Ekta Parekh, Apoorva Shroff, Maithili Raut | MUMBAI Sustainability in Action: “When we work on a project that has an existing structure, we try to repurpose it to fit the new programme; build up from the roots rather than hack down from the top.” Coming Up: A home for street children in Mumbai; a development in Myanmar; a wellness retreat in Goa with Gauri Khan. Collaborations: A boutique hotel in Imphal, also created in collaboration with Khan. redarchitects.in
ZZ ARCHITECTS Zubin Zainuddin, Krupa Zubin | MUMBAI Project in Focus: This duplex (above) in Mumbai doesn’t shy away from a bit of theatre. The dramatic space drips with sculptural art and showstopping pieces of furniture, hinting at the firm’s quintessential style. Case in point: The striking ‘O’ rocking chair by Marcel Wanders for Moooi. Coming Up: A penthouse in Kolkata overlooking the Victoria Memorial; a wellness retreat spread across 50 acres in Panshet, Maharashtra; a 12-storey private home in Mumbai. zzarchitects.net
GAURI KHAN DESIGNS | MUMBAI Profile: “We strive to inculcate innovation in all our work, which isn’t just restricted to designing spaces.” Project in Focus: Khan turned a crimson door in this Mumbai residence (left) into a bookshelf, to create a secret space. gaurikhan.in
STUDIO POMEGRANATE Shweta Chhatpar, Pranav Naik | MUMBAI Recent Projects: A resort in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands; homes in Goa. Sustainability in Action: “When thinking about sustainable design, Frank Lloyd Wright’s ideas of organic architecture always inspire,” says Chhatpar. spom.in
ROMI KHOSLA DESIGN STUDIO Martand Khosla | NEW DELHI Recent Projects: A research institute in rural Maharashtra; homes in Indore and New Delhi. Sustainability in Action: “We have been working with mud bricks for over two decades; they provide a balance between sustainability, strength and insulation,” says Martand. rk-ds.com
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF SJK ARCHITECTS. (ABOVE) HEMANT PATIL.
SANJAY PURI ARCHITECTS | MUMBAI Recent Projects: A wine resort in Nashik; schools in Rajasthan and Raipur, Chhattisgarh; townships and homes in Mumbai and Bengaluru. Favourite Forgotten Architects: American architect Paul Rudolph and German expressionist architect Eric Mendelsohn. sanjaypuriarchitects.com
_OPOLIS Sonal Sancheti, Rahul Gore | MUMBAI Project in Focus: The camouflaged green roof of a garage shrouds the entrance to this house (above) in Panshet. The natural stone palette, landscaped terraces and light courts pull the outdoors into the space, placing the house right back into the terrain from which it was sculpted. Coming Up: A farmhouse by a lake in Dhasai, Maharashtra; an apartment in Bandra, Mumbai; a villa in Ahmedabad. opolis.in
SJK ARCHITECTS Shimul Javeri Kadri | MUMBAI Project in Focus: Set in an eight-acre mango orchard, the visual grammar of this upcoming weekend home in Alibag, seen in this maquette (left), is defined by deep overhangs, jharokhas, terraces and courtyards. Coming Up: A Jain museum in Koba, Gujarat; a bungalow in Nagpur. sjkarchitect.com
MORPHOGENESIS Sonali and Manit Rastogi | NEW DELHI Coming Up: A new outpost for DAG in Chanakyapuri; a facility for Forest Essentials in Rishikesh. Philosophy: “We push the boundaries of architecture and environmental design, deploying strategies by responding to local ecology, and are mindful that each project remains economically viable,” says Sonali. morphogenesis.org
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PHOT0S: ANDRE J FANTHOME. (BELOW) FABIEN CHARUAU.
VIR.MUELLER ARCHITECTS Christine Mueller, Pankaj Vir Gupta | NEW DELHI Recent Projects: The Hamam Sarai Museum, Hyderabad; the Humayun’s Tomb Site Museum, New Delhi. Sustainability in Action: “We are leading the Yamuna River Project at the University of Virginia, assessing the synergy between urbanity and ecology,” says Gupta. virmueller.com SUSSANNE KHAN | MUMBAI Coming Up: “This June marks a milestone in my career with the launch of my concept store in Brera, Milan; it’s a space dedicated to bathware, kitchenware, furniture and accessories.” Recent Projects: A collection of furniture for Chelini; the interiors of a farmhouse in Pune, and Trapeze, an upcoming restaurant in Kolkata. thecharcoalproject.com
STUDIO LOTUS Sidhartha Talwar, Ambrish Arora, Ankur Choksi NEW DELHI Project in Focus: Krushi Bhawan (above), created for the Odisha government’s Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment, draws its visual identity from regional materials. Inspired by local crafts of ikat, dokra (cast-metal craft) and pattachitra (cloth-based scroll paintings), the space leverages architecture to express the life and work of local farmers. Recent Projects: Stores for labels Ekaya Banaras and Paro. studiolotus.in
KHOSLA ASSOCIATES Sandeep Khosla, Amaresh Anand | BENGALURU Project in Focus: The entrance of this house (below left) is covered by a lofty pergola that doubles as a shade from the strong Coimbatore sun. The striking material palette is defined by Kota stone floors, timber-clad ceilings and polished cement surfaces. Craft Initiatives: “Along with our masons, we are reviving the age-old craft of developing cement oxides, especially the red, green and yellow ones,” says Khosla. khoslaassociates.com MATRA ARCHITECTS AND RURBAN PLANNERS Verendra Wakhloo | NEW DELHI Recent Projects: A museum in a house in Rishikesh; private residences in Udaipur, Nainital and New Delhi. Inspiration: “The works and writings of British-American architect and design theorist Christopher Alexander.” matra.co.in
PHOTO COURTESY OF CASE DESIGN.
ABHIMANYU DALAL ARCHITECTS | NEW DELHI Recent Projects: Ajmer’s Mayo College; The Lawrence School in Sanawar, Himachal Pradesh; the restoration of the Ajmer Dargah complex. Favourite Forgotten Designers: “Piloo Mody for his futuristic architectural forms, and Leela Shiveshwarkar for her creative ideas of tradition and modernity in interiors.” STUDIO II Mitul Desai, Priyank Parmar | SURAT Coming Up: This young studio based in Surat is working on a school in Hyderabad, and a studio and retail space for designer Priyanka Shah’s furniture and home decor brand SHED. Collaborations: With master carpenter Sohanlal Mistry for woodwork used in private residences. studioii.org
CASE DESIGN Samuel Barclay | MUMBAI Project in Focus: Two separate apartments were combined to create this duplex (above) on Mumbai’s Marine Drive. Carefully crafted in collaboration with local artisans, the space has a combination of styles and architectural elements that merges with the language of the art deco building and yet is tailored for the modern family. Coming Up: The London office for Business of Fashion; a sports academy in Goa, and a farmhouse in Kamshet, Maharashtra. casedesign.in SEE PAGE 60
MATHEW AND GHOSH ARCHITECTS Nisha Mathew, Soumitro Ghosh | BENGALURU Coming Up: A home for photographer Pallon Daruwala near Nandi Hills in Karnataka; the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru. Sustainability in Action: “Apart from rainwater harvesting and reduced energy usage, we are looking deeper into material, structural systems, and the idea of lightness,” says Ghosh. mathewghosh.com
INI CHATTERJI & ASSOCIATES | GOA Coming Up: A 40-room resort in Hampi, Karnataka; homes in Goa. Sustainability in Action: “I’m interested in heavy timber construction, which essentially entails using quite large chunks of wood. Our low-tech approach to construction aims to reduce the carbon footprint of our projects.”
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COLLECTIVE PROJECT Eliza Higgins, Cyrus Patell | BENGALURU Profile: Founded in 2013, this young studio’s investigations occur on multiple scales— from furniture and interiors to residential and institutional buildings. Recent Projects: A school for the children of workers at a cement factory in Andhra Pradesh; homes in Bengaluru and Hyderabad; interior design for a home in Mumbai. Favourite Iconic Architects: Spanish architect Carme Pinós and Norwegian architect Sverre Fehn. collective-project.com
PHOTO: SURYAN//DANG.
STUDIO HBA Rahul Shankhwalker | NEW DELHI Coming Up: A private island resort in Maldives; a resort in the Himalayas; homes in Mumbai, Singapore, Vietnam and Bali. Sourcing Haunts: “I am a big fan of junkyards; we locate a junkyard in the area where we’re working, find objects and have our onsite carpenters transform them.” studiohba.com
ABIN DESIGN STUDIO Abin Chaudhuri | KOLKATA Project in Focus: Chaudhari raised the boundary wall of this house (below) in Kolkata to create a shell that guards private spaces, while letting light seep in through large openings cut into out of the facade. Inside, spacious courtyards, decks and terraces allow a seamless flow of seasonal winds. Recent Projects: A new campus for Presidency University, Victoria Memorial Hall Museum, and the 6 Ballygunge Place restaurant—all in Kolkata. Collaborations: With Kolkata-based ceramic artist Partha Dasgupta for interiors of upcoming residential projects. abindesignstudio.com UNTITLED DESIGN CONSULTANTS Amrita Guha, Joya Nandurdikar | NEW DELHI Recent Projects: The interiors of three homes by Abhimanyu Dalal; a lounge bar in Gurugram with an Alex Davis installation. Craft Initiatives: Working with sola—a spongy white material made from reeds that grow in West Bengal marshes—along with local artist Shomir Shah. untitleddesign.org S.P.A DESIGN Stephane Paumier, Anupam Bansal, Krishnachandran Balakrishnan | NEW DELHI Signature: The firm’s buildings are recognizable by their typology and use of light. Words of Wisdom: “Buildings respond to contexts and climates. I don’t think architects should be identified by a specific style,” says Paumier. spadesign.co.in
PHOTOS: HARSHAN THOMSON; (BELOW) NIVEDITAA GUPTA.
CALM STUDIO Harshan Thomson, Meenakshi Srinivasan, Dharmaraj Subramaniam | CHENNAI Profile: Calm Studioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design practice incorporates not just architectural design, interior, landscape and master planning, but also extends to lighting and furniture. Project in Focus: Every room in this glasswalled house (above), perched on a hill in Kodaikanal, opens up to a view of the valley. The entrance lounge, living and dining spaces, along with the open kitchen and pavilion, wrap around the central courtyard that mirrors the lush nature surrounding the home. Collaborations: With Frozen Music for a range of stone tables, consoles and panels. calmstudio.com
SAMIRA RATHOD DESIGN ATELIER | MUMBAI Project in Focus: The warmth of the custom woodwork is offset by the coolness of the white cement on the wall in this Mumbai home (left). Coming Up: A school for children with special needs in Bharuch, Gujarat; a penthouse in an ancestral heritage building owned by gallerist Shireen Gandhy.
PRABHAKAR B BHAGWAT Aniket Bhagwat | AHMEDABAD Coming Up: Two homes on a 22-acre plot of land (being turned into a wetland) in Ahmedabad lying next to a deer sanctuary and intersects the flight path for migratory birds; interiors and landscape design for a private retreat in Bhopal next to a tiger reserve. landscapeindia.net/home
ABRAHAM JOHN ARCHITECTS Abraham John, Alan Abraham | MUMBAI Recent Projects: LOKAL, a 3,500-square-foot restaurant and bar in Jersey City, USA; two apartments in Mumbai; St. Stephens Steps in Bandra in Mumbai: the once-derelict narrow staircase has now transformed into an accessible and versatile public space in the locality, and doubles up as an amphitheatre. abrahamjohnarchitects.com STUDIO ARCHOHM Sourabh Gupta | NOIDA Recent Projects: Mughal Museum in Agra, designed by David Chipperfield Architects in partnership with the firm; Arthshila, the Indian Council of Cultural Relations, New Delhi; the Mithila Chitrakala Sansthan in Bihar and private residences in Agra and New Delhi. Favourite Iconic Designers: Irish architect and furniture designer Eileen Gray and German artist, photographer and designer Marianne Brandt. archohm.com
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PHOTOS: ROHAN DAYAL; (BELOW) BHARATH RAMAMRUTHAM.
ALVA ARCHITECTS Ashwin Alva | NEW DELHI Project in Focus: A two-storey home in New Delhi (right) has glazing screens on the facade that are slotted inwards to let in daylight, allowing the outdoors to make a connection with the interiors. Recent Projects: Boutique resorts in Ladakh and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands; a collaboration with herpetologist Romulus Whitaker for the redevelopment of the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust & Centre for Herpetology. Craft Initiatives: Custom fabrics in Alva’s projects were developed by block-printing karigars from Jaipur, and artisans from Nepal working with wool felt, the oldest-known textile. alva.co.in
CORMAC LYNCH | MUMBAI Sourcing Haunts: Italian textile brand Rubelli; the House of Scalamandré and Clarence House for intricate fabrics; Jean de Merry for contemporary furniture; Sherle Wagner for brassware. Favourite Forgotten Designer: “The hardly forgotten ÉmileJacques Ruhlmann, whose iconic interiors, however, have sadly disappeared over time.”
RITU NANDA DESIGN | MUMBAI Project in Focus: Created in collaboration with local firm Field Atelier, the Villa Olympia (below left) in Goa features a lofty tree rising from the centre of the garden courtyard, which was designed as the nucleus of the 7,000-square-foot home. Sourcing Haunts: Antique stores in Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Coming Up: An apartment for Anaita and Homi Adajania; private residences in Mumbai and Goa. ritunandadesign.com
VAISHALI KAMDAR ASSOCIATES | NEW DELHI Recent Projects: A farmhouse with Abhimanyu Dalal; private apartments with Arvind D’Souza Architects. Favourite Forgotten Designers: French interior and product designer Andrée Putman. Coming Up: A family home in Alibag; a residence in New Delhi; a restaurant in Kolkata. ABU JANI SANDEEP KHOSLA | MUMBAI Philosophy: “We see an interior as one’s signature upon this world, and we like ours to be extravagant, indulgent and full of soul,” says Khosla. Inspiration: The work of Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. “He is an absolute genius in the field of sustainable bamboo architecture.”
JAI DANANI | MUMBAI Recent Projects: Art collector and interior designer Jai Danani recently completed retail stores across the country for make-up label Nykaa, and private residences in Mumbai, Singapore and New Delhi. Favourite Iconic Designer: American designer Michael Taylor, famed for creating the ‘California Look’ of interior design. “He created some incredible work when collaborating with architect John Lautner,” says Danani. PHOTO: SARANG GUPTA.
ASHIESH SHAH ARCHITECT | MUMBAI Recent Projects: Sequel, a bistro in Bandra; the interiors of a lakefront private residence in Udaipur and this (below) apartment in Mumbai. Craft Initiatives: “We’re working extensively with Longpi pottery as one of our core raw materials. We’ve also tapped into the craft of Channapatna [toy-making] from Karnataka to create products—from a bar at a bistro to a stackable totem pole.” Collaborations: With Ritu Kumar “where I take up the role of design director for their newly launched home collection”, says Shah. ashieshshah.com
DEMURO DAS Brian DeMuro, Puru Das, Kanu Agrawal | GURUGRAM Craft Initiatives: “For all our projects that have customdesigned furniture and fittings, we work extensively with wood-carving, metalcasting and stonework, executed by a group of craftsmen who are an indispensable part of our core team,” says DeMuro. Favourite Forgotten Designers: American artist, writer and designer Eyre de Lanux. demurodas.com SHALINI MISRA | NEW DELHI/LONDON Profile: Shalini Misra’s designs always respond to the typology of a site, rooting a project in its surrondings, through colours, textures and materials. Recent Projects: Mishra’s home in New Delhi, designed in collaboration with Morphogenesis; an Indian restaurant and a penthouse in Los Angeles. shalinimisra.com
TANYA SINGH STUDIO | MUMBAI/MILAN Recent Projects: A sea-facing apartment for Tarini JindalHanda and Vikram Handa in Mumbai. Collaboration: With Milan-based artist-designer Jacopo Foggini, for The Pink Cloud—an installation made of 250 polycarbonate modules— for the Handas’ home. Coming Up: A Miami restaurant. tanyasingh.com
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Readers’ Travel Awards stage decor by Casa Fleur
The best in the travel and hospitality industries—as voted by you across 23 categories—were honoured at the ninth annual Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards 2019. Hosted by actor Bhumi Pednekar, the glittering celebration drew the biggest names in the field to ITC Maurya, New Delhi. The event was sponsored by Forest Essentials and Tencel, with Svami Drinks as the beverage partner. Here’s a look at the grand ceremony. For the complete list of winners, check cntraveller.in.
Turkish Embassy’s Deniz Ersoz with Sevgi Ersoz
Switzerland Tourism’s Ritu Sharma
ASSOCIATE PARTNERS
HOSPITALITY PARTNER
BEVERAGE PARTNER
CNT’s Divia Thani
Kelvin Kwan & Phee Teik Yeoh of Singapore Airlines
Excellence Award winner Aishwarya Tipnis with Hinna Devi Singh
Lenzing Group’s Avinash Mane
Lenzing Group’s Arpit Srivastava
Ramniwas Gawriya, MLA from Rajasthan’s Parbatsar
Anirudh Bharatpur & the Hilton group’s Akanksha Maheshwari
Host Bhumi Pednekar
CNT & Tencel Excellence Award winner Vivek Menon & Westland Publication’s Karthika VK
Japan Tourism’s Yusuke Yamamoto
Australian High Commission’s Geraldine Gante & Austrade’s John Madew
Rahul Mehra & Aneesh Bhasin of Svami Drinks
Taj group’s Bhavna Mehta & Ritika Gupta Neha Rawla of Forest Essentials
The Johnnie Walker bar at the venue
The Oberoi’s Jay Rathore & Sanhita Ghoshal with Abercrombie & Kent’s Vikram Madhok
Peepul PR’s Srimoyi Bhattacharya, designer Pranay Baidya & Massive Restaurants’ Dildeep Kalra
ITC’s Sushant Pathak, Anil Chaddha & Ashwin Moodliar
Seychelles High Commission’s & Thomas Selby Pillay (R) with Jean Pillay
The gift bags designed by The Entertainment Design Company with goodies from Tencel, Svami Drinks & Truefitt & Hill
Roseate group’s Ranjita Shaw, Rasna Bhasin & Encompass Experiences’ Taruna Seth MakeMyTrip’s Deep Kalra & Amrita Kalra
Godrej Indian Culture Lab’s Parmesh Shahani
The set-up by Svami Drinks
CNT & Forest Essentials Excellence Award winner Sobhita Dhulipala
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SELF-PORTRAITS It’s a project worthy of a museum show: the world’s finest photographers shooting their own homes as they see them. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and in these introspective self-portraits, we see architecture as shadows, wear and tear as comfort, and decoration as memories. Light, of course, is a major theme to these masters of the medium (hello, 5pm glow), as is how many photographers mimic their signature shots in their own interiors (trompe l’oeil wallpaper seems very popular amongst the paparazzi class). These are some of the most intimate images ever seen in AD, created by the best of the best from fashion, interiors and fine art photography. What is home? AD would like to thank all of those who contributed to this story that attempts to answer that question.
THE PHOTO DESK AFTER THE RECCE, BEFORE THE SHOOT: A GLIMPSE OF WHAT GOES ON AT THE DESK OF ADâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PHOTO EDITOR PHOTOGRAPHER SARANG GUPTA STYLIST SAMIR WADEKAR
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PRABUDDHA DASGUPTA PORTFOLIO 1 REFLECTIONS
One of the most enigmatic figures in Indian photography, the late Prabuddha Dasgupta blurred the boundaries of fashion, art, landscape and portraiture like none other. When the AD team approached Tania Das Gupta, his wife and keeper of his estate, with a brief of “just magic”, it took her a few weeks in the archive—and some persistent persuasion on the part of AD—and she brought out for us never-seen-before self-portraits, except two previously published images. “Prabuddha was at home everywhere. From a New York loft to a cold desert in Ladakh to his home in Goa or Delhi, he had a way of making spaces intimate, personal,” she says. AD’s photo-themed issue would be incomplete without these vignettes of self-reflection. ALL PHOTOS COURTESY © THE ESTATE OF PRABUDDHA DASGUPTA
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ROHIT CHAWLA PORTFOLIO 2 MID-CAREER RETROSPECTIVE
As a portraitist, and having shot over 350 covers for mainstream magazines, Rohit Chawla’s work includes deeply telling images of some of the most powerful individuals from the world of literature, film, sport, business and politics. Consider the Dalai Lama alongside Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Robert De Niro with Salman Rushdie, Priyanka Chopra with Ai Weiwei. Not surprisingly, most amongst them are now ardent collectors of Rohit’s work. His practice has, in many regards, been ahead of its time. The iconic ‘Tribute to Rohit Khosla’ shot in 1994 resulted in a limited body of evocative, compelling visuals. Some of his popular series that are currently on display include ‘Wearable Art’; the ‘Ode to the Masters’ featuring Raja Ravi Varma, Gustav Klimt, Frida Kahlo and an exceptional school of miniatures; the ‘Black on Black’ portraits; ‘Picture-in-Picture’; and ‘Dreamscapes’ amongst others. His remarkable eye has resulted in iconic imagery that straddles fashion, travel and culture, and graces the casas and chateaus of some of the most celebrated collectors in the world. Rohit Chawla’s mid-career retrospective will be on at the Centre for Contemporary Arts, Bikaner House, New Delhi from 26 March to 6 April. The exhibition will travel to London and Mumbai. The photographer is represented by Artery India.
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Previous page: Atal Bihari Vajpayee, 1999. My first formal political portrait. I remember scrounging around 6, Race Course Road for that elusive photogenic chair that I wanted for the shoot and then cajoling his two pet dogs to be suitably wellbehaved for prime ministerial portraits. A gentle, black-haired Suhel Seth played second fiddle for once in the background. Above: Astad Deboo, 2010. The tireless and consummate performer effortlessly brought his magical fluidity of form and dance to my continuing ‘Out of the Box’ series. I am constantly mesmerized by his energy on stage. Below: Robert De Niro, 2013. He wanted to do the quintessential “you talkin’ to me” kind of portrait, so we talked, and after a magical photoshoot, the Irishman and I went for a small spin in my Mini convertible, the wind in our hair.
Naseerudin Shah, 2013. Shot for a weekly news magazine, we created a fibreglass box set with crows hanging on invisible strings. The illusion of movement and drama was created by pulling the strings and pressing the shutter at a certain inopportune moment, with a suitably bemused Naseer.
Above: Nafisa Ali, 1994. Part of a series I did as a tribute to designer Rohit Khosla. This series of photographs was imagined not merely as a celebration of his fashion and life, but I also wanted the images to evoke a quiet sense of loss and pathos. This image was shot on a beach near Mahabalipuram, Nafisa having shaved her head at Tirupati the previous day. Below: Rohit Bal, circa 1990. This was shot at a Bina Ramani hotspot in Hauz Khas Village for the cover of the then venerable Society magazine. Rohit was the first proverbial flamboyant wild child of Indian fashion. His golden locks and the Frida-esque roses in tow were all the utopia photographers were allowed in those spartan times.
PHOTO COURTESY OF INDIA TODAY/ROHIT CHAWLA.
Above: Frank Gehry, 2008. I remember it was tricky to convince the legendary architect to climb the two floors where I had set up my box. Though he gamely got into my box of sorts, I remember him saying, “I feel claustrophobic in your contraption. I can’t breathe in small spaces.” Right: Narendra Modi, 2016. At the very end of the photo session, he simply reached out for my camera and began to take photographs of me, remarking, “Trust me, you will find these images useful.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF INDIA TODAY/ROHIT CHAWLA.
Ai Weiwei, 2016. This image was part of Ai Weiweiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance conceptualized by me for India Today, in Lesvos, Greece. It was a tribute to Alan Kurdi, the threeyear-old Kurdish refugee child from Syria, whose body was washed ashore in Turkey when the inflatable boat his family and he were fleeing in tragically capsized within five minutes of departing on 2 September 2015. This image helped in refocusing world media attention on the tragic and continuing refugee crisis.
Above: Bharti Kher, 2017. The artist in her studio is an image of solemn symmetry. The studio is a sacred place where stillness, solitude and movement exist in splendid harmony. Here, the artist is a work of art herself. Below: Atul Dodiya, 2018. My favourite contemporary artist. I wanted to create an unconventional, seamless diptych that could also be in consonance with the design dictum he follows in his own practice. Shot in his studio in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, this portrait is part of my â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Artists Unboxedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 3D photo sculptures.
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François Halard’s bathroom in his Arles home is inspired by painter Henri Matisse’s series of colourful artworks of Morocco.
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The kitchen with “handmade style”. Facing page: Halard’s interpretation of Cézanne’s studio—featuring a print by Italian artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi, an antique Chinese helmet, an Egyptian sarcophagus mask and a Roman tombstone.
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A picture of artist Giorgio Morandiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s studio in the library. Facing page: Halard shot this photograph of Cy Twombly vases in the guest bedroom.
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The Athenas drawing room with Halardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collection of African masks and antiquities. Facing page: A mask from the Fang tribe.
Detail of Halard’s photo of Picasso’s hand by Brassai. Facing page: The entrance features a Julian Schnabel artwork and Halard’s portrait of Cy Twombly.
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The drawing room. Facing page: A collection of plaster vases with Roman antiquities.
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A German tapestry hangs behind the bed.
word about my childhood: For a long time I had difficulties with language. Most of the time I was alone in my room. The rare contact I had with the outside world was through books, photographs and paintings. And yet, the enclosed space of my room became a space of liberation from the moment I began photographing it with my father’s camera. That was how I opened myself up to the world. I could not have taken the photographs I take today had I not experienced that period of introspection. I shot my first personal photographs when I was 16, in the Giardino Giusti, an Italian garden near Verona. That’s when I discovered that photographing something I like gave me a great sense of peace. Arles is my chosen city because of its secret side. I try to lead an anachronistic life in Arles. I enjoy being alone at home or in my studio. I’m like a bubble within another bubble, a little circle inside a larger one…. Italy has always had a very strong influence on me. For obvious visual reasons—the architecture, the gardens, the sea—Arles is the most Italian, the most Roman city in France. It’s where I discovered antiquity—and how it can be modern. Indeed, the works of Cy Twombly, or Umberto Eco, show that the themes of Italian art are incredibly modern. I bought this house because it reminded me of Cy Twombly’s Bassano home in Teverina, north of Rome. When you’re under that Italian spell, it never lets you go! I wasn’t even 30 then, and spent many years restoring it. I didn’t have any money, so I slept in a bed right in the middle of the rubble. But, alas, I can’t resist things that tell a story, so the house quickly filled up. A gift from Miquel [Barceló] here, something from Julian [Schnabel] there.… I’ve had many houses and at one point everything was shipped back to Arles, so many items remained there because I had nowhere else to put them! In 1935, Walker Evans was commissioned to put together a portfolio for MoMA’s African Art exhibition. He created a kind of repertoire of nearly 500 African works shot in a 20- by 25-centimetre format against an almost grey background. I wanted to honour this work. My African masks are like my good luck charms, I take them everywhere. Some have protective qualities, others are more serious.… Certain objects tell stories of past travels: my wife, Isabelle Dupuy Chavanat, likes Japanese ceramics from the 18th century, and those objects remind us of our trip to the land of the Rising Sun. All these objects speak to one another, do things together. I photograph them with delight, with pleasure, as if they were beautiful women. They bring me the same sense of gratification. Excerpted from an interview of François Halard by Bice Curiger, from the book François Halard: A Visual Diary (Art direction by Beda Achermann) published by Rizzoli New York, October 2019.
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house becomes a home when it begins to reflect the spirit and the feelings of those who live there. More than walls and a roof, it is a family, or friends, that make a home. But it is also a tangible marker of one’s growing up, of one’s inheritance, and of the aesthetics that make a house a livable space, warm and cosy—in other words, a home. Architects design houses or buildings in order to utilize space meaningfully, not just to eat it up. In fact, the ability to create and enhance the understanding of space through design can bring about an experience of dynamism and fulfilment. We lived close to central Delhi for three decades, but it was only in 2000 that we went around looking for a house of our own. I found it in Mehrauli, 300 metres from the Qutb Minar, a World Heritage Site, separated by a green jungle of kikar (prickly acacia) trees, grown not by design but nature’s own splendour or kindness. This long, wide spread of green was visible from our third-floor flat in Mehrauli. Small monuments dot this green belt. The large drawing-cum-dining room with large windows that open towards the green fascinated me. One of the three large bedrooms faces the same view. Since nature means a lot to me, I brought my wife Meeta, a conservation architect, to see the possibilities. This house had both a green heritage park and skies spreading out to infinity that explained our fascination for it. In our home, each and every element—every piece of fabric and furniture, all the art and artefacts—must create a symphony of rhythm and joy. When I get bored with myself and the world around me, I begin to reorganize by changing the placement of different elements. The summers are very hot and winters equally cold—it’s only the spring and the monsoon that make up for the losses. When the weather changes, and since we can’t change it to our convenience, we begin to change the colours and textures inside the home to blend them with the changing seasons. Early mornings and the evenings as well must extend their connectivity from inside the house to the landscape, to the skies spread out beyond our comprehension. On a full-moon night, when the chandni (moonlight) walks into our bedroom through the large windows, it brings with it an awakening of a new night. When the early-morning sun peeps out of the misty skies to greet us, we have to be there to receive it and respond. So, it is not just me living inside my home—my space must extend beyond the framework of the windows fixed on the walls. When the dark and deep monsoon clouds begin to gather to invade my skies, the large windows become an extension of my heart. And to capture the longings of my extended heart, I begin to photograph the world inside, outside and beyond. The longing is never fulfilled because the space inside is now enlarged— and the longing has multiplied.
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Iwan In his Berkshires hideaway, the man they call the Julius Shulman of his time sends his favourite drone into the sky to get his signature shot of home
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have been homeless for years; I’ve been travelling since I started photography. But a couple of years ago, my house and studio in Amsterdam burned down and I was literally homeless. I started living in hotels 365 days a year. Now, I feel at home, quite easily, in many different places. I’ve since rebuilt my Amsterdam house in a larger building, where we work on the ground floor and live above. Still, we travel most of the time, and my family travels with me. We have another home in the Berkshires, in western Massachusetts, between New York and Boston. Both places are home to us. The children attend school, have friends and move between both places as easily and effortlessly as if they’re taking the bus. I spend little time in both still come back all the time. We call them both home, but they can’t fferent from each other. Our Amsterdam home sits on a busy street corner in the centre of the city, just off one of its canals. It’s compact and close to neighbours. You look into each other’s homes, hear the street, and are part of a lively community. We designed and furnished both places to our liking, working with local friends and architects, who supervised the renovations. The house in Amsterdam was originally two 18th- and 19th-century houses combined into one by its previous owner. We worked there with two young Dutch architects to bring the original construction to the forefront. The ground floor is our office, and above are three-and-a-half floors with a living space, bedrooms for the kids in the attic, and steep Amsterdam staircases connecting them all. It’s a little labyrinth. In the Berkshires, our home is outside a little town and surrounded by 11 acres of forest, with deer, bears and all kinds of wildlife. We worked with Tessa Kelly and Chris Parkinson of Arcade Architects, two young emerging architects who have lived most of their lives in the area and know every carpenter, builder and craftsman around. It was an old, dilapidated 1970s’ house that we gave new life to, making large openings to be connected with nature. We spend so much of our professional lives in the world’s largest cities, so it’s nice to have this little ‘treehouse’ in the middle of the woods. The living room is upstairs, under the roof. You look out to the forest on one side and to the vast landscape on the other. We furnished it with mid-century Dutch and European furniture that I’ve been collecting for a long time. Coming back to the Berkshires feels like going back to basics, to nature. We have to work with our hands in the garden and the surroundings, we get our food from the farmlands around, and all becomes very compact. We live close to the seasons and the world becomes very small.
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A Francesco Hayez portrait in the breakfast room.
On the right is a Roman statue of Venus from the second century BC; another Roman sculpture stands on the opposite side, next to a narwhal tooth. In the centre of the UĹ&#x;ak carpet is a block of Egyptian red porphyry, with a 16th-century horn from Germany. In the background is a series of 17th-century Florentine paintings.
The screen on the left features a sketch of the Empire State Building; on the chair in front of it is a second-century BC Roman sculpture of Bacchus. Above the doorway is a 17th-century work of a rhino, created with shells. On the right is an artwork by Pietro Dandini, a 17th-century Florentine painter; in front of it are two rare German chinoiserie pumpkins from the 18th century. Facing page: The library features a collection of first editions of architecture books.
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On the left is a bust of Pietro Leopoldo, the grand duke of Tuscany; to the right of it is a portrait of a woman by Colombian artist and sculptor Fernando Botero. Above the fireplace on the right are a Benin bronze head and a 1924 artwork by French artist Fernand Léger. The sconces on the right—a set of four—are from the Villa Demidoff in Pratolino, Italy.
In the centre is an artwork by Baldassare Franceschini, known as Il Volterrano (1611â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1689), titled Allegory of Victory and Peace. Under it is a lion head from the first century AD; flanking the artwork are two neoclassical statues and two Apulian vases from the fourth century BC. At the top of the wall are medallions of Roman emperors. Facing page: The dining roomâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the tableware is neo-Etruscan.
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This cabinet of curiosities features grotesque work on the ceiling. Facing page: The gym features a neoplastic intervention.
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orty-five years ago, when I first crossed the threshold of the house that would become mine, I had an intuition: She was two-dimensional, at the same time static and dynamic, solid and abstract. I wandered among the empty, and so to speak, inert rooms, awakening them, as sometimes happens with the spaces I photograph. I sensed that the house contained something imaginary and it was precisely this that convinced me to make it mine, or at least, to buy it, since I still do not own it entirely. Over the years, its appearance has changed, some walls have been taken down, others put up, the gaps have been filled. Archaeological finds, paintings, sculptures and books crowd every space. All this took place on the basis of suggestions that I perceived, and still do today, as if there were a mysterious, elusive understanding between my home and me; and it is just this agreement that gives meaning to everything. For me, a house is architecture, memory and utopia; it is the world in which I live and from which I glance over other hemispheres, not always extant. It is the place where I return after a journey and where I conceive other journeys and other returns. I visit ex professo houses, I pass from one to the other incessantly, yet only my home makes sense to me, only Her do I love, I am faithful only to Her and She compensates me with the same love.
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4 szI l ágyI de zso té r, b ud ape st g otte smann house, d un aharasz tI 11 rue bas sano, parIs l’ hol me, sIml a
wIth wIfe marIe antoInette, budapest, hungary, 1913
budapest, hungary, 1914
dunaharasztI, hungary, 1917
wIth marIe antoInette and daughters IndIra and amrIta, dunaharasztI, hungary, 1917
parIs, france, c.1930
parIs, france, c.1930
parIs, france, c.1930
parIs, france, c.1930
parIs, france, 11 august 1930
parIs, france, c.1931
sImla, IndIa, february 1938 ALL PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY THE SHER-GIL ARCHIVES / PHOTOINK
edIted excerpt from �umrao sIngh sher-gIl: hIs mIsery and hIs manuscrIpt’, photoInk, 2008, Text by deepak ananth.
mar tIn parr The devastatingly clever, funny and dark lens of the Magnum photojournalist turns towards his own terraced home in Clifton, Bristol; just for AD.
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY MARTIN PARR/ MAGNUM PHOTOS.
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e live in a Georgian terraced houseâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;one of 12 in a crescent. There are two lots of windows at the front and one set at the back. I photographed some collections in selected areas around the house, some ephemera and Indian artefacts. I have a nice collection of Gandhi ephemera. Other than that, the house is kept clutter-free, as my office is full of stuff and my Foundation is chock-a-block with books and prints and other objects. I am a natural magpie. It is almost an illness, but one that I enjoy. Also, medically, it is quite acceptable! The crescent is very sociable. In the summer, we share barbecues and have an open garden day as we have a lovely shared garden at the front of the house. The first Sunday of the month is garden day and we all get together to weed, sweep up and share a coffee together. On the Twelfth Night, we all bring out our Christmas trees and burn them together in a bonfire, while having mulled wine and cheese straws.
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WRITER MAYER RUS STYLIST MICHAEL REYNOLDS
Above: An artwork by Wendy Vanderbilt Lehman stands in front of photographer Douglas Friedmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s modernist home in Marfa, Texas, which is wrapped in retractable screens by Phantom Screens. Facing page: Vintage Bolivian pillows and textiles from Garza Marfa decorate a sofa beneath a pergola. The sculpture is by Brett Douglas Hunter.
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SCULPTURE: BRETT DOUGLAS HUNTER FOR KINDER MODERN.
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ARTWORK: © STEVE HASH; © JEFF ELROD, COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND LUHRING AUGUSTINE, NEW YORK.
Above: Vintage seating and an RH sofa surround a cocktail table in the living room. The lamps are by Steven Gambrel, stools by Lumber Club Marfa, rug by Douglas Friedman for Kyle Bunting, and artworks by Steve Hash (left) and Jeff Elrod. Facing page: An Isamu Noguchi pendant hangs over a Lex Pott table in the entry, which also features a Donald Judd chair and masks by Mexican artisan Don Tomas Nájera and fashion designer Carla Fernandez.
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A de Gournay wallpaper wraps a guest room, where the Beautiful Bed Company bed wears RH linens.
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he high desert of far West Texas can be unforgiving terrain. Just ask Douglas Friedman, the globe-trotting photographer renowned for his copious talents and bonhomie, to say nothing of his signature moustache and tattoos. Nine years ago, Friedman fell under the siren spell of Marfa, the diminutive Lone Star city and art mecca (population roughly 2,000) once described affectionately by John Waters as “The Jonestown of Minimalism” for its connection to artist Donald Judd. “The desert really doesn’t want you there. You’re in a constant battle against wind, rain, dust and, in the summer, blistering heat,” Friedman says, reflecting on the challenges of building his serene modernist compound. “For one thing, I didn’t design the house with screens, because I wanted it to feel as open as possible. But I quickly realized that you need screens if you don’t want a scorpion in your shoe, a rattlesnake under your bed and a tarantula in the sink.” Sounds charming. But Friedman is equally emphatic that the creepy-crawly desert critters are part of what makes the West Texas landscape so bewitching. “When you fall in love with Marfa, you fall in love with all of it,” he insists. “Having grown up in New York City, a nice Jewish boy, the idea of living out on the land was incredibly appealing. I have to take two flights and then drive three hours to get there, but the journey culminates at the end of a dirt road, with no visible neighbours and endless views of this incredibly beautiful, soulful terrain,” Friedman muses. When it came to designing a suitable house for his 10-acre parcel of heaven, the photographer adopted a sort of Occam’s-razor approach to architecture. “I was going for simplicity—something monastic but attractive, the easiest and most economical thing I could build,” he recalls. “The problem is that there’s nothing simple about building out here, especially when you have to put in power and septic systems and drill a well. Also, simplicity in architecture, with a modicum of grace, turns out to be quite difficult. My humble idea of desert living just kept ballooning.” After considering, and rejecting, a wide range of prefabricated options, Friedman settled on a modular system of glued laminated timbers, steel connectors and structural insulated panels (SIPs in construction parlance), all shipped to Marfa and assembled on-site under the supervision of contractor Billy Marginot. A taut modernist box laid out on an exacting grid, the house features a two-foot clerestory that completely encircles the structure and makes the roof appear as if it were floating on a cushion of light when the home is illuminated at
night. To maintain the integrity of the design, all the mechanical systems and wiring are channelled through the concrete foundation. The pool, made from a shipping container, is another prefab element. “It arrived from Canada on a flatbed truck, and we just craned it into a hole we dug. I hooked up the services and was swimming the next day,” Friedman explains. Outdoor amenities at Rancho Friedman also include a shade structure with pop-up screens for al fresco entertaining and a second, Juddian shade structure by the pool. For the decorating portion of the process, the well-travelled photographer relied on a formidable roster of advisers and éminences grises. “I’m lucky to have worked with, and befriended, some of the best designers in the world, so I naturally turned to them for guidance,” he confesses. That line-up includes Steven Gambrel, who made the chic table lamps in the living room; Nicole Hollis, represented by end tables from her recent collection for McGuire; Brigette Romanek, who helped design and fabricate the green-and-rose-coloured marble table that anchors the living room; and Ken Fulk, who gifted a brass bar cart inspired by a 1960s Italian model. Friedman himself made his own contribution to the medley in the form of multicoloured cowhide carpets from his new collection for Kyle Bunting. In the entryway, a monumental stone table by contemporary Dutch designer Lex Pott is flanked by a series of seven massive concrete planters, detailed in bronze, by landscape designer Adam Sirak. “I used the planters to create an indoor garden of specimen cactuses. It’s so nice to walk into the space and have a moment to exhale before moving into the big living/dining room,” Friedman says. “I also put a Judd chair in the entry because, well, you kind of have to.” Notes of eccentricity emerge in the taxidermy pigeons that Friedman attached to the huge swing-arm lamps that light up the dining table as well as the decidedly unexpected de Gournay wallpapers that adorn the guest rooms. “I had this fantasy that I could live in a totally minimalist way, but I’m just not that person. I couldn’t resist having a little fun,” he says of the idiosyncratic jolts of colour and pattern. Still, notwithstanding the fanciful British wallpapers, Friedman insists on his bona fides as a true Texas hombre. “This is my home now, and I have a Texas driver’s license to prove it,” he says with apparent pride. “When I’m working on the house or in the pool, looking at the mountains in the faroff distance, I feel genuinely connected to the land, tarantulas and all.”
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Max Vadukul in his apartment’s living room, embracing an orb— the same one seen in his photo essay, specially commissioned for GQ India’s 10th anniversary. Italian architect Angelo Mangiarotti’s ‘Giogali’ chandelier for Vistosi, with handmade glass rings, is suspended by a metal frame. On the wall are some of his most iconic photographs.
The living-room flooring was restored by architects Ariela Goggi and Fiorenza Stringa ‘Breccia Lombarda’, which was widely used in the 1980s. Its opaque finishing gives it a modern yet natural look. The Cassina ‘LC4’ chaise longue and the library, a De Padova 606 universal Shelving System, give it a contemporary look.
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One of the few rooms where you won’t find contemporary portraits is the master bedroom, where family portraits are placed near a religious painting. “I don’t see how can I live in a world without religion,” says Vadukul. Facing page: This anconetta, or wood-panelled painting of a religious subject and originally placed in a church altar, is by Taddeo Gaddi, considered one of Italian painter Giotto’s most important pupils and one of the leading painters in 14th-century Florence.
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“This is Nicoletta’s old bedroom, her childhood bedroom, now converted into a guest room. There’s only one bed, because we kindly invite our kids to not visit their parents too frequently: give us a break!”, Vadukul jokes. The room is decorated with a portrait of Mia, a beloved family dog who passed away. In the middle is a wraparound ‘357 Feltri’ armchair by Gaetano Pesce for Cassina.
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ere. From this angle. Look. You see? To have a full view of the open living room with the light pouring in, you have to be exactly at this point. It’s fantastic! Phenomenal!” Ask photographer Max Vadukul to show you his apartment, and this is the result. The previously New York-based Vadukul just moved to Milan, into this bright and airy apartment that has a history for him and his wife. “She wanted to return to Italy and to her family home. So when her mother passed away, and herited the space together with her brother, ok the decision.” Born 59 years ago, to an Indian family in Nairobi, Vadukul moved to London as a teenager. Soon, his thriving career began taking him around the world, with his wife, stylist Nicoletta Santoro, who had previously worked at Italian Vogue and had been the international fashion director at large for Vogue China. “Nicoletta and I had been living in New York for about 23 years. My twin children, Alex and Eloise, who are 30, still live there,” Vadukul explains. While both Vadukul and Santoro have a robust sense of style, they decided to work with architects Ariela Goggi and Fiorenza Stringa, who turned the 1970sstyle, 200-square-metre apartment into an honest, warm space filled with light and linear silhouettes. The undisputed protagonists of the living room are Vadukul’s monochrome portraits. On one side, an immaculate display starts with Linda Evangelista for Vogue Paris, followed by advertising campaigns for Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto, shot between New York and Rome. “This is the first time in all my life that I have an installation of my photography in my apartment. In New York, I had some prints, but this time my brilliant wife suggested that we show them, and to create a wall of pictures too— a wall with all the pictures I’ve been living with, of the people I’ve really cared for.” In the massive display, you can recognize some of the most iconic works of Vadukul’s career: from choreographer Matthew Bourne performing his famous Swan Lake to a penetrating Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Brian Slade in Todd Haynes’s Velvet Goldmine. From their white frames on the walls, Richard Avedon, Shalom Harlow (channelling Charlie Chaplin) and Rudolf Nureyev stare at you with an intensity that is difficult to ignore. “Here we have Sting and myself,” says Vadukul. “We were shooting for The Dream of the Blue Turtles, his first solo album, which he was recording at Eddy Grant’s Blue Wave Studio in Barbados. He asked me to shoot his album cover but I didn’t know that it would mean three weeks of hanging in and out of Barbados. So much fun, so much work.” Next door, a single, gigantic picture of Kolkata lines the entire wall of the study. “It’s part of the photo essay specially commissioned for GQ India’s
10th anniversary issue, in 2018. It was pretty great to have that as a way to come back to India. I am Indian, my mother is Indian, my father is Indian, I can speak Gujarati. I’m so proud of this.” Cosy and comfortably awash with natural light, his work room is filled with family portraits, photography books (including copies signed by Margaret Thatcher and Keith Richards, thanking him for their portraits), prints by Peter Beard and Josef Koudelka (“One of my favourite photographers—it was a gift for my wife, when we lived in Paris”), and some of his old, beloved cameras. As interiors go, highlights of the living room include the finely textured terrazzo floor, ensuring a proper vecchia Milano (old Milan) feel, together with iconic Italian lights. “As a photographer, for me light is very important, and has been a crucial aspect of the renovation. When you live in New York, you have small windows and buildings are constantly blocking the view. That is why I loved the idea of having a not-so-massive apartment, where I could wake up in the morning and walk in the light while having my tea, while looking out at the park in front. It’s a healing environment,” says Vadukul. The space flows through the sunny living room and study, a long kitchen, the main bedroom and a separate guest area, where the laundry, Santoro’s dressing room and a guest room are. Anterooms share the same wood-profiled, high-ceilinged aesthetic of white wardrobes—old Milanese carpentry at its best. The guest bathroom at the bottom unveils a portrait of Amy Winehouse, so extreme and provocative that you can’t help but wonder—why is it hidden? Vadukul explains: “I keep it here because it reminds me of the amount of trouble it caused me. She simply didn’t want to be photographed and everything became really hard. It was torture.” Local people know Vadukul and Santoro’s apartment from its flowered terraces, earning it the nickname: ante litteram (Latin for ‘before its time’) bosco verticale (Italian for ‘vertical forest’, a term popularized by architect Stefano Boeri’s projects of the same name, which were conceived as permeable green spaces). The sinuous facade—reminiscent of architect Antoni Gaudí’s surreal, curved buildings— overlooks the Oriana Fallaci garden: “On good sunny days you have plants everywhere, children playing, and that’s it,” says Vadukul, adding, “We are in the centre of Milan, yet it’s so quiet. Can you imagine? Linate airport is just 20 minutes away. This means that in 40 minutes I can sit on a plane to London, Berlin or Paris. This is a high-quality life.” Vadukul formed a special bond with this place years ago. It’s where he got to know his wife and his in-laws, the place in which he got married, where his twins were born. “In a way, this house has been very much part of my adult life. And now, at this stage of my life, it’s just perfect to be back here.”
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WRITER MARIE-FRANCE BOYER
The building had been home to farm animals not long before photographer Roland Beaufre bought it and was semi-derelict, with neither a kitchen nor a bathroom.
beaufre
Roland Beaufre, a confirmed townie and night owl, surprised his friends by moving to an old farm in northern France. Lest the countryside prove too big a shock to the system, he gave it a reassuringly metropolitan and Moorish flavourâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;as these pictures by him show
The S-shaped modular sofa is by Steiner and dates back to 1970. Right: In the kitchen, a set of metal chairs by Pierre Guariche surround a hairpin legged table that Roland found in a charity shop. Below right: A ‘Chaise Orque’ by JeanPhilippe Gleizes sits in front of the workbench/lightbox. Below: A ‘Pylon’ table by Tom Dixon faces a vintage sofa bed.
A Victor Vasarely lithograph hangs above the loo, while a pair of shower curtains pick up the Op Art theme. Above: The wall behind Rolandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bed is covered with a Moroccan carpet and family photos, personal mementos and religious artefacts.
The Moroccan-Jewish chest belonged to his parents, who appear in the two portraits above.
his Hansel and Gretel cottage belongs to photographer Roland Beaufre, who has lived here, near Le Mans, for more than 10 years (when not in Tangier, or away on assignment). Roland did not always want to be a photographer; he started out studying fine art in Paris. A chance encounter with Marie-Paule Pelle, the founder of design magazine Décoration Internationale, changed everything. She was scouting for new places and he dragged her off to Tangier, where he had been going with his parents since 1962. His father, General Beaufre, had been stationed in Morocco for a long time along with Geneviève, Roland’s mother, a former model of great beauty, who decorated their home there, the Villa Victoria, in a ‘Napoléon III meets Neo-Moorish’ style remarkable for the time. Roland knew everyone: from the writer David Herbert to the architect Stuart Church. He had a trusty Kiev camera (a Russian copy of the Leica), developing his photos at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Paris, and threw himself into creating a portrait of his favourite city. Thanks to this first collaboration in Morocco, he hit the ground running. The 1980s were a golden age for interiors magazines, and midway through the decade, Roland collaborated with Interiors on a project by Madeleine Castaing, with whom he spent much time, as well as with Andrée Putman, Pierre Paulin and Jacques Grange. At the same time, with his friend Frédéric de Luca he set up the gallery En Attendant les Barbares to present objects and furniture by art designers like Garouste & Bonetti. Although his own involvement in the venture was short-lived, Roland would remain deeply interested in design. He was one of the first to buy from Tom Dixon, André Dubreuil and Mark Brazier-Jones, and even attempted to set up another small production company, UMI, in the 2000s. A tireless explorer and traveller, Roland is a photographer who is always delivering dispatches from the fringes of culture. He keeps abreast of designers, exhibition openings and all kinds of cultural events, especially those related to Morocco. He is also the author of books as varied as Voyages dans le Maroc juif (Travels in Jewish Morocco) with Ralph Toledano, Bibliothèques (published in English as Living With Books), Dans La Nuit Tangéroise (Tangier Nights) and Le Dictionnaire des Styles Décoratifs (The Dictionary of Decorative Styles) with Dominique Dupuich. When Roland moved to the countryside, he did so as an inveterate city dweller, knowing nothing about plants, the seasons or the ways of French villagers. He had spent all his holidays in Morocco for nearly 40 years. Approaching 50, he decided to make a radical change that provoked a sceptical reaction among his friends. He bought a long, narrow modest farm that had until recently been home to cows, pigs and chickens.
Away from the village, it was almost derelict, with no sign of a kitchen or bathroom, a very low ceiling, tiny windows and cob partition walls, which Roland took down to create an open space with an intimate feel. He eschewed the usual rusticchic route, deciding to keep the familiar decor he had in Paris, mixing 1970s and 1980s designs with Moroccan flavours and his own memories. The first room he set up was his study, to the right of the entrance, complete with his precious archives. To the left is the living room, where he immediately incorporated a faux fire in the hearth. “I need my creature comforts,” he says ruefully. From there you enter the kitchen, which is carved out of a small lean-to, or the bedroom at the end of a long corridor that also leads to the bathroom, which alludes to Victor Vasarely’s op art. Roland’s bedroom is a sanctuary. In contrast with the living room, which is decorated with a degree of distance, here he has amassed the souvenirs of his private life and friendships as though in a shrine. But the colour orange forms a link between all the rooms. Here, portraits of his father, mother, and nanny rub shoulders with photos of himself at all ages, some taken by famous artists, while talismans and symbols from the three major religions meet travel souvenirs. Morocco is ever present. Roland has not merely contented himself with laying Berber carpets on the floor (as in a mosque) and hanging them on walls, but also uses them as curtains. It is nice and snug inside, but he still likes to make the most of the south-facing terrace for breakfast or tea. This is a man who likes to savour life. Whatever the circumstances, he never loses his Olympian calm and serenity: “My friends call me Mr Valium.” He speaks slowly and in a serious tone—even if he is about to miss a train. “Inshallah,” he says goodhumouredly, as reserved as he is sociable. Almost every week, when this country dweller makes his way to Paris two hours away, he dresses accordingly. He’ll happily wear a shirt with a pearl pinned to his tie or several brooches to go with his many rings. Sometimes he takes things even further, putting on fancy dress to dance the night away. “Night-time creates a kind of complicity between people,” he says. “Besides, a party can happen in the country just as well. After all, you only need two or three people, even in the country, to dance till four in the morning!” This photographer, sometimes described as a dandy, has nevertheless managed to establish roots in the earth. These days he knows everyone at the Tuesday market, spends time with his farmer neighbours, knows the difference between an old rose and a hybrid tea rose, takes care of his chickens, and weeds and prunes steadfastly between assignments. He does, however, still spend a good part of the year in Tangier.
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ra e l l Y o l o n d a e r M i , p e s d n i i w e r d l a r d o e o i d r w r n a D u A B ro r z o t u e s r p o ó e t L r id u a r a b i d n y r i a t t e s n h M i t s Co riter Cr ’ n o s e i u h d t w a e h w y h t and ate beaut s about t g space to cre Barrio write tory-inspirintory by it. magical, s cter in a s loft, a like a chara itself O TOLED STYL
AYA IST AM
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Homeowners Cristina Lรณpez Barrio and Manolo Yllera on 1960s French iceberg chairs from Serge Castella.
The bed is an Uxío da Vila photograph, from Nu Showroom. The Sori Yanagi-designed ‘Butterfly’ stool and Eames ‘Plywood’ chair are from Vitra. The red ‘Clay’ side table is by Maarten Baas, the lamp is from El Rastro, and the Warren Platner-designed armchair is from Batavia. On the right sits a ‘Tulip’ side table with a Chinese vase and Sally Hambleton flowers. On the left sits an 18th-century Majorcan table, a Fornasetti vase from Mercedes Urquijo, a coloured clipboard from IKB 191, and a botanical sculpture by Daniel Salorio; above it is a Teresa Lanceta tapestry from Espacio Mínimo. Facing page: The dining area features a 1950s’ lacquered table and red armchairs—all from Los Gusano—with a white chair from LA Studio, and ceramics from Tado. The Chema Madoz photograph is from Galería Elvira González. The black-and-white vase on the pedestal is from Batavia, as is the paper folding screen.
The central space with five-metre-high ceilings and ‘worn out’ plaster walls—a mixture of ivory white, ochre white and pure white. In the foreground is the ‘Pelican’ chair (left) by Finn Juhl for Batavia and a three-legged chair bought in Los Traperos de Emaús. The paper floor lamp on the right is the ‘Akari 10A’ by Isamu Noguchi for Vitra. A Seydou Keïta photograph hangs between the two iron windows that were picked up in a French flea market. The floor is covered in Berber rugs.
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married an aesthete. I didn’t know it when he first brought me to this house, flying through the labyrinthine streets of a Madrid neighbourhood—that was new to me—on a Vespa, which he then parked between a print shop and an auto-repair garage. The first time he opened the glass door that separated his loft from the world, I crossed, what we call in literature, a border space. The protagonist of this story—me, in changed in the telling of it. Halfway beovie set where everything was possible, a warm office and a home, halfway between the beautiful and the funny, it conquered me from the start, just like it did its owner. I couldn’t resist the charm of its high ceilings, its lamps made from recycled newspapers, the fabrics that fused with the rustic texture of the walls, the diaphanous light that seeped in at certain hours through the decadent windows, purchased at a French pop-up shop. Every object and piece of furniture in the different rooms—the living room, kitchen, dining room and bedroom—stirred my imagination. The little red table in the last one (which was designed by Maarten Baas, as I later learned) seemed ready to walk off on its melted legs at any minute. Living tables, stools with butterfly wings, sofas as white as icebergs on the sea of Moroccan rugs, trees with white flowers and birds weaving through a crystal chandelier, a baroque mirror with graffiti, a Fornasetti face with flowers emerging from its head…. Without a doubt, it’s the perfect place to find inspiration, especially at night, when silence surrounds it and I walk barefoot, in the dark, with the feeling that this home is a character in a novel yet to be written.
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WRITER LAURA WING STYLIST & PRODUCER ROBERT RUFINO
The textiles on the bed are from Mexico, India and Sweden. The painting above the bed is by Spanish artist Rorro Berjano.
The apartment does not get direct sunlight, which allows Wallander to comfortably colour correct images at his desk; the large photograph on the right was taken by Wallander at a friend’s beach house in Pondicherry; the small print (of a skeleton) beneath it is by Berjano. Facing page: “[The Rolleiflex camera is] one of the first good, medium-format cameras I could
afford,” says Wallander. “I still use that one quite a lot to do portraits. I used to shoot everything on a Pentax 6x7, but sold it off when I started to shoot more digital. But that camera, I kept. I still use it a lot; it’s completely mechanical, with no batteries, and it just works.” Wallander started collecting jewellery a while back, for fun; it led him to start designing some of his own.
The painting is by Mexican artist Dennis Miranda. The textile folded on the chair (left) is by Sabyasachi Mukherjee. On the table is Maximalism by Sig Bergamin, a book about the Brazilian architectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work; Wallander will soon head to Brazil to start shooting for the second volume.
jörn Wallander’s cosy and peaceful apartment in Manhattan is situated in the 76-storey skyscraper that simply goes by the name, New York by Gehry. Unlike the looming building it is housed within, Wallander’s apartment is modestly sized, generously configured, and strikes you, at first, as a carefully cultivated ‘world of things’. His home evokes the richness of his relationships, his passionate work ethic, and his openness to places and people. It also just happens to be set against an astonishing view of the New York City skyline. Wallander moved into his apartment four and a half years ago. “I wanted a small, functioning apartment,” he says. “I love sailing, and when you have a smaller space you have to be a bit more organized. It’s a good way to live. Whatever you take out it’s easier to put back.” Before this, Wallander had been living in Bushwick, Brooklyn, but had begun to realize that being more centralized would save him a lot of time. He started looking for a small apartment in Manhattan, with the main requirement being a central location, in order to make his time at home more efficient and meaningful. The Gehry building offered him this, along with amenities that included a gym and library. It was also, surprisingly, very quiet. For Wallander, whose work requires a great deal of travelling, the promise of returning to restful sleep and timesaving facilities presented a welcome improvement in the quality of life. He waited for the right floor plan to become available. “For me it was important for it to not have direct sunlight, so I could sit and do colour corrections during the day, otherwise I would have to put the blinds down. It needed to face north-west, so the light wouldn’t bleach all of the books.” Additionally, the layout integrated the kitchen into the main living space, making it seem quite large in proportion to the apartment. The integration also made it possible to be social and cook at the same time. “When I am in New York, I like to have friends come over instead of going out. It’s become a luxury to cook,” he adds. Once a suitable apartment opened up, the process moved rather quickly. He had four days to move in and was scheduled to go out on a shoot in
about a week’s time. “I had it painted in a particular colour by a friend who is a decorator. She had decorated my place in Brooklyn a while back, and I loved the paint colour so I used the same. I had some of the furniture, the desk, the cabinet”, but beyond a few foundational components, the apartment, in Wallander’s words, “grew on its own.” He notes, “Especially given the size of the apartment, it’s become my own little world of stuff that I’ve collected through a lot of travel.” Each object in his home bears the textures and weight of his experiences. Of friendships he has been lucky to foster across the world: textiles by Sabyasachi Mukherjee; a painting by Spain-based Mexican artist Rorro Berjano; an antique Argentinian mate gourd picked up by a friend in South Carolina. His passion for photography is visible through a discriminate and robust collection of magazines, which flow between shelves and seating areas. Regularly referencing them for inspiration, he finds himself drawn to fashion and portraits: “It’s nice to see other parts of photography I don’t do. The mix of black and white and colour; the variety of formats; how this changes the language of photography.” Others hold the delights of chance findings in markets, exemplified in part through a wonderful collection of jewellery, intricate pillow cases from Jaipur, or a purple bedspread acquired in a fabric store in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico: “I saw it and it was in a wall of folded fabrics and I said ‘That’s the one. How long is that?’ It’s a little too long for a bed but I just fold it under. The local woman we were with said, ‘Don’t you want to wait? There’s so much more to see!’ And I said, ‘That’s perfect. I want that one.’” Wallander admits that such decisiveness has become a kind of modus operandi. Because he does not have a lot of time to go back anywhere when traveling, if he sees something he likes, and can afford it, he simply buys it. He adds, “It’s the second place in New York that felt like home. It’s become a lot more of collected stuff. When you know you’re going to stay somewhere longer it shifts something and things just start to appear in markets or low-key antique stores.” For someone who travels a lot, Wallander is often asked why he keeps a permanent place. His answer is simple: “You need some kind of base somewhere.” There is no luxury equal to one’s own bed.
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n these images, a cloud of smoke hangs in various interior settings. The nebulous mass hovers along sharp edges and rigid definitions, appearing as a possible threat to what might be the interior of a home or an office. The constant evocation of threats to boundaries has often been the most potent way to enforce binaries of the inside and outside, and therein, the insider and the outsider, whether in the form of an intruder in the microcosm of a home or an infiltrator in the wider context of national borders. This series brings a quiet presence of an outside in, questioning whether the policing of edges is even possible. In photographic terms, can there ever be a sharp focus on a nebulous entity? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Sabih Ahmed
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“smoke, whIch hovers at the edges of tIght defInItIons, be It those of natIon states or even ourselves, InfIltratIng Into domestIc spaces, challengIng a sense of clarIty In readIngs that lImIt themselves as bInarIes.” shIlpa gupta
bha sIkk
arat ka k
My Word-photographs of Bharat Sikka by Freddy Birdy. I am a person who hates to be photographed but once, many years ago, Bharat shot me outside my home. He may have no recollection of it. But there I am, young, standing with my hands folded against my chest, and in the background are electricity wires making patterns above me, and at my feet is a coiled up garden hose. And I am looking into Bharat Sikka’s camera. Sometimes, a piece of music, or the taste of chocolate, or the rhythm of a song or the colour of the sky can take one back to another time and place. For me, it is a photograph taken by Bharat Sikka. It takes me back to an age long gone by, to a home that is no longer mine, and to a person who is no longer myself.
In all the years I have known him, Bharat the person, he has never spoken a word about his work as Bharat Sikka the photographer. He will switch on his giant computer and excitedly show you quick, rare glimpses of what he is working on at that moment. There are no discussions about his art. Those take place by himself in his head alone, I gather. Communication is in silences and stares at the computer screen and cryptic chin scratches. Bharat’s two favourite words are ‘fucking’ and ‘amazing’ and both these words are always used together. He wears his genius lightly, like a casual summer t-shirt, something incidental, like his global success, never mapped or plotted.
There are things Bharat has never said a word to me about that I feel he has told me a million times; that Ameet, his very beautiful and adorably crazy wife, is still the axis around which his entire world revolves. His brother Marut, a food world superstar himself. His family. His father, now captured forever and shared with the rest of the world by Bharat in a dropdead beautiful new series, The Sapper. There are three children, there is a girl who I suspect spins Bharat around her finger like a frisbee. And there are two lovely twin boys, his spotlight as well as his applause.
When I decided to blow up my words as art on canvas, the first person to buy two paintings was Bharat Sikka. The operative word here is buy, not ask for. One of them, loosely based on a conversation I had late one night about Bharat’s years in New York (mixed up with my imagination) remains my favourite painting to date. The other, a word painting, hangs in his living room. Just as a great photograph is an amalgam of light, time and magic, so also is the Sikka drawing room, with sprawling 16-foot-high ceilings and trees acting as low apertures for the beautiful winter light outside, a mixed media of kitchen perfumes, squealing children and the quiet frisson of domesticity.
My favourite memory of Bharat is chatting with him in his car late into the night outside my then home in Chitranjan Park, a policeman knocking at the windows, asking us to go home. Twenty years later, after hundreds of magazine covers, international glory, highly acclaimed art openings all over the globe, collections in important museums, awardwinning commercials and dwellings in Bombay, Delhi and Goa, something tells me that Bharat Sikka still hasn’t reached home.
AF ARTY ENDNOTES
The newest launches this season and where to find them. And to wrap things up, PHOTOINK founder Devika Daulet-Singh invites us into her private study.
DESIGNED TO IMPRESS
Known for their impeccably-crafted design offerings of the most premium quality, India’s leading luxury furniture and home decor brand, Stanley, recently participated in the exclusive Australian International Furniture Fair’s 2019-20 edition, bagging the ‘Best Participant’ award—and deservedly so Cutting-edge designs that push the envelope of innovation, made all the better thanks to superior skilled craftsmanship that uses the most advanced machinery—that’s what India’s leading luxury furniture and home decor brand Stanley is famed for. Although the brand has 17 outlets and design studios peppered across the country today, its
humble beginnings can be traced back 23 years, to when the brand was born...in the strangest of places—a car shed—for their first client, which was the General Motors Vendor Development office. From crafting sporty interiors for highperformance supercars, outfitting plush business jets and luxury coaches and designing and
prototyping car interiors for international auto shows to supplying highvolume leather trims to top OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and designing premium sofa sets, Stanley does it all, seeing it through from concept to production. And it’s Stanley’s focus on offering clients impeccably crafted design solutions of the highest quality that won the brand the ‘Best Participant’ award at the 2019-20 edition of the Australian International Furniture Fair (AIFF). It’s no secret that Australia is one of the largest growing markets for furniture and home decor, and Stanley took a bold step last year to venture into the export market by participating in the AIFF. Australia’s longest running and largest furniture buying and networking destination for the country’s leading retail chains and independent
retailers, AIFF saw over 11,500 visitors and 330 exhibitors from across the globe at its 2019-20 edition. In the midst of such competition, Stanley stood out for their product range, with their fine craftsmanship being greatly appreciated and winning the brand the ‘Best Participant’ award. No mean feat, especially given the fact that the Fair is conventionally dominated by European brands and Chinese companies!
STYLE NOTES
FROM THE HOTTEST PRODUCTS TO THE COOLEST LAUNCHES, HERE’S THE LOW-DOWN ON THE LATEST IN THE MARKET THIS SEASON
CRAFTED TO PERFECTION Wooden houses are gradually gaining popularity in India. Especially in areas with infrastructure and accessibility challenges, a growing awareness of the relationship between human health, the environment and the economy has given rise to the concept of wood-frame construction (WFC) in India. For the first time, Canadian Wood—a global supplier of environmentally responsible wood products from sustainably managed forests—inaugurated India’s first WFC house in Mysuru (pictured), in association with Pyramid Timber Associates. The exterior and interior of the house feature all five species of Canadian Wood—western hemlock, spruce-pine-fir, western red cedar, yellow cedar and Douglas fir. Adaptable to all climates, these homes exceed established levels of fire safety and sound control. (canadianwood.in)
FABULOUS FIND Stealing the show this season is Stanley Lifestyles, one of India’s leading luxury furniture and home decor brands, with the launch of Fabiolush, a contemporary line of sofas and chairs in fabric and goose-feather fillings. Made using the highestquality materials sourced from around the world, the upholstery consists of jacquards, velvets and embroideries made especially for this collection by an international design house with a lineage of over 60 years in fabric upholstery. This armchair (pictured) from the Auray Lifestyle collection showcases a great sense of modern design. The collection is exclusively designed by Stanley’s in-house Italian designers and is available in the brand’s stores across the country. (lovestanley.com)
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ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST | MARCH-APRIL 2020
Arjun Khanna, Condé Nast's Alex Kuruvilla, Shefalee Khanna
GQ's Che Kurrien
Condé Nast's Arjun Mehra & Akshay Chudasama
GQ's Almona Bhatia
Bikramjit Bose
Sameer & Zeenat Kulavoor
Smita Lasrado & Nikhil D
THE TURBAN PROJECT
The Aberlour bar
WHERE: Pundole’s, Mumbai
Mozez Singh Ashiesh Shah & Aishwarya Nair
Gautam Shah, Shiraz Lucien & Anand Baskaran
Prateek Sadhu
Some of Mumbai’s most creative individuals congregated at the iconic Pundole Art Gallery to toast GQ India’s first photo exhibition that celebrated the Turban’s strength, dignity and versatility. The images, shot in Punjab and Rajasthan, were documented on an iPhone 11 Pro Max by Bikramjit Bose, along with his creative collaborator Nikhil D. The atmosphere was buzzy, inspired and electric, with outstanding Aberlour single malt aiding the vibe.
Prabh Deep & Mo Joshi
Khorshed Pundole Trishya Screwvala & Suhail Chandhok
Siddharth Singh & Saket Sethi
Ravi Vazirani & Amrita Puri
SOME LIKE IT HOT In every home, a lot of energy is spent on centralized and water heating. However, the use of clever technology can lead to a significant reduction in the amount of energy spent. Domestic hot-water appliances (pictured) from Stiebel Eltron tackle this challenge efficiently, offering convenient solutions for kitchens and bathrooms. Headquartered in Germany, the brand is one of the European market leaders for heat pumps, both for domestic water heating and for temperature control via underfloor heating. With state-ofthe-art technology for more comfort, convenience and efficiency, their wide portfolio comprises solutions for electrically powered room heaters and tankless water heaters. (stiebel-eltron.in)
SUPER COATING ICA Pidilite is a joint venture of Pidilite Industries, India and ICA, Italy, a global leader in wood coatings. Established in 1971, ICA is constantly evolving with an unequivocal focus on the latest innovations and trends, flagged by designers and architects. The Urban Matter range (pictured) embodies a style that is contemporary and refined, and inspired by everyday life. This coating collection produces surfaces with steel, cement and corten effects, retaining the rugged appearance of the material while offering the warmth that only wood can provide. Available in over 2,300 shades in clear, pigmented and special finishes, this series can be employed in a plethora of creative scenarios. (icapidilite.com)
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ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST | MARCH-APRIL 2020
GQ’s Che Kurrien & Nikhil Mehra
DJ Lloyd
roi, i, Vivek Obe ani Sapna Pabb w ir ta & Tanuj V Sayani Gup
GQ’s Almona Bhatia and Kalyani Saha
Neeraj Kumar
Shantanu Mehra, Kavita Rathore & Archana Vijaya Suket Dhir, Svetlana Dhir & Rahul Mishra
Prachi Singh, Dhruv Kapoor, Divya Kapoor & Kanika Goyal
Gaurav Khanijo
Kunal Rawal & Narresh Kukreja at the Smoke bar
BEST DRESSED DELHI
Shweta Kapur & Abhishek Paatni at the Teacher's bar
Shruti Arora
WHERE: Cirrus 9, The Oberoi, New Delhi There may not be a conclusive answer to where India’s fashion capital really lies, but Delhi made a compelling argument with its super turnout of the country’s biggest designers, urban culture champions, culinary experts, entrepreneurs and socialites at GQ’s Best Dressed party. The crisp weather at the capital’s hottest rooftop venue and DJ Lloyd’s edgy tunes created the perfect vibe for a memorable night of networking and partying that saw fashion at its best.
Raghavendra Rathore at the Rado display
Pernia Qureshi
Arjun Saluja
Sanya & Varun Jain
Sunil Sethi
MODERN CRAFT Reflecting fine craftsmanship, innovation and heritage, Madheke—Loco Design’s luxury brand—creates tailored and crafted goods that reflect understated elegance inspired by old-world traditions, but built for the contemporary world. Here the brand’s sensibility of understated richness is brought to life with the ‘Allen’ console and the ‘Lian’ light. Encased parchment, fine textured casting and a subtle palette shows a softer tone of the brand, which defines a design language that seamlessly blends tradition and contemporary, vintage and modern. (madheke.in)
THE GILDED AGE INV Home is a one-stop destination for bespoke furniture and decor pieces. With an in-house product and interior designing unit, they are redefining luxury living with a focus on intricate glassware. Featured here are some exclusive pieces tailored for a modern lifestyle: brass chandeliers with golden crystal icicles, antique wooden sculptures perched on a bamboo marquetry console, wine and champagne glasses, candle holders with a variety of mother-of-pearl and semi-precious stone ornaments, and brass wine glass holders framed with silk flowers, set against a veneered marquetry panelled wall. (invhome.in)
BESPOKE BEAUTY Keramos, the leading company for bespoke tiles in India, offers a complete range of designs and options of customization for exterior and interior applications. Available in glazed and unglazed varieties, all products by Keramos are handmade, hand-painted and handcrafted by artisans using unique moulds and dyes. Featured here are clay pavers that are handcrafted and kiln-fired, creating an old-world charm. (keramosindia.com)
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ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST | MARCH-APRIL 2020
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MILES AHEAD Travel and lifestyle programme InterMiles had an exciting launch at an event curated by CNT Hot Tables at Trèsind in Mumbai. The senior leadership and closest partners of InterMiles came together with Mumbai’s food and travel connoisseurs, including AD Singh, Rahul Bose, Maria Goretti and Shenaz Treasury, to relish a specially curated seven-course meal by Chef Himanshu Saini. The dishes were inspired by the brand philosophy of InterMiles and the chef’s extensive travel experiences. The gourmet affair ended on a high with some delectable guava chaat and strawberry chilli chaat masala. Trèsind Chef Himanshu Saini, CNT’s Divia Thani & Manish Dureja of InterMiles
Zameer Kochar of InterMiles
Prashant Hingorani & Riaan George
Rumana Hamied Deepti Kat
Sumitra Daswani
Anurita Ghoshal
AD Singh & Rahul Bose
Shenaz Treasury
The table set-up at Trèsind Kalyan Karmakar.
Vikas Chandak, RV Bhat, Susanne Steidl & Etihad’s Gavin Halliday
Maria Goretti
Roxanne Bamboat with Shipra Baranwal & Ajay Awtaney
Subrat Kar
Divyakshi Gupta, Karan Batra, Chrisanne Chandy & Beverly Avalani
Piyush Khandelwal
Farshid & Aarti Cooper
Ananda Biswas Shirish Bhandari & Kusal Roy
Rajeev Kumar
Amitabh Tewary
Gaurav & Ritu Taneja
Ashish Mishra & Ameya Kapnadak Kaushal Satam with Anil Prabhu of InterMiles
Pankaj Gupta
Trèsind’s special Maharashtrian thali served with lehsuni gosht, pandhra rassa & maska pav Shivani Jadhav
Janice Alphonso, Amol Date, Nayela Mulla & Subhajit Chatterjee
Rajeev Ahuja, Sanjay Sinha & Vikas Chandak
Nirav Vira, Vivian Chandru J & Parool Seth
Rizwan Bachav & Basant Tahiliani
Team InterMiles
WINDOW DRESSING Fenesta, India’s largest windows and doors brand, recently added an ultra-luxury range of aluminium windows and doors to its product portfolio. The series is minimalist and ultra-modern, designed to enhance the luxury quotient of any living space. With styles ranging from casement to tilt and turn to sliding windows, these aluminium windows flaunt a premium design while also being completely customizable. Featuring slimmer frames and widths along with more glass area, this range of aluminium windows (pictured) helps set the tone to create unique spaces. (fenesta.com)
PUTS THE FAN IN FANTASTIC Welcome to the world of Fanzart, the largest luxury designer fan brand in the country. The company recently launched three new product innovations—the Windflower, Newton and Jumble (pictured)—which combine the quotidian ceiling fan with modern LED lighting! These new-age chandelier-fans introduce a new concept of personalization. The LED chandeliers feature multiple colour options and mood lighting, which allow you to set the tone for your evening with just a touch of a button. Each of these product innovations has been designed to match a variety of contemporary decor styles. (fanzartfans.com)
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ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST | MARCH-APRIL 2020
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Vogue India’s PriyaTanna conducts a book reading for children Masque’s Aditi Dugar and Varun Totlani brought custom-made Curators of Clay tableware for their plating workshop
x
Amalia and Rahul Akerkar with Tarang Joshi
Photographer Rohan Hande at the food photography workshop
BEAUTY AND THE FEAST Shopping, cooking, drinking and a whole lot of eating—those are a few of our favourite things. Here’s how they came alive at Sensorium—a collaboration between Vogue India and Foodhall WHERE: Foodhall, Santacruz, Mumbai WHEN: 23rd November, 2019
Interior designer Simone Arora showcased four unique tablescapes at her workshop
Author Vasudha Rai discusses the beauty benefits found in kitchen staples
Vogue India hosted their first food festival in Mumbai, titled Sensorium, a day-long event in collaboration with food retail giant, Foodhall on 23rd November, 2019. From a workshop by the team at Masque restaurant, to a masterclass in cooking rare and luxurious ingredients by one of India’s top chefs Rahul Akerkar— the event had it all. The audience also witnessed the art of table styling by interior designer Simone Arora and the trick to clicking the best food pictures by photographer Rohan Hande. The event also saw olfactory senses being rewarded at a fragrance workshop by Bombay Perfumery and a workshop on Ayurvedic foods by beauty author Vasudha Rai, along with a masterclass by Vogue’s associate fashion director, Priyanka Kapadia. But the multiple pop-ups—a chocolate garden by architect Rooshad Shroff and a bakery takeover by Qualia, to an avocado toast bar by Vogue’s food and features editor, Sonal Ved and a blind food tasting for tiny tots by chocolatier Zeba Kohli—set this evening apart.
Chef Alex Sanchez presented a picnic-themed menu at Foodhall’s cafe
Architect Rooshad Shroff’s chocolate garden
Toshin Shetty Boo Kim
h Vogue Condé Nast’s Arjun Mehra wit ra, India’s Priya Tanna, Dilshad Aro ur Kap dha Me and ria Puja Bilimo
Adah Sharma
Jameson’s Cillian Mulligan , Shaze’s Srija Srinivasan with Shannon D’Souza of KCRoasters by Koinonia an d Vogue India’s Priyanka Ka padia
Deanne Panday
Zeba Kohli and Mini Mathur Maria Goretti
Avni Biyani
Anjali Lama and Sakil Kunwar
Meera Chopra
FORM IV (See Rule 8) Statement about ownership and other particulars about newspaper AD Architectural Digest (English) as required to be published in the first issue every year after the last day of February.
ALL IN ONE PLACE Well-designed, user-friendly seating is a critical element when building a safe and comfortable living space. With HOF, comfort, design and ergonomics come all in one. With a portfolio that spans luxury chairs to office sofas, HOF—one of India’s leading furniture brands—retails artistically designed furniture that is available in an array of shapes, sizes, materials and colours. The ‘Jalsa’ armchair (pictured) features luxurious upholstery and an uncomplicated silhouette. While the melamine polish on its all-wood body makes it durable, it’s the comfortable sprung seat that makes ‘Jalsa’ a popular choice for when you’re entertaining. (hofindia.com)
1. Place of Publication
Conde Nast (India) Pvt. Ltd. 2nd Floor, Darabshaw House Shoorji Vallabhdas Marg Ballard Estate, Mumbai 400 001
2. Periodicity of its Publication
Bi-Monthly
3. Printer’s Name
Armaity Amaria for Conde Nast (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Nationality Whether a citizen of India? Address:
4. Publisher’s Name
Nationality Whether a citizen of India? Address:
5. Editor’s Name
Nationality Whether a citizen of India? Address:
6. Names and addresses of individuals Inc. who own the newspaper and partners or New York shareholders holding more than one per cent of the total capital
THE KING OF WALL TILES With over four decades of being at the top of the tile market in India, Somany has built a considerable reputation as a leader in its spaces. The brand’s latest offerings are the Glosstra Pro and Vistoso Pro series of tiles, which feature designs inspired by the rich culture and heritage of Spain and Italy. Glosstra Pro tiles (pictured) are among the glossiest tiles in the industry. They are also water repellent, which makes them stand out from the competition. (somanyceramics.com)
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ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST | MARCH-APRIL 2020
Indian Yes A-20, Rustom Baug, Sant Savata Marg, Byculla East, Mumbai-400 027 Armaity Amaria for Conde Nast (India) Pvt. Ltd. Indian Yes A-20, Rustom Baug, Sant Savata Marg, Byculla East, Mumbai-400 027 Greg Foster for Conde Nast (India) Pvt. Ltd. British No Villar Ville, First floor, Ramchandani Marg, Apollo Bunder, Colaba, Mumbai – 400001 1. Advance Magazine Publishers 4 Times Square NY 10036, USA 2. Conde Nast Asia/ Pacific Inc. 4 Times Square New York NY 10036, USA
I, Armaity Amaria, hereby declare that the particulars given above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief. Sd/Signature of Publisher Date: March 1, 2020
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DISCOVER TAHITI & KYRGYZSTAN ★ NEW HOTELS IN DHARAMSHALA & MALDIVES ★ INDIA’S TOP 50 RESTAURANTS From left: Chefs Dhruv Oberoi, Kavan Kuttappa, Pooja Dhingra, Thomas Zacharias, Prateek Sadhu & Amninder Sandhu at Hyatt Regency Delhi’s farm
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The merchandise featured in the magazine has been sourced from the following stores. Some shops may carry a selection only. Prices and availability were checked at the time of going to press, but we cannot guarantee that prices will not change or that specific items will be in stock when the magazine is published. ANDREU WORLD: BENGALURU 09886653005; NEW DELHI 09711733808; PUNE 020-26161644 (ANDREUWORLD.COM) BEYOND DESIGNS: NEW DELHI 01165000697 (BEYONDDESIGNS.IN) BLUE LOFT: MUMBAI 09326063143 (BLUELOFT.COM) BOCONCEPT: MUMBAI 02249731531; NEW DELHI 011-41663554 (BOCONCEPT.COM) CASSINA: ITALY (CASSINA.COM); AT QUATTRO ITALIA: MUMBAI (QUATTROITALIA.IN) COCOON FINE RUGS: MUMBAI 02224928647 (COCOONCARPETS.COM) D’DECOR: INDIA 1800-267-9008 (DDECOR.COM) DYSON: GURUGRAM 1800-258-6688 (DYSON.IN)
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Top Restaurant Awards stage decor by Casa Fleur
Hosts Riyaaz Amlani of Impresario & First Fiddle’s Priyank Sukhija
David Lim of Singapore Airlines
The country’s F&B industry turned up in full force for the third edition of the Condé Nast Traveller and Himalayan India’s Top Restaurant Awards. Co-hosted by restaurateurs Riyaaz Amlani and Priyank Sukhija at the Hyatt Regency Delhi, the awards were supported by luxury partner Johnnie Walker - The Journey and associate partners Singapore Airlines and Zomato. Voted for by more than 100 tastemakers, Delhi’s Indian Accent claimed the top spot, followed by The Bombay Canteen and IZUMI, Mumbai. ASSOCIATE PARTNERS
LUXURY PARTNER
NourishCo Beverages’ Meghna Nanda and Kuttiah KS with CNT’s Armaity Amaria
Rashmi Uday Singh
HOSPITALITY PARTNER
Mayur Sharma & Zeba Kohli
CNT’s Divia Thani
Zomato’s Durga Raghunath with Excellence Award winner Saee Koranne-Khandekar
NourishCo Beverages’ Kuttiah KS with Himalayan Raw & Fine Chef of the Year Amninder Sandhu
Diageo’s Shweta Jain with The Singleton Unconventional Chef of the Year Rahul Gomes Pereira
Indian Accent’s Manish Mehrotra
Masque’s Prateek Sadhu, also the Singapore Airlines India— Sky Epicurean Award winner
Toast & Tonic, Bengaluru’s Tushar Sood & Manu Chandra
Kelvin Cheung & Andrea Michele with their son Bodhi Rye
Team Hyatt for The China Kitchen
Aneesh Bhasin & Ishita Thakur
Sukhneet Wadhwa
Gusto Wines’ Kadambari Kapoor & Ashish Agarwal
The Black Sheep Bistro’s Sabreen & Prahlad Sukhtankar
RAW & FINE TOP 10
Rasna Bhasin
The Table’s Gauri Devidayal & Jay Yousuf Best New Restaurant Award winner Qualia’s Rahul Akerkar & Zomato’s Gaurav Verma
Jury member Neha Prasada Jury member Kalyani Chawla
Guests enjoyed Himalayan water
Casa Fleur’s Gaurav Makhija
Pass Code Hospitality’s Eeshan Kashyap & Rakshay Dhariwal
The Himalayan Top 10 Raw & Fine list celebrates restaurants that differentiate themselves from the rest with their naturally sourced ingredients, which play a central role in providing a superior “raw and fine” experience—similar to Himalayan Natural Mineral Water, which draws its uniqueness entirely from nature.
1 EDO Restaurant & Bar, ITC Gardenia, Bengaluru 2 The Table, Mumbai 3 Yauatcha, Mumbai 4 Wasabi By Morimoto, The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai 5 Masque, Mumbai 6 Gunpowder, Goa 7 Indian Accent, The Lodhi, New Delhi 8 Adaa, Taj Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad 9 Toast & Tonic, Bengaluru 10 Dakshin, Crowne Plaza Chennai Adyar Park
PHOTO: PAUL MICHELON/CASE DESIGN.
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LOCO DESIGN: GURUGRAM 07838139945 (LOCODESIGN.IN) LOUIS VUITTON: INDIA 1800-1039988 (LOUISVUITTON.COM) MAHENDRA DOSHI: MUMBAI 02223630526 (MAHENDRADOSHI.COM) MINOTTI: (MINOTTI.COM); AT DESIGN ITALIANO: AHMEDABAD 09879026328 (DESIGNITALIANO.IN) MOORTHY’S: MUMBAI 022-23512876 (MOORTHYS.COM) MUJI: BENGALURU 080-42565926; MUMBAI 022-24981911; NEW DELHI 011-40566955 (MUJI.COM) NILAYA BY ASIAN PAINTS: MUMBAI 022-26431074; NEW DELHI 01141501676; KOLKATA 09681059426 (NILAYA.ASIANPAINTS.COM) NITIN KOHLI HOME: NEW DELHI 09717037217 (NITINKOHLIHOME. WORDPRESS.COM) NICOBAR: MUMBAI 08588000151 (NICOBAR.COM) POLTRONA FRAU GROUP INDIA: MUMBAI 022-22614848 (POLTRONAFRAU.COM) PARADISE ROAD: SRI LANKA 009411-2686043 (PARADISEROAD.LK) PHILLIPS ANTIQUES: MUMBAI 02222020564 (PHILLIPSANTIQUES.COM) PORRO: ITALY 0039-031783266
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D E V I K A D A U L E T-S I N G H
D
A LOOK AT THE MEMORY-OBJECTS OF THE FOUNDER OF PHOTOINK, THE NEW DELHI-BASED PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY “A borrowed possession— Chitra by Rabindranath Tagore, a one act play based on a lyrical love story from the Mahabharata.”
“I collect brass containers and tiffins. This antique brass kooja is a ritual water-carrying container.”
“Screenshots from a Super 8mm home movie made by my father that records the first four years of my life.”
“Martin Parr’s Happy is a special print edition and is part of a book that PHOTOINK will release in April 2020.”
“My grandfather’s No. 3A Autographic Kodak Special camera, bought in the early 1930s, during his years at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.”
“Stationery gifted to me by artist Avinash Veeraraghavan— I find it difficult to part with these writing cards or their envelopes.”
“A tray of mah-jong tiles from my grandmother, Uma DauletSingh. It has a very distinct smell. She also taught me to play cards at a very young age.”
“A weathered tile from a set I bought at a flea market in Chelsea, New York in 1996.”
“A delicate and beautiful handmade miniature cupboard gifted to me by artist Nityan Unnikrishnan.”
“The carriage clock reminds me of my father’s study. Some days, the ticking is soothing. On other days, I prefer its silence.”
“A test print of a self-portrait by Umrao Singh Sher-Gil (After a bath, Lahore, India, 1904). I wonder if there are other photographers who made selfportraits over a period of 60 years?”
“A gold propelling pencil presented to my greatgrandfather, Rai Bahadur Dina Nath, by King George V.” AS TOLD TO SHRISTI SINGH. PHOTO: SARANG GUPTA. HALL OF NATIONS PHOTO: MADAN MAHATTA. HAPPY PHOTO: MARTIN PARR/MAGNUM PHOTOS.