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Photography by Jan Baldwin

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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

M AY- J U N E 2 0 1 9

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CONTRIBU TOR S

50

TRENDSPOTTING Our selection of the best of

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THE GOOD LIFE AD’s pick of the latest luxury

EDITOR S LETTER

design for your home.

launches in design and fashion.

ON THE COVER

ASHISH SAHI

Design: Vincent Van Duysen Fabric: Himatsingka Block-printing and embroidery: Maximiliano Modesti/Les Ateliers 2M

contents TH E C R AF TS MA NS HIP ISSUE

72

ODE TO INDIA Ikkis, the new design brand

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WALL APPLIQUÉ Handmade in India, de

76 78 80

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THE VAR ANASI TECHNIQUE The handknotted carpets by The Carpet Cellar give us a glimpse into the magnificence of the Safavid era, when Persian craftsmanship was considered to be at its peak.

84

CUTTING EDGE The Kiran Trivedi Group,

86

GOODE JOB! AD delves into the traditional

by Gunjan Gupta, adds a contemporary edge to traditional Indian objects of everyday use.

Gournay’s latest collection harks back to the grandeur of the court of Catherine the Great.

R AW MATERIALS AD takes a closer look at

Sanjay Garg’s latest collection of handmade objects lovingly crafted to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his brand, Raw Mango.

THE CARPENTER Pondicherry-based French

furniture maker Vincent Roy manifests his love for woodwork—and India—through his work.

CONSCIENTIOUS COLOUR Nilaya Naturals,

the new range of wall colours by Asian Paints, is as good for your walls as it is for the environment.

stone experts, are exploring retail with Arnaya, featuring collaborations with a host of designers, including Gauri Khan.

processes and materials that carry on Thomas Goode’s legacy and make it the global icon that it is.

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GOLDEN IDEA The finalists of the 2019 edition

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MADE IN CHINA International contemporary

of the Loewe Craft Prize showcase a true celebration of art and craft from around the world. designers give Chinese craftsmanship a modern spin at the From Yuhang Rong Design Library.

AD Beatrice Rossetti - Photo Federico Cedrone

GROUNDPIECE SECTIONAL SOFA Antonio Citterio Design www.flexform.it

AGENT FOR INDIA VITA MODERNA MUMBAI SHOWROOM info@vitamoderna.in

BANGALORE LIVING ART INTERIORS LLP design@livingartinteriors.in

DESIGN SHOW S AV E T H E D AT E

Over three days in October last year, the biggest names in art, architecture and design could be found under one roof, at the first AD Design Show—a spectacular display of craft, design and artistry. This year, the AD Design Show is back in October with the best in art, craft and design from around the country—and the world.

FOR ENQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT ADDESIGNSHOW@CONDENAST.IN

ANNOUNCING THE SECOND EDITION OF THE AD DESIGN SHOW

18 19 20

OCTOBER

DOME@NSCI, SVP STADIUM, WORLI, MUMBAI

The Who’s Who seen at the ad design show 2018 The AD Design Show was a spectacle of art, architecture and design. Held over three days in October, at Mumbai’s Dome@ NSCI, simply everyone came!

NOZER WADIA, SÖNKE HOOF, AD EDITOR GREG FOSTER, BV DOSHI, VILAS DOSHI, ALEX KURUVILLA, KUMAR MANGALAM BIRLA, ARJUN MEHRA SEEMA PURI

CHANNA DASWATTE

SUSSANNE KHAN

NATASHA POONAWALLA

SHALINI PASSI

GAURI KHAN

VIKRAM GOYAL

BIJOY JAIN

ANUPAM PODDAR, SUNITA CHORARIA

SÖNKE HOOF, ARJUN MALIK

PRIYA PAUL

ANAITA SHROFF ADAJANIA, SABYASACHI MUKHERJEE

SAMEEP PADORA

BV DOSHI, URMILA KANORIA

ALL PHOTOS: KEDAR NENE PHOTOGRAPHY

SANGITA JINDAL, RAJEEV SETHI, AMIT SYNGLE

RAJIV SAINI

ELSIE NANJI

JITEN THUKRAL

SANGEETA MERCHANT, SANJEEV PANJABI

ASHIESH SHAH, AMRITA ARORA

SANDEEP KHOSLA

V SUNIL

FEROZE GUJRAL BOSE KRISHNAMACHARI

SUNU AIBARA, PHIROSA NETERWALA

OLIVIER BIALOBOS, MARIA GRAZIA CHIURI

SUMIR TAGRA

SUNITA KOHLI

VINCENT VAN DUYSEN

KARAN GROVER

IRAM SULTAN

SONIA HAYS AND RALPH HAYS, CONSUL GENERAL OF NEW ZEALAND

GAUTAM SINGHANIA

SIMONE ARORA

AJAY ARORA

ANIL SALIAN, ZARIR MULLAN

NIELS SCHOENFELDER

EDGARD D KAGAN CONSUL GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES, ELIZA HIGGINS

TARUN TAHILIANI

contents BONSAI MASTER Through the age-old art of

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KONNICHIWA KR AFT Lexus’s latest iteration

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100

bonsai, Ryan Neil explores the delicate relationship between man and nature.

of the LS500 features interiors that celebrate Japan’s heritage of craft.

MODER N PATRONS An artwork made for Sangita Jindal, chairman of the JSW Foundation, by artisans from Lucknow’s Kalhath Institute—winners of the inaugural JSW Prize for Contemporary Craftsmanship— explores the connection between art and craftsmanship.

BIJOY IS BACK Traditional Indian craft, ancient

Egyptian artefacts and a singular skill to sculpt pieces out of humble materials mark Bijoy Jain’s furniture collection for Brussels-based gallery Maniera.

102

TO DYE FOR Discover how Mumbai-based

106

ON THE ROCK S Our selection of the season’s

artisan studio Adiv Pure Nature’s Temple Project is making the most of organic waste by converting it into natural textile dyes.

crystal and glassware comes to life at the 19th-century Ambico Ice Factory in Mumbai.

112

KR AFTWERK These five champions of craft are

132

THE K A NTHA COVER A behind-the-scenes look at the collaboration—of Belgian minimalist Vincent Van Duysen, prolific fabric house Himatsingka, and master embroiderer Maximiliano Modesti—that led to AD’s second fabric cover.

changing the face of design with their contemporary interpretation of ancient craft traditions.

JEROEN VERRECHT

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contents 136

140

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190

House—American ambassador Kenneth I Juster’s residence in New Delhi.

S C A L I N G U P A gigantic and cutting-

edge factory dedicated to sheeting and towels is the latest innovation from textile manufacturer Himatsingka, known mostly for its ultra high-end fabrics and now for a more democratic—and sustainable—form of luxury.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX Nine designers, spanning the worlds of interiors, fashion and architecture, interpret papier mâché in their signature style in collaboration with Srinagar-based Suffering Moses for this special AD commission.

AD

CUROCARTE AD visits the villages

collectively known as Longpi to discover the tradition and people responsible for the craft of Longpi pottery.

MONSIEUR LESAGE A spectacular

19th-century mansion near Pondicherry functions as the home of the legendary embroiderer JeanFrançois Lesage.

THE BLUE ROOM AD discovers the

painstakingly restored Rajasthani murals at Roosevelt

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THE TREEHOUSE French designer Cedric

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THE GREAT BEAUT Y Architect Vincenzo De

213

R SVP An anniversary and a commemoration of 100 headlining architects and interior designers was enough reason for influencers and connoisseurs to celebrate AD India completing seven years.

222

SCOUTS A round-up of the some of the best

232 234

STOCKISTS An A-Z of the stores in our pages.

Courtin finds refuge from city life in Chennai in a charming abode located in a small village near ondicherry.

Cotiis discovered his dream home under the layers of this house located in an 18th-century palatial building in Milan.

products that you need to own this season.

THE MOOD Ranjit Ahuja retraces his journey

with some key pieces, diligently handcrafted at his Mumbai atelier.

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CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Ricardo Labougle Neville Sukhia Tom Parker

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PORTRAIT: R BURMAN.

he working title of this issue was Contemporary Craftsmanship and I had intended to use that as our single, sexy cover line until just before Max Modesti began hand stitching Vincent Van Duysen’s cover design on 1,100 metres of sustainable cotton fabric from Akanksha Himatsingka’s new home linen brand, Himêya. But then I bumped into Malika Verma on a plane to Bangalore and, as usual, she made me think more carefully. Malika is, without a doubt, one of the most informed and brilliant minds on craftsmanship in India, and was visibly queasy at the idea of using the word ‘contemporary’ as a prefix to an industry she considers to be absolutely equal to design. ‘Does the work of karigars really need the input of a contemporary designer to be relevant?’ we discussed on the runway. What is craftsmanship if it is not contemporary? And should editors really be throwing around buzzwords just for the sake of a powerful page one? Before we even took off, I was convinced otherwise. “Stop stitching!” I messaged Max. It wasn’t the first time during the making of this issue that I had questioned my personal preoccupation for “fusing traditional craft with contemporary design”—a phrase I have way overused on this page, and which now sounds like a lazy cliche brandished by media-savvy designers from Bandra.

Case in point: one of the highlights of this issue is the untold story of Longpi, an unusual form of black pottery that is most commonly made in the mountain village of the same name in Manipur, in northeastern India.

The story came about after I purchased three Longpi vases with sharp, Arik Levy-like angles that I found on an AD shoot last year. How clever, I thought at the time, to manipulate such a rare material into striking, modern forms. To capture the essence of Longpi, both the village and its craft, we sent the brilliant fashion photographer Ashish Shah into the hills with the only brief being to bring back magic. And, oh, how he did.

I already have the romantic landscape on page 156 framed and hung in my apartment. But even more fascinating to me were the images of the ‘traditional’ vessels being sculpted by hand. They are everything I love— minimal, beautifully proportioned and devoid of decorative detail—but not at all contemporary, given that they are the same vessels that have been produced for generations. For the first time, I saw the sophistication in the subtle shapes and—to paraphrase my own words—the power of the karigar.

I’d happily swap my shiny architectural vases for the authentic originals.

But contemporary is not a dirty word when it comes to craftsmanship.

It just needs the correct context. It was Pareina Thapar who introduced me to Suffering Moses, one of the country’s leading workshops for papier mâché, while I was on holiday in Srinagar. There, I was immediately struck by the fact that no designer I know of is working with this delicate, precious material. This is a craft that is ripe for resurgence, I thought, and the reason that we commissioned nine designers to rethink (not reinvent) the classic Kashmiri box—another highlight of this issue. I really hope it doesn’t make Malika queasy.

I feel incredibly lucky to have been advised by not only Malika, but a roll call of passionate experts as we worked on the second edition of our craftsmanship issue. Because never before have I felt such a responsibility to get it right. Mayank Mansingh Kaul, the country’s leading authority on textiles, told me about the last workshop in Benaras creating gold yarn to such quality that it could be used in gyaser, the rare fabrics worn by monks in Tibet and Ladakh, but it was too late to make the issue. Vivek Sahni, who communicates with all of India’s leading workshops via Whatsapp, was generous in opening up his address book. And Sanjay Garg was, as always, a fountain of ideas.

And that’s not forgetting the dream team of Vincent, Max and Akanksha who created our cool cover. Belgian minimalism meets Indian richness in this super sharp design that features hand-embroidered kantha stitch and cashmere appliqué on Himêya’s sustainable cotton. “Eileen Gray meets Tetris,” I said to Vincent when I first received the designs. “Exactly!” he replied, noting it is also based on his Claustra installation.

Our kantha cover is contemporary, contextual and collaborative. That, I’m sure, is the future of craftsmanship.

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contributors BJÖRN WA L L A N D E R photographer

New York-based photographer Björn Wallander contributes to some of the world’s leading publications, including many Condé Nast titles. In ‘Monsieur Lesage’ (pg 174), he focuses his expert lens on the 19th-century Pondicherry mansion that is the home of master embroiderer Jean-François Lesage.

J I G N E S H J H AV E R I photographer

Mumbai-based photographer Jignesh Jhaveri is a frequent contributor to AD. In this issue, Jhaveri photographed the cool mise en scène of ‘On The Rocks’ (pg 106). “It was great to collaborate with AD and shoot inside one of Mumbai’s oldest ice factories.”

R ANJIT AHUJA designer

A M I T N AVA R A N G E production director

NEVILLE SUKHIA photographer

In ‘Modern Patrons’ (pg 96), Mumbaibased Neville Sukhia photographed master embroiderer Maximiliano Modesti and JSW Foundation chairman Sangita Jindal at the former’s Kalhath Institute, Lucknow: “I loved shooting at Kalhath. It was a whole new experience.”

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ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST|MAY-JUNE 2019

Condé Nast India’s production director Amit Navarange managed the application of this issue’s fabric cover. “It was very exciting to work on a fabric cover again for AD. The team always throws challenges at you and pushes for innovation and excellence. This fabric cover will always be special for me since this is my last production for AD after having worked at Condé Nast India for 12 years.”

PHOTO: TALIB CHITALWALA (RANJIT AHUJA).

Designer Ranjit Ahuja threw open the doors of his Mumbai atelier to take AD through some of his favourite pieces in ‘The Mood’ (pg 234). “All the individual pieces in the mood board were picked out and assembled as if we had been collaborating for years. Each piece has a personal story attached and is an expression of my philosophy: Simple done perfect is never simple.”

And you thought it’s the nameplate that introduces you.

The model featured is the Rock Crystal Pull by Taannaz www.taannaz.in

contributors ASHISH SHAH photographer

Originally from Dehradun, Ashish Shah is now based in Mumbai. He is drawn towards documenting human emotions and stories, which served him well in capturing the village of Longpi—the birthplace of the chic black pottery—and its people in ‘AD x CuroCarte’ (pg 153).

MALIK A VER MA writer

The founder of Border & Fall, Malika Verma has been a vocal advocate for India’s design and craft communities. In this issue, she writes about the Kalhath Institute, Lucknow in ‘Modern Patrons’ (pg 96) and delves into the unique black pottery from Longpi, Manipur in ‘AD x CuroCarte’ (pg 153). “An opportunity to dig deep into the craft of Longpi and research its growth and movements was wonderfully indulgent. Similarly, writing about Max’s work is always a pleasure. I’ve known him for years and admire his ability to dream and execute ambitious projects.”

MANOLO YLLER A

photographer

SUNIL SETHI writer

A S H I S H SA H I photographer

In this issue, AD art director Ashish Sahi photographed the Pondicherry home of designer Cedric Courtin in ‘The Treehouse’ (pg 194). “I really enjoy shooting small spaces, because they’re always the most creatively designed and, in turn, inspire me to seek out creative shots too.”

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For New Delhi-based Sunil Sethi, writing about Jean-François Lesage’s (pg 174) and Cedric Courtin’s (pg 194) homes was a joy: “No two houses could be in greater contrast. Courtin’s tiny pile of rooms in a tower is a spontaneous, al fresco getaway for weekends. Lesage’s elaborate resurrection of a 19th-century mansion set in vast landscaped grounds is breathtaking for its ambition and atmospheric detail.”

PHOTO: PRARTHNA SINGH (MALIKA VERMA).

Spain-based Manolo Yllera is the quintessential globetrotter, capturing stunning interior spaces around the world. In ‘The Great Beauty’ (pg 202), Yllera takes us on a visual journey to the recently refurbished Milan home of architect Vincenzo De Cotiis.

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MARMO HOME PRIVATE LIMITED

contributors SUFFERING MOSES craftsmen

In ‘Thinking Outside The Box’ (pg 140), Suffering Moses—the Srinagar-based craft store that has been preserving and promoting traditional crafts since 1840— collaborated with designers and architects to create a series of 9 papier mâché boxes. Proprietors Mohamed Sadiq Wani and his son Muzaffar Sadiq Wani (pictured) come from a family of craftsmen who migrated to Kashmir from Iran, generations ago, and hope to take the tradition ahead. “Ours is a family of artists who have contributed a lot to develop Kashmiri handicrafts and have become world-famous. We hope to carry the same legacy into the future, although it is becoming difficult day by day,” shares Muzaffar.

A D I L H A SA N New Delhi-based Adil Hasan photographed Vivek Sahni and Varun and Parth Seth in ‘Kraftwerk’ (pg 112). Summarizing his experience, he says, “As photographers, we are sometimes privileged to be able to immerse ourselves in an artists’ life while making portraits.”

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PHOTOS: YAWAR KABLI (SUFFERING MOSES).

photographer

www.baxter.it ph. Andrea Ferrari

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TRENDSPOTTING A curated collection of design for the

home

STYLIST SAMIR WADEKAR

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1. ‘Flood 04’ mirror, Fernando Mastrangelo. 2. ‘The Shikhara’ hanging light (9 feet), `3,90,000, Arjun Rathi.

3. ‘Norigami’ (sky lacquer) coffee table, Armani/Casa. 4. ‘Industrial Craft Vessel 01’ composite material made from waste polyurethane foam dust and pigmented resin, `47,300, Charlotte Kidger.

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BESPOKE LUXURY KITCHENS + APPLIANCES, CABINETRY & ACCESSORIES

MILAN SHOWROOM Via dell’Annunciata 12, Milan | ph +39 02 4548 6910 | milano@officinegullo.com FLORENCE

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NEW YORK

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MIAMI

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LONDON

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MILAN

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MOSCOW

OFFICINEGULLO.COM

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DUBAI

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TEL AVIV

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HONG KONG

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1. Circa 1960 rattan sunburst flower-shaped mirror from Spain, `1,19,000, 1stdibs.com. 2. ‘Indefinite’ pink-onyx vase by Studio EO, Galerie Kreo. 3. ‘Siepe’ cabinet in Italian walnut wood, `9,62,000, Habito. 4. ‘Pila’ Madurai Gold granite, hammered copper and teak table by Quentin Vuong in collaboration with Studio Coppre, `24,900, SĀR. 52|

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LAMP: JEAN-FRANÇOIS JAUSSAUD/LUXPRODUCTIONS.

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1. ‘Usha’ rug (3x5 feet) by Kanta Devi from the Artisan Originals collection, `66,500, Jaipur Rugs. 2. ‘Phases of the Moon’ tray, `14,988, Ecruonline.com. 3. ‘James’ floor lamp by Pierre Yovanovitch, R & Company. 4. ‘Stout’ (one litre) copper carafe, `2,900, Studiocoppre.com. 5. ‘Rio’ coffee table (thermo ash), `70,000, Wood’n Design.

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Italian Masterpieces Let it Be sofa designed by Ludovica + Roberto Palomba. poltronafrau.com

Mumbai - Ground Floor, Wakefield House, Dougall Road - T. +91 22 22614848 Pune - Ground Floor, Trump Towers, Kalyani Nagar - T. +91 20 66473131 Surat - No.6-7, Union Heights, Next to Lalbhai Cricket Stadium, Surat Dumas Road - Tel +91 261 2977444 New Delhi - 99 Empire Plaza, Mehrauli-Gurgaon Rd, Sultanpur, T. +91 11 26809772

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1. ‘Talisman Loop’ sconce with grey jade, `3,84,000, APPARATUS. 2. ‘Faded Peony’ (black) octagonal bowl from the Ralph Lauren x Burleigh collection by Ralph Lauren Home, Seetu Kohli Home. 3. ‘Fields (Forged Iron)’ (4x6 feet) hand-knotted wool carpet, `38,400, Mishcat Co. 4. ‘Branch’ door pulls (pair), `1,50,000, Taannaz. 5. ‘R3’ hand-shaped maple hardwood coffee table, `14,43,000, John Eric Byers.

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1. Black limestone and mother-of-pearl inlay tile from the Lusso collection, `6,000 per square foot, Topstona. 2. ‘Double Passion Flower’ hand-sculpted banana-paper lamp (small), `45,158, Oorjaa.

3. ‘Lifafa’ chair, `25,000, PRELAB DESIGN STUDIO. 4. ‘Parched Earth, Potent Life’ ceramic object, `10,000, Shweta Mansingka. 5. ‘Magistral’ cabinet with maple hardwood, bamboo, plywood and metal hardware by Sebastián Errazuriz, R & Company.

Vero Air c-bonded. Now with the new bathroom furniture series Brioso.

With its consistent rectangular formal language, the Vero Air bathroom series is synonymous with architectural and straight bathroom design. The patented c-bonded technology seamlessly combines the washbasin and vanity unit. Shown here with the Brioso vanity unit in Chestnut Dark. For more information: +91 79 66112300, marketing.india@in.duravit.com or www.duravit.in

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Assistant Stylist: Mitalee Mehta.

For details, see Stockists 1. ‘Cammei’ obelisk (multilayered wood, silk-screened, hand-sponged and lacquered), `2,15,000, Fornasetti.

2. ‘Rabari 4’ rug by Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien, Nanimarquina. 3. ‘Bronze Etagere’ handmade bookshelves in natural bronze, Osanna Visconti di Modrone. 4. ‘Three Cylinder’ marble table, `2,70,000, Casegoods.in. 5. ‘Fragments’ oval bowl with five marble layers by Lex Pott, `4,47,000, The Future Perfect.

BOWL: LAUREN COLEMAN.

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‘CYRNOS’ ROOM SPRAY, CIRE TRUDON

S, ALIGH R IN G

‘LA JETÉE ’

THE GOOD LIFE

From fashion to design, this is the latest in luxury

SSOVER’ R ‘CRO ING

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STYLIST RAVNEET CHANNA

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ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST|MAY-JUNE 2019

‘LVC EA’ TO URBILLON WATCH, BVLGA RI

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‘C HI CH O I’ F cC OUR M SSICA RO , JE WN ECKLACE

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ANTIQUE SILVER AND MULTI-EMBROIDERED BAR BAG, ALEXANDER McQUEEN

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CHRONOMET TER ER’ S A M WA N A TC TT H, O A H MEGA N A TION M A L L E T S N ‘CO

I IER

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’S CH R ‘GRAFTO U N MET’ BROGUES, CH

ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST|MAY-JUNE 2019 ‘VIRIDE’ PERFUME, ORTO PARISI

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‘VIS IO N ’ DIAMOND AN IRE D NA

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‘TRAD ITION 7097’ W ATC H IN W

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ABAT’ BAG IN N VENETA APPA LEATHER, BOTTEGA XI C A ‘M

‘ROCCA’ SHAVING BRUSH, MÜHLE

AVERNAKE KNIFE, S S ’ F E IC CH ASS CL

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LD CUFFLI NK -GO E S, OS

For details, see Stockists

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

DESIGNED FOR THE DRIVEN

Work meets leisure at this swish address in the heart of Delhi.

The Council at Hyatt Regency Delhi lets you network with entrepreneurs the world over, in an exclusive space with exclusive offerings, just for you

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efore you set off on that business trip, there are plenty of things to be taken into account. The location, the hotel and the amenities on offer are only some of the many things to consider. When you travel for business, you want only the best for both you and your team. That’s because most business travellers enjoy every bit of being cossetted and fussed over even while they’re busy working. And if you happen to be reading this, The Council at Hyatt Regency Delhi has some exclusive offers, only for you.

Centrally located at the commercial hub of Bhikaji Cama Place, this impressive sandstone structure has it all. Its 507 tastefully designed rooms are equipped with

everything that today’s traveller could possibly need.

Multiple dining options, a state-of-the-art fitness centre and spa and a sprawling banquet facility are only some of the many wonderful things to expect at the property.

But what truly sets it apart is its exclusive business club, The Council. Think of this as a by-invitation, members-only club that acts as both a corporate boardroom and a networking platform. This is where you can sit back and work at peace while enjoying the comfort of your surroundings and the many amenities on offer. The Council seeks to provide a niche space for achievers across industries. The aim is to ensure your complete privacy, while providing you with a stimulating

AT THE COUNCIL, YOU CAN NETWORK WITH LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS, HOST MEETINGS AND WORK PRODUCTIVELY, ENSCONCED IN THE MOST LUXURIOUS SETTING YOU COULD POSSIBLY IMAGINE.

environment to work from. At The Council, you can network with like-minded individuals, host meetings and work productively, ensconced in the most luxurious setting you could possibly imagine.

Located at the lobby level, The Council offers a restaurant, private meeting rooms, a social working space and also a wine and cigar room that you can enjoy exclusive access to. Its wooden interiors are quietly elegant, as are the various twinkling chandeliers across the space, brought in from different countries.

It goes without saying of course, that being a member of this club comes with a host of benefits. Hold private meetings in a dedicated boardroom without making prior reservations, enjoy a special menu and exclusive access to special deals on art pieces from renowned artists.

It doesn’t stop there. You can also make the most of special deals and priority reservations at the hotel’s award-winning restaurants and spa apart from enjoying offers on celebratory occasions. Often, there are special wine dinners and evenings dedicated to cigar aficionados

that you as a member can be a part of. Better still, the personal concierge services on offer will cater to your every need, allowing you to work in absolute peace.

Excellent service. A supreme work environment. The most flawless amenities. The Council promises all of that and more, to provide you with an impeccable experience when you choose to work at Hyatt Regency Delhi.

For more information, call Mr Sandeep Madan, Director of the Business Club at + 91 9871386827 or email sandeep.madan@hyatt.com

THE CRAFTSMANSHIP ISSUE

PHOTO: YAWAR KABLI.

VOLUME II

MAISON & OBJET

ikkis so good

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garden-variety ‘cutting chai’ glass is elevated into an elegant champagne flute while an inconspicuous lota (vessel) finds pride of place in its new avatar as a decorative jar. Unapologetically unconventional in design, yet deeply rooted in the Indian milieu, these objects are part of the 21-piece collection by Ikkis, the new brand from designer Gunjan Gupta, launched at Maison & Objet earlier this year. Ikkis—which literally translates to ‘twenty-one’ in Hindi—launches with 21 objects designed for the 21st century. Each object is firmly entrenched in an aspect of daily life in India and is as Indian at heart as it is contemporary in form.

Seemingly ordinary objects like the balti (bucket), kulhar (earthen mugs) are reinterpreted and uplifted into works of art.

This juxtaposition between the traditional and the modern isn’t new territory for Gunjan Gupta, founder and creative director of Ikkis. For over a decade now, Gupta has been creating contemporary relevance for declining Indian handicrafts through her self-named brand—and Ikkis follows a similar philosophy. “My eponymous brand is an artistic vision incorporating indigenous materials, skills and narratives into sculptural objects that are symbolic of contemporary India and fall under the collectible design category. Ikkis is a product-design brand that carries the same spirit and is focused towards the design of objects that are universal for

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utility, function and everyday living.” Each object harks back to a familiar, reassuring ritual or memory. The kulhar represents the comforting ritual of chai and conversations at the local tea stall, while the patila brings to mind the flurry of activity in a typical Indian kitchen—with mothers at the helm. Gupta believes these quotidian stories lie at the heart of her work: “Stories of everyday India are the soul of my designs and I think that is the aspect of my work that people connect with internationally. Ikkis expresses itself through the release of tension between old and new, handcrafted and industrial, form and function, purpose and play...”

Ikkis has also drawn in a large community of local artisans— offering them a platform to showcase their crafts and skills—who have created this collection using traditional materials (brass, stone, copper and glass) in combination with patented finishes such as a terracotta powder finish that has been developed in-house. The brand offers an unlimited as well as limited series; the former is the result of industrial and handmade processes, and was launched in January. However, it’s the limited series (slated to launch at the September edition of Maison & Objet) that truly embodies Indian craftsmanship. With it, Gupta hopes to “re-contextualize Indian craft for contemporary living and putting the craftsman at the forefront of the creation”—a fitting tribute to craft, indeed.

TEXT: SHWETA VEPA VYAS.

Contemporary in form, yet inherently Indian at its core—Ikkis, the new design brand

by Gunjan Gupta, effortlessly melds the traditional and the modern

TEXT: SHWETA VEPA VYAS. PHOTO: SIMON UPTON.

MAISON & OBJET

wall applique Behind de Gournay’s latest collection of wallpapers and textiles—handcrafted in India—is a tale of craftsmanship and grandeur inspired by the imperial court of Catherine the Great

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ntricately hand-painted daisies embellished with handembroidered silk and metallic threads adorn the walls of a private salon in Paris. This is no painting, but given the workmanship, it may very well be considered art. The walls in question sport exquisite wallpaper from Salon Privé—the latest collection of wallpapers and textiles by de Gournay, in collaboration with the Italy-born, Chicago-based designer Alessandra Branca.

Drawing from a style born out of blending together Byzantine and Western European influences, using ancient Chinese painting and embroidery techniques, the new collection has been handmade in south India. In fact, the brand is in the process of setting up a new manufacturing facility in India, for which a special team has already been assembled. For this collection, a single square metre of wallpaper took 350 hours to create. The works have been exhibited at de Gournay’s Paris apartment (which was redesigned by Branca) and features two adjoining salons inspired by the 18th-century court of Catherine the Great.

For a woman who engineered the coup that overthrew her emperor husband and ascended the throne in his stead, Catherine was, surprisingly, quite a patron of the arts. The empress was instrumental in creating a new style that blended the Western classicism of her birthplace (the Kingdom of Prussia), and the

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Byzantine style of her marital home in Russia. So for this collection, Branca and de Gournay studied both Russian and European history—the result is a stunning array of wallpaper and textiles.

The first salon, titled Winter Garden, features wallpaper made of parchment-coloured tea paper, with hand-painted, handembroidered floral motifs in blues, browns and creamy whites. In contrast, the second salon, titled Catherine, is a riot of cerulean, rouge and gold. For instance, the ‘Flora’ wallcovering (pictured) pays tribute to the decor of the Catherine Palace in the town of Tsarskoye Selo (30 kilometres south of Saint Petersburg). To create it, a cream wool sateen basecloth was hand-embroidered with peonies and tulips in blue silk thread, and highlighted further with appliquéd red silk and gold metallic thread. Other pieces of interest, designed by Branca and showcased at the apartment, include a bespoke gilded stone fireplace (designed in collaboration with Jamb), and the ‘Faux Bois’ upholstery (hand-embroidered by de Gournay).

Catherine the Great was said to have ushered in Russia’s age of enlightenment, which celebrated advancements in science, arts and craftsmanship. With the Salon Privé collection, London-based de Gournay, with ateliers in India and China, carries forward the tradition of creating handmade luxury interiors using those time-honoured techniques, but with a modern-day vision.

TEXT: RAJASHREE BALARAM.

raw material To mark the 10th anniversary of his brand Raw Mango, designer Sanjay Garg created a collection of handcrafted objects that dug deep into his roots

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or Delhi-based designer Sanjay Garg, fashion has always been a medium to express his passion for heritage weaves and craftsmanship. It is hardly surprising, then, that he decided to celebrate his first decade in the industry by launching RM 10 Objects—a series of curiosities that have, at first glance, little to do with fashion. “[The objects] represent the colours, historical knowledge, folklore, myths, rituals and practices that have filled up my mind over the years, and have emerged from the same crucible from which I seek inspiration for fashion,” says Garg. “Also, I wanted to explore another medium through which I could sum up the impact of my brand.”

Garg spent more than a year developing this collection. He admits the process was indulgent, but also tested the strength of his ideals. “I was keen on launching a fragrance as part of this collection. I made several trips to the old perfumeries of Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh, worked with perfumers and experimented with many aromatic ingredients. I was attempting to capture the earthy essence of my ideals, of what I stand for. I came close eventually, but it was still not quite what I really wanted. So I finally decided to abandon the idea.”

The restraint that marks Garg’s personality also shows up as wonderful minimalism in his designs. The ‘Jahangir’ bowl (pictured), for instance, is a stunningly simple ode to craftsmen from the

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Mughal era. Carved by artisans from Jaipur out of a single block of rock crystal, the hardstone bowl is embellished with four small, pear-shaped rubies. “I saw more than a couple of pieces come apart in the artisans’ hands. It demanded a lot of perseverance and skill, and reminded me of craft practitioners in the past who spent months, sometimes years, getting that one piece right.” No less painstaking was the making of the animal figurines in bronze and terracotta, inspired by ancient objects from Iran and Spain. Garg explored crafts from foreign lands for this collection, to reiterate the many cultural influences that have shaped the story of India.

Besides these objects, which are available at his New Delhi and Bengaluru stores, there are also delightful intangibles, such as musical compositions based on classical rhythms, poems, witty repartee as seen in the banna-banni folk songs of north India, and instrumental riffs, that all come together as a sumptuous aural feast that can be streamed from rawmango.in/ghar. An especially delightful item in the collection is a set of two types of churan (traditional Indian digestifs) concocted by Shri Vaidhya Bholaram Agarwal, an Ayurvedic specialist from Kosi in UP. “It may not sound as posh as fine imported chocolates, but I always carry two tiny jars of churan in my bag. I add it to any dish for that extra punch. What can I say? I love being close to my roots!”

TEXT: RAJASHREE BALARAM. PHOTO: ASHISH SAHI.

the carpenter Pondicherry-based French furniture maker Vincent Roy is one of India’s most in-demand carpenters

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hoosing wood for a piece of furniture is a lot like choosing colours for a painting,” says Vincent Roy, whose reverence for wood has not even remotely dimmed with time—or fame, for that matter. The Pondicherry-based Frenchman is regarded among India’s most sought-after furniture makers, routinely commissioned by top architects and interior designers to create customized pieces, as well as to furnish cafes, boutiques and consulates.

Roy first came to India in 2008, to assist cabinetmaker Patrick Laffourcade in the restoration work of Notre Dame des Anges, an old church located in the French quarter of Pondicherry. Born and raised in Cognac, he admits to a love-at-first-sight moment when he first set foot here 11 years ago, as a 21-year-old backpacker: “I fell in love with the millions of possibilities that India offers. After a year, I decided to explore the rest of Asia, and travelled and worked as a carpenter in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Indonesia. But even after all that time, I missed India deeply and finally decided to return and set up my home and studio here.”

Roy is hugely excited—and mildly baffled—at the pace at which carpentry is progressing in India. “Suddenly, it seems as if everyone wants to be an architect and designer! On a serious note, the engineering industry here is rapidly developing a wider choice of

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advanced carpentry tools and machines, but it is the variety of crafts and techniques that make it such an exciting place to work in.

Rajasthan alone has so many crafts, and there are so many talented hands ready and willing to collaborate.”

He mostly works with antique beams sourced from old Tamilian homes, and Burma teak used by the British and the Chettiars (a Tamilian merchant community). Though Pondicherry has a long history of native woodworking and thrives on colonial reproductions, Roy’s works have a distinctive signature that speaks of a modern, minimalistic design, wrought in uncomplicated lines rooted in Scandinavian furniture design from 1920 to 1970.

Everything that he creates is built with traditional joinery—sanded and polished, by hand, to a fine finish.

These days, he is busy experimenting with an ancient Japanese technique shou sugi ban, which involves preserving wood by first firing the timber to a charred surface, and then treating it with special oils. Shou sugi ban is a time-consuming process—one that requires gentle hands and a lot of patience, but rewards its practitioner with indescribable pride and joy. Undoubtedly, there are incomparable moments of peace and evolution to be found in these traditional craftsmanship practices, but for Roy everything mostly comes back to India: “I feel free here.”

TEXT: GAURI KELKAR. PHOTOS COURTESY OF ASIAN PAINTS.

Conscientious Colour Asian Paints’ Nilaya Naturals is a new range of wall colours that is as easy on the eye as it is on the environment

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s the threats of global warming and environmental degradation loom large on the horizon, having your interiors be outdoor-friendly is higher on the priority list than it has ever been. Even global celebrities are embracing the cause—as evidenced by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, who chose to do up their first baby’s nursery with environmentfriendly (and vegan!) paint. Luckily for green warriors with an eye for aesthetics, Asian Paints’ Nilaya Naturals—a new range of eco-friendly wall paints—aims at doing just this. The Nilaya Naturals range comprises paints that are not just great looking— they’re also great for your conscience.

A first of its kind in the Indian market, the breakthrough product line has worked hard to earn its reputation of being environment friendly. While several industries are now on board with the idea of ethical, ecologically sustainable products, the world of paint has been little explored in this regard, despite an increasing number of environmentally aware customers.

It was to cater to this base of ecologically aware Indians that this new offering was created. The Nilaya Naturals range is rooted in nature, in composition as well as in spirit. Over 95 per cent of its natural ingredients include soya bean extract, casein, calcium

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carbonate, castor seeds and neem oil; that its soft, vintage-inspired matt finish takes its cues from flower petals is an added bonus.

Much like in nature, the shades acquire more depth and character over time. Each of the 35 handpicked colours in the palette (available in three variations) are crafted by a master colour-maker, by artfully blending each unique pigment. What enhances the uniqueness of the range is that it is composed of pigments sourced from around the world.

As people now spend more time indoors, it is important to ensure that the air within one’s four walls is as clean as possible.

The Nilaya Naturals range steps up here as well. The paints are porous and breathable, and allow air to flow freely. Unlike chemical-based paints, they have a clean, fresh fragrance. In addition to discouraging microbial growth, they help regulate humidity and temperature, which makes for comfortable living spaces. All of which means that you get to choose from a variety of colour options without having to worry about the adverse impact your decision might have on the environment. The range comes with a 10-year warranty, at the end of which, the paints decompose harmlessly, leaving you with an environmental clean slate, matched only by your conscience.

M A D E

F O R

R O Y A L T Y

Introducing Senator from the house of CERA C u r a t e d b y r e n o w n e d I t a l i a n d e s i g n e r, E t t o r e G i o r d a n o .

w w w. c er a - i n d i a . c o m / s e n a t or

TEXT: SHWETA VEPA VYAS.

the varanasi technique The latest collection of hand-knotted carpets from The Carpet Cellar is inspired by the Safavid era—the pinnacle of Persian art and craftmanship

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oven into the fabric of a Persian carpet are a thousand stories—of its weavers, its craftsmanship and its history spanning centuries—that promise to take you to faraway lands. Paying tribute to the rich legacy of the traditional carpets of Iran is the Safavid collection by The Carpet Cellar. The Safavid era, which spanned the period from the early-16th to the mid-18th centuries, is considered the zenith of Iranian creativity and encompassed art, architecture, literature and crafts like ceramics and metalwork among others. In particular, the carpets made during this era by craftsmen and designers from the royal courts are considered the pinnacle of Persian carpet making. Since their arrival in Iran, the Safavids, taking advantage of the centuriesold Persian textile traditions and silk farms along the Caspian Sea, elevated carpet-making to an art that flourished under their royal patronage.

This carpet from the collection (pictured), which bears the millefleurs design is an ode to these timeless traditions. Right from the sourcing of the highest-quality wool from Australia and South America, there’s a fine attention to detailing at every step of the creative process. Typically, carpet makers use materials that can’t be used in apparel, but that’s where the Safavid collection differs—with high-grade clothing wool (typically used in making bespoke suits)

as the material of choice. The wool is handspun by artisans in Varanasi, using a traditional technique that is extremely labourintensive and time-consuming. This process not only adds a personalized signature to each rug, but also adds to the lifespan of the final creation, making it worthy of being passed on from one generation to the next.

Similarly, the brand turns to tradition in another important part of the process, by swapping commercial dyes with vegetable-based ones. The result is beautiful jewel-toned hues and a sheen that’s unmatched. Skilled craftspeople then weave life into the creations with splendid floral motifs typical of the Safavid era, using the meticulous process of hand-knotting the yarn. Post knotting, a unique technique known as pile cutting is used to highlight the different materials used (wool and silk), by keeping the base pile stunted and the silk threads longer. The almost three-dimensional effect plays up the attributes of the different materials. The interplay of the different textures—matt wool and glossy silk—adds another layer of visual interest. In keeping with traditional methods, the carpets are given a herbal wash with indigenous herbs that enhance the colour of the vegetable dyes used, while also prolonging the life of the rug. And thus, each exquisite creation ushers in a brand-new story—one meant to perpetuate a vibrant legacy.

TEXT: GAURI KELKAR.

Cutting Edge With a new line of accessories by Gauri Khan, Arnaya, the new marble brand by the Kiran Trivedi Group takes its otherwise monumental stonework expertise into beautifully crafted home products

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alleable is not a word to associate with stone, but as impermeable a material as it is, stone, in all its textures and forms, is singularly versatile in its potential and possibilities. It is the enterprising connoisseurs who recognize its ability to be stretched or contracted into anything at all—expanded into a monumental structure, or cut to size into a product for the home. That is exactly what the Kiran Trivedi Group has been practising and perfecting for nearly seven decades, when it started out as a mining company in 1948.

They have, since, conquered larger horizons with a statistically impressive 300 projects across 25 countries, which include commercial and luxury residential properties, and have also carved a niche for themselves as monument builders par excellence—a temple in China, the Lotus Meditation Hall in Bihar and gurdwaras in the UK. Through it all, they have worked their expertise across marble, granite, quartz, sandstone, onyx and semi-precious stones.

All of it, though, would come to naught if it weren’t for the flawless, rigorous manufacturing processes the company insists on. “We start by sending our team straight to the source to select the material that gives both the best quality and minimum wastage,” says Manan Trivedi, managing director of the group. After being cut down to size on a line-up of CNC machines, the products are put through a

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round of inspections before being handed over to some of the world’s best lapidaries, for “the perfect surface finish—polished or sandblasted”. Then it’s a final quality check, packing and shipment, and often, even facilitating installation.

Now, these industry leaders in stone quarrying, processing and designing—and pioneers of mechanized marble quarrying in India—have turned to retail with Arnaya, under Trivedi’s leadership.

“For over three generations, the company has stuck to one single industry of stone and expanded from mining to designing to crafting, all the way to installation. The group’s fourth generation has envisioned that the company should take the next step and make its vast experience and expertise accessible [to a wider clientele],” explains Trivedi.

The focus may be on the smaller aspects of stone crafting, but its vision is as grand as ever. Which explains the high-profile associations for the debut collection. Apart from in-house designs, like the bathtub (pictured) manufactured using white marble “from one of our own quarries”, the collection includes luxury accessories

by Gauri Khan and designer tiles by architect Nikita Mehta. It is apparent that developing a global reputation is an achievable target for Arnaya in the foreseeable future. And the Kiran Trivedi Group is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring exactly that.

WRITER: SHWETA VEPA VYAS.

GOODE JOB! Traditional methods and materials carry forward a legacy of fine craftsmanship in the Thomas Goode workshop in Stoke-on-Trent

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hen your client list includes British royalty, the last tsar of Russia, former viceroys and heads of state, you’re clearly a force to be reckoned with. With an illustrious history going back almost 200 years and two royal warrants to supply to the British royal family, Thomas Goode is an institution in itself.

Synonymous with luxury and fine craftsmanship, the British brand, known for its exquisite tableware, china, silverware and glassware, has its flagship store at 19 South Audley Street, Mayfair—the iconic address it has occupied since 1845. In February this year, for the first time in its history, the brand opened a new outpost in Mumbai, ushering in a new chapter.

But what made Thomas Goode the reference that it is today?

The answer may be found at their iconic facility in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, which has been the traditional home of English pottery for centuries. The collections are mainly made using bone china, and what makes each piece unique is the fact that it represents craftsmanship processes and traditions that go back more than 300 years. The brand’s workshop in the city—which employs approximately 35 people, 20 of whom are master craftsmen— upholds this legacy.

Johnny Sandelson, chairman of Thomas Goode, offers his

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insights on what makes their pieces so coveted. “Our collection is primarily produced using bone china, which was first developed in the UK in the 18th century and remains the speciality here. During our production, we go through nine quality-control checks, which include checking our raw materials prior to beginning production.”

This process begins with a selection of the finest raw materials, including Cornish clay. Then, depending on the piece and design, the clay is moulded into different shapes. “The pieces are fired to produce a hard biscuit body, which is glazed before being fired again. We then use a number of different decorating techniques, which include both hand-painting and printing. For most pieces, the last process is gilding with either 24-carat gold or platinum, which is done by hand, and then hand-burnishing before the final quality inspection,” says Sandelson, explaining the meticulous production process.

The detailing that goes into the last step of the process is perfectly illustrated in the process of hand-painting plates with the highest-quality gold burnishing. The plates are placed on a banding wheel and gold lines are painted on the edges of the plate. In some cases, the plates are painted freehand with utmost precision. And thus is born a masterpiece—one worthy of being considered an heirloom.

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golden idea Founded by fashion whizz-kid Jonathan Anderson when he took over as the Spanish luxury house’s creative director, the Loewe Craft Prize announces 29 finalists for its 2019 edition

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pinning, weaving, smelting, welding, baking, forming, shaping, moulding—one imagines that the run-up to the 2019 edition of the Loewe Craft Prize (LCP) has been a flurry of furious activity. The results of these activities, however, display the kind of calm centredness that only comes from creating with passion, attention to detail and focused intention.

In its third edition now, the LCP is pushing the boundaries of craftsmanship both literally and metaphorically. For this year’s prize, the jury received more than 2,500 entries from art and craft practitioners around the world—a significant increase from last year, which indicates both an increased awareness of the prize, and recognition of the importance of craftsmanship in today’s world.

The jury, comprising 10 design and thought leaders from across the world, along with Loewe’s creative director Jonathan Anderson, will select the winner of the prize.

The 2019 shortlist comprises 29 artists—from fledglings straight out of design school to seasoned professionals—and covers a dazzling range of materials, techniques and styles. Using materials from stone and wood ash to fabric, porcelain, metal and everything in-between, the entries explore relationships between material, form and function, with context underpinning the entire exercise.

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Examples of this masterful layering can be seen across entries.

In Italian artist Giovanni Corvaja’s ‘Mandala’ bowl (pictured), fine gold thread is woven into a bowl-like object—the humble form a counterpoint to the material. In Japanese artist Genta Ishizuka’s ‘Surface Tactility #11’, styrene foam balls, fabric and urushi lacquering have been used to fashion an objet d’art that seemingly embodies both the sacral and the everyday.

More meditations on technique, material and expression can be seen in works by British artist Harry Morgan, Italian artist Giampaolo Babetto, and the contingent of Japanese artists who account for the largest number of finalists from a single country.

While Babetto’s ‘Collana’ uses gold and cube forms to create a necklace that would fit right into Loewe’s style handbook, few of the other finalists’ entries display any sort of purposeful alignment with the Spanish luxury house’s usual offerings—they are pure explorations of craft. Back in 2016, when he had instituted the prize, Anderson had said, “As a house, we are about craft in the purest sense of the word.” It is a cause the brand has consistently lived up to—and with this edition, is furthering.

The finalists’ works will be shown at Tokyo’s Isamu Noguchi’s indoor stone garden from 26 June to 22 July.

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Made in China The From Yuhang Rong Design Library, based in Hangzhou, invites contemporary designers from around the world to reinterpret traditional Chinese craftsmanship

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repository of traditional Chinese handicrafts and materials.

While the first edition focused on five materials, the second five-year-long edition, which began in 2018, focuses on five Chinese crafts—sun mao (joinery), dyeing, weaving, casting and knotting. Last year, 19 designers from around the world reinterpreted sun mao—with different joints paired with different materials. For instance, Swiss designer Sebastian Marbacher created the ‘Beam’ bench (pictured) using a wedge joint to affix a lava stone slab to an oiled cedar wood block.

“Inspired by the works of Chinese artist Fu Zhongwang, I tried to see the joint not from a technical perspective but from a sculptural one. With focus on the contrast of hard and soft materials as well as structure and proportion, this work is a lot about balance, much like the philosophy of yin and yang,” says Marbacher. He also relates woodwork to his home country: “Where I come from, especially in the mountain regions, we have a tradition of making furniture out of tree trunks, often very low tech, just using the material as it’s available. Spending time in the forest has made me feel entirely contented for as long as I can remember. The smell, the sounds, the light in all four seasons is just magic to me.” And as disciplines from across the world come together with Chinese craft traditions, the resulting creations are undoubtedly magical.

TEXT: SHWETA VEPA VYAS.

t seemed like time itself was melting, as past and present fused together at the From Yuhang Rong Design Library exhibition at Maison & Objet. Rong, which translates to ‘melting’ in Chinese, aims to do exactly that; by ‘melting’ traditional Chinese crafts, it encourages designers to breathe new life into these practices by giving them contemporary form and relevance.

The From Yuhang Rong Design Library story goes back to 2009 when Pinwu Design Studio (founded by Chinese product designer Zhang Lei, German furniture and car designer Christoph John, and Serbian furniture and interior designer Jovana Bogdanovic), inspired by the intricacies of the traditional Yuhang oil-paper umbrella, created the ‘Piao’ paper chair employing the same processes used in the making of the umbrella. Three years later, the Pinwu founders set up the Rong Design Library, a collaborative exercise with global designers.

Running from 2012 to 2016, the first edition explored one traditional material (as used in Chinese crafts) each year— bamboo, silk, mud, copper and paper. A total of 72 designers from all over the world were tasked with contemporizing these materials.

In 2015, it evolved into the From Yuhang Rong Design Library as it’s known today, and has become a valuable

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bonsai master Through cultivating tiny trees, Ryan Neil hopes to make more people aware of how delicately balanced the relationship between humans and nature is the basis for every individual artist’s approach. How well they can master the horticultural techniques, the health of the tree, and how they realize their visual interpretations—that’s what defines whether somebody is truly proficient at bonsai or not.”

The dedication and effort that go into the cultivation of bonsai means that each tree commands a price—they start at $2,500 and go up to $750,000. Neil believes it all boils down to the uniqueness of each tree, with certain trees having “the perfect combination of every single desirable aspect of that particular species—the deadwood, where it is located on the tree, the movement in the trunk, the placement of the branches, the asymmetry of the design, its meshing with the perfect container to maximize that aesthetic, the health, the vigour and the age”.

Through bonsai, Neil hopes to emphasize the importance of nature in human life. “What I want to convey, using this simulacrum of the natural environment, is the need for awareness of our relationship with nature: the fragility of that relationship, the importance of that relationship, and our necessity to exist within that environment and foster that relationship.”

TEXT: SHWETA VEPA VYAS. PHOTO COURTESY OF BONSAIMIRAI.COM.

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he origins of bonsai can be traced back approximately 2,000 years, to the Chinese practice of penjing, which involved recreating miniature landscapes. Sometime around the sixth century, Japanese diplomats and students travelling to China brought the art back home. Unlike penjing though, the Japanese focused on individual trees, and bonsai, as we know it, was born.

Ryan Neil, who discovered the art at the age of 12 at a local county fair in Colorado, hopes to breathe new life into this ancient craft by giving it contemporary relevance.

After training under bonsai master Masahiko Kimura in Japan for six years, Neil returned to America and started Bonsai Mirai—a bonsai nursery that has, since, successfully applied the age-old practice to native American trees. Unlike traditional Japanese bonsai that is structured, Neil’s version may be described as raw and unbridled, with miniature versions of ponderosa pine, Rocky Mountain juniper and the limber pine—all native to Colorado, where Neil grew up.

Neil believes that each practitioner connects with a tree in their own unique way. “The marriage of science and aesthetics becomes

The hand-pleated fabric panel was created in collaboration with a company based in Kyoto, where many traditional Japanese crafts originated. Each panel is created from a single piece of fabric.

Konnichiwa kraft The interiors of the new Lexus flagship showcase centuries-old Japanese crafts

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t starts with a single sheet of fabric, a shaped pane of glass upon which designs are meticulously plotted. Then, the craftsmen begin.

Folding, etching by hand. Their movements, painstakingly measured. Each fold, each cut swift and precise, down to the millimetre. There is pride to be found in these creations—an obsession with accuracy and detail. And yet, here, this is not exceptional. This is par for the course in Japan’s relationship with craft. And Lexus’s relationship with the origami-inspired, hand-pleated fabric and hand-cut kiriko glass available for the Lexus LS500.

With the decision to include age-old traditional crafts, Lexus has created a luxury sedan that speaks volumes of Japan’s technological prowess and craft heritage. The LS500’s interiors—designed by Lexus’s Junko Itou—were inspired by the marque’s own brand of takumi craftsmanship, which connotes a “high level of Japanese artisanry”.

She explains, “We knew we wanted to use this level of craftsmanship, so it made sense to also look at Japanese culture to achieve the effects that we wanted in the interiors.”

Itou says of the fabric: “We wanted to create a three-dimensional representation of design, using a single material. [So] we came up with origami, which is an art form that uses one piece of paper to create a three-dimensional object. We decided to apply this technique, but with fabric.” The pattern is deliberate too—gradually changing from small to larger shapes, to suit the simple, elegant aesthetic.

The kiriko cut-glass panels were included to “create resonance between the fabric and lights”—the etched panes create unique reflections. Designed by Toshiyasu Nakamura of Studio Kobin, and created with panels from Japan-headquartered AGC, the kiriko glass is hand-cut precisely and polished repeatedly for a luminous glow.

Both processes presented unconventional challenges for the takumi craftspeople who worked on them. “[They] had never been engaged in the industrial production process. So I imagine it was a great challenge for them to work with us. We did not want to be too rigid in our instruction to the takumi and limit their potential; we wanted them to utilize their creativity fully,” says Itou.

Beyond the folds of the hand-pleated fabric and the ridges of the hand-cut glass, the tenets of takumi craftsmanship—skill, precision and attention to detail—are expressed through every element of the LS500. Their hands guide the aesthetic direction of the car at each stage of its production, moulding, refining, creating something to be appreciated beyond its tangible, material value— perhaps the most defining characteristic of any crafted object.

Especially one on four wheels.

Because of the fabric’s thickness, the pleating process can only be done by hand. Only 12 pieces can be completed in the course of an eight-hour day, enough for just three cars.

Despite their delicate appearance, Itou reveals the single-piece kiriko glass panels have been treated with “advanced glass-reinforcement technology� to be incredibly tough.

TEXT: TYREL RODRICKS.

Using glass from AGC, the singlepiece kiriko panels were designed by Toshiyasu Nakamura of Studio Kobin.

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Modern Patrons The inaugural JSW Prize for Contemporary Craftsmanship, in association with , was awarded to Lucknow’s Kalhath Institute for embroidery Writer Malika VerMa PhotograPher NeVille Sukhia

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anging on the walls of the JSW office in Mumbai is a symbol of gratitude—a unique interpretation of a painting

by French artist Anne Pesce. But where Pesce’s medium is oil-on-canvas, this piece uses thread and glass beads to translate her abstract expressions of landscape into tangible reality. Its embroidered surface softly catches the light, and the textured shades of grey, white and pink make viewers stop for a second glance, then lean in closer to admire the dexterity that went into creating it.

The work was gifted by the Kalhath Institute as a gesture of thanks, from the recipients of the inaugural JSW Prize for Contemporary Craftsmanship, which was founded in 2018, at the the AD Design Show in India. It also signifies a turning point for the Lucknow-based institute, whose pursuit of embroidery education uncovered a new opportunity for craft production.

Maximiliano Modesti and Sangita Jindal at the Kalhath Institute in Lucknow.

SERIAL SKILLER After over 20 years of working with karigars (craftsmen) and luxury houses, French-Italian craft entrepreneur Maximiliano Modesti realized that pride in one’s work was a big driver, and that formalizing recognition was as important as addressing >

Top left: Embroiderers at the Kalhath Institute, Siraj Ali and Amir Khan, working on artist T Venkanna’s Holy Tree artwork.

Top right: A piece titled Fire being shown by Venkanna (left) and Zeeshan Ahmed, a member of faculty at the Kalhath Institute.

Above right: The facade and campus of the Kalhath Institute in Lucknow, which was founded by Modesti in 2016. Above left: Embroiderers at the institute working on an artwork titled Incomplete Circle.

reasoning behind this piece being chosen as the gift: “I wanted to acknowledge the kindness of Sangita’s award with the first-ever artwork we worked on at the institute. This work travelled to the AD Design Show as well.” Visitors to the show might recall a young man, Ishtiyaque Ansari, working over an adda (a rectangular wooden frame), intently focused on transforming into three dimensions, Pesce’s two-dimensional work.

< wages. He founded Kalhath in 2016, and its mission has been

BRIDGING THE GAP Embroidered works of art are not new, but the opportunity lies in creating production facilities dedicated to, and experienced in, managing the expectations and the relationships between artists and karigars. Modesti’s view on the final product being classified as either a work of art or craft is telling: “It depends on who the artist is, and what kind of work they want to create. For instance, there is no difference between a painting by Venkanna and his embroidered works: he is using embroidery as [a medium].

However, in the case of Pesce, it is a translation of her work.

What is emerging is so different for each artist—and that is the great potential: it is not only one language, it is multiple ways of creating and translating work.”

That Pesce’s work is being translated into five editions almost undermines the understanding of each as a unique work that reveals the potential, and need, of new classifications between craft, art and design. It is perhaps in these new classifications that the future of craft lies.

The recipient of the second edition of the JSW Prize for Contemporary Craftsmanship will be announced at the AD Design Show 2019.

to recognize, promote and sustain craft excellence. His approach to create an impact across craft is now through measured interventions. What this means is that engagements must be deep, long term and, to begin with, in smaller numbers. Sangita Jindal confesses to being completely taken by her visit to the institute, housed in a heritage building in Lucknow: “The work of Kalhath was very inspiring to see first-hand. It is a unique institution and they are doing a commendable job.”

Fourteen karigars recently celebrated their convocation. The faculty had introduced them to a wide spectrum of skill-building engagements, including spatial perception, colour, costing and design. They learnt through practical application, and the programme concluded with an art residency that had them co-creating artworks with artist T Venkanna.

But it all began with the initial experiment. The first artwork interpreted by the karigars during the initial stages of the programme was the Pesce piece. Titled New York #14, karigars Mohammed Ishtiaque Ansari and Mohammed Tabriz Shaikh worked on it over a period of two months. Modesti shares the

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bijoy is back Mining global craft traditions, Bijoy Jain sculpts unusual materials to create his second collection of handmade furniture for Brussels gallery Maniera

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TEXT: GAURI KELKAR. PHOTO: JEROEN VERRECHT.

ijoy Jain operates at the crossroads of art, architecture and design, dipping into his formidably creative mind to gently nudge materials to mould themselves into whatever form he’s currently creating—a space, an object or a piece of furniture. This time, the architect whose stature grows along with his oeuvre has made another addition to a bulging portfolio—a new collection of furniture for the Brussels-based Maniera gallery.

This exhibition comes three years after Jain’s first one for the gallery, after which the pieces found takers in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Centre Pompidou, Paris—among others. This time Jain played with material, form and the inspiration inherent in traditional craft-making techniques.

The array of materials used includes stone, concrete, cow dung, brick, textiles, glass and Japanese washi paper.

Added to the usual line-up of furniture is the creation of frescoes using natural pigments and lime. “Bijoy made both more experimental pieces and great furniture, which is [inspired by] international design cultures—not only Indian, but Egyptian, Italian, Scandinavian and Japanese.

The collection is unexpected, conceptual, refined and, as always, extremely well made,” says Amaryllis Jacobs, a co-founder of Maniera. It is exactly what you would expect to hear about all things that are signature Jain.

The exhibition at Maniera runs from 14 May to 24 August.

TO DYE FOR Mumbai-based artisan studio Adiv Pure Nature’s Temple Project ingeniously uses organic waste to make natural dyes to craft interesting textiles

‘Water Splash’ imprint fabric

by Adiv Pure Nature.

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TEXT: GAURI KELKAR. PHOTO: MARVIN D’SOUZA FOR ADIV PURE NATURE.

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etween the time that they go from full bloom to wilted discards, some flowers lead a blessed life, albeit a short one.

Offered in prayer to gods, as benediction, or sometimes bribe, flowers go from glory to garbage in the time it takes to segue from morning prayer to evening prayer. Till Rupa Trivedi, founder of Adiv Pure Nature, decided to stage an intervention, by plucking out flowers from the discard pile and reincarnating them as natural dyes for textiles.

The Temple Project is Trivedi’s flagship initiative under Adiv, known (and applauded) for its use of organic raw materials—including herbs, fruits and vegetables—as natural dyes.

And it is a long way from her family business of ultrasonic engineering products. “Around 2005, I started dabbling with natural dyes in [my then-office’s] pantry,” she says, and set up Adiv Pure Nature in 2008, banding together a team of artisans and teaching them the traditional craft of natural dyeing.

That she would move on to other organic waste was inevitable and that she would find it in the wilted waste of nirmalya—used flowers, coconuts and offerings cast out of temples after the day’s puja—serendipitous. “I stay by >

PHOTOS: JULIE HALL (‘TEMPLE BLESSING MARIGOLD’ & ‘TEMPLE ROSE GARDEN’), MARVIN D’SOUZA; FOR ADIV PURE NATURE.

Table linen coloured with marigold flowers. Below: Contemporary shibori fabrics. Below left: Petals being placed to create the ‘Temple Rose Garden’ fabric.

Left: Petals evenly placed to create the ‘Temple Blessing Marigold’ fabric.

< the sea and after one visarjan event, I saw the beach strewn and

polluted,” she says. Mumbai’s Siddhivinayak temple became the perfect collaborator, where one of the temple’s employees does a preliminary sorting of the flowers; “He removes the extraneous bits, like tinsel and glittery fabric.”

The flowers are delivered to the workshop every other day, and undergo further segregation. “We lay out the petals to shade dry or use them fresh—as needed to create the required colour. The process for the final product can take between two and seven days,” Trivedi elaborates. The unpredictability inherent in anything natural

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is tempered, as far as possible, through science. “We make significant efforts to test our colours against the demands of modern life.”

In its decade-long existence, Adiv has captured the imagination of like-minded collaborators, including the Christina Kim-run dosa, a sustainable, artisanal lifestyle and accessories brand. The whispers about this little brand making big changes in sustainable fashion are sure to get louder, with the world leaning more and more towards environment-friendly options. Ethical, sustainable and natural—this new avatar of flower power might just be the new black. adivpurenature.com

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india@crezzadesigns.com +91 944 315 0409 +91 894 088 8111

AVINASHI ROAD , COIMBATORE , TAMILNADU, INDIA.

ON THE RO CK S Hand-blown, intricately cut, etched and coloured—the season’s crystal and glassware dazzles at the 19th-century Ambico Ice Factory in Mumbai PHOTOGRAPHER JIGNESH JHAVERI STYLIST SAMIR WADEKAR

From left: ‘Roemer Ambre Iskender’ wine glass, Hermès. ‘Drinking set No.4’ (with an engraved ‘Crack’ pattern) crystal champagne coupe, J&L Lobmeyr.

‘Bentley’ hand-cut Hungarian crystal champagne flute by Ralph Lauren Home, Seetu Kohli Home.

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From left: ‘Miami’ and ‘Nashville’ tea-light holders by Reflections Copenhagen, Bohemian crystal footed condiment dish (pink) and ‘Happy’ hand-cut bowl (green) by Moser, Thomas Goode & Co.

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From left: ‘Pear’ (aquamarine and reseda) vase by Moser, The Silver Room. ‘Oxymore’ (dark blue) white wine glass by Saint-Louis, Emery Studio. ‘STD-SC27 Satelie’ sculpture, Aesthetics. Blue crystal votive, Essajees.

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From left: ‘Dressed Up’ crystal water glass, Villeroy & Boch. Decanter, Address Home. Globe, BoConcept.

‘Pebbles’ (topaz) tumbler by Moser, The Silver Room. ‘CandelAlbero’ (frosted amber) candle stand by Mario Cioni, Spacio. Ganesha sculpture by Studio Glass, Thomas Goode & Co. ‘1353/220/001’ hand-cut crystal wine glass with gold trim, Rohit Bal.

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Top shelf: Bavarian crystal wine glass by Nachtmann, HomeStop.

‘Crystal Butter’ votive (clear), Good Earth. Second shelf: ‘Grand Royal’ (white-gold trim) crystal water glass, Villeroy & Boch. Green vase, Trésorie. ‘Ripple’ votive (set of 2), Nicobar.com. Bottom shelf: ‘Greenwich’ hand-blown lead crystal highball tumbler by Ralph Lauren Home, Seetu Kohli Home.

‘Ambassadeur’ (green) ashtray by Saint-Louis, Emery Studio.

Assisted by: Talib Chitalwala & Mitalee Mehta.

Production: Bindiya Chhabria.

For details, see Stockists

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From Bangkok to Jaipur, profiles five champions of craft who work with a handful of elite workshops and who are on speed dial with the world’s leading interior designers Writer Divya Mishra

ALEXANDER LAMONT B A N G KO K

Early this year, British-born, Thailand-based Alexander Lamont launched his Peninsula collection—a range of furniture, lighting and accessories that were “meditations on nature and landscape”.

But more than just abstract ideation, the pieces were a culmination of Lamont’s decades-long endeavour to fuse cutting-edge design with artisanal craftsmanship. “I love a sense of refinement but I also like to see the hand in a painterly way when it comes to crafts,” says the designer.

Lamont’s relationship with craftsmanship began early. “My father was so interested in it that he started a business in 1975 in England, called Global Village Crafts,” adding that, “Wooden crates would arrive every week from some corner of the world, with the objects wrapped in the local newspaper.” This early, evocative introduction to the decorative arts instilled in him an appreciation for the artisanal, but also a deep respect for context.

“My involvement with craft has always been sensual and visual—as much about the place and the people as the thing itself. Great works exude the energy of someone contented with their place in the world,” he says.

His Bangkok-based studio today produces work that walks the line between design and craft, collaborating with designers like Peter Marino. About his role as a craft promoter, he says: “I think of myself as neither a pure craftsman nor a designer. I experience an artistic process of making things—but rather than a palette and canvas, I built a workshop of skills and materials so that I could make my ideas come alive.”

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ALEXANDER LAMONT The ‘Aurora’ low cabinet— inspired by the polar lights of the aurora borealis—uses the eggshell-inlay technique for columns that fade to black lacquer and return. Inset: The technique requires skill, meditative attention and an eye for detail in order to achieve consistency and a flow of movement in the pattern.

Right: The ‘Maluku’ table lamp features connected cones of natural parchment, finished and detailed with dark patinated brass; the lampshade is in linen. Far right, top: The ‘Plains’ screen uses parchment panels dyed in natural pigments to evoke the earth’s alluvial layers; the reverse side is in limed oak, and its edges and hinges are in patinated brass. Far right, centre: The ‘Quill’ side tables feature onyx marble tops reminiscent of weathered landscapes. Held within irregular bronze frames, the tables’ tapered, textured legs give them a distinctly organic quality. Far right, bottom: The ‘Massif’ coffee table’s sturdy bronze legs clasp and lift a top of muted, unpolished, natural speckled shagreen. Below: To create this tabletop, Lamont’s atelier used the technique of straw marquetry, which results in surfaces that catch and reflect light in a unique way. The straw— which is imported from France—is burned and abraded through different sections to show layers that create a wonderful sense of depth.

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MICHELE DE LUCCHI FOR B OT T E G A G H I A N DA MILAN

At 68, with his full beard and round-rimmed glasses, Michele De Lucchi looks more like a kindly wizard than the pragmatic artistic director of one of the world’s best woodworking studios. But in the four years since he took up the reins at Bottega Ghianda, the Italian studio’s transformation has been no less than magical.

Once a well-kept secret with a cult-like following, Bottega Ghianda is now everywhere—from commissioning some of the world’s most innovative talents like Naoto Fukasawa and Jean Nouvel to collaborate with the workshop, to exhibitions in Tokyo that showcase their focus on reviving heritage craft techniques.

Though an architect by training, De Lucchi has always seen craftsmanship as both means and an end. “I have been interested in craftsmanship since the beginning of my adventure in design— since the Memphis days. Craftsmanship is the best possible tool for experimentation because it lets you make and unmake continuously; it lets you try, change and adapt without the fear of making mistakes.” It is perhaps this fearless attitude towards experimentation that has led Bottega Ghianda to a place where it can boast of cutting-edge collaborations with some of the world’s best designers, while remaining true to its craft traditions.

De Lucchi’s newest project is a series of structures “dedicated to collecting, presenting and producing handmade things”, he says, adding, “They are like temples dedicated to the hand and its expertise.”

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KR AFTWERK

MICHELE DE LUCCHI FOR BOTTEGA GHIANDA Left, right, below right, below left & centre: ‘Enigme à tics’, designed by Jean Nouvel and crafted by artisans from Bottega Ghianda, is a cabinet-cum-games table in pear wood.

Using a cleverly crafted series of real and false compartments, it houses a set of games, including chess, backgammon and draughts, the boards for which are made using ebony and maple wood inlay. The chess and draughts pieces are elegant, minimalist pieces carved out of polished solid wood, as is the dice shaker with soft, rounded angles.

Left & below: The ‘Flying Bridge’, designed by Mario Bellini, is a dining table in maple wood that creates a layered effect with different treatments of the same species of wood.

Inspired by the bridges of ships, the minimalist design comprises three interlocking slabs of wood that increase in thickness towards the joints for greater stability. What truly elevates the design is its glorification of technique— the surface of the table showcases both the interlocking, and the different shades achieved by different wood treatments.

Right: ‘Alfred’, the cleverly named wooden butler designed by Michele De Lucchi, is available in both maple and pear wood. With a box for storage, a platform for shoes and a clothes hanger for coats, the softly rounded edges of the polished wood pieces are held together with dovetail joints.

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VIVEK SAHNI NEW DELHI

PHOTO: ADIL HASAN.

“I am kind of obsessed with the handmade,” says Vivek Sahni, director of luxury Ayurvedic skincare brand Kama Ayurveda, founder of an eponymous graphic design company and, most recently, proprietor of Vayu, a lifestyle store in New Delhi’s Bikaner House. Being a designer himself, Sahni respects craftsmanship—and boundaries. “A lot of interventions, instead of adding value, kind of destroy the craft—mostly because designers aren’t conscious of its original purpose,” he says. He circumvents this by selecting craftspeople and designers who have interesting ways of using materials, and then having them work on things “like contemporary furniture using hand-worked metal, or modernizing traditional Kashmiri papier mâché patterns”. The designer’s next project—a collaboration with a French designer—is centred on indigo dyes.

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KR AFTWERK VIVEK SAHNI

Top: A handcrafted bowl made using semiprecious materials, such as rose quartz in different shades, is available, at Vayu, in two sizes—5- and 10-inch diameters. Right: A camel-skin jar and green aventurine bowl.

Below: Chevron-patterned papier mâché boxes handpainted by artisans from Kashmir are available in sizes ranging from five to eight inches. Left: A handcrafted telescopeshaped brass lamp with an extendable stand; next to it are traditionally blown, floating glass candle stands.

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FROZEN MUSIC JAIPUR

PHOTO: ADIL HASAN.

In 1986, while working as a front office assistant at the Rambagh Palace Hotel in Jaipur, Rajasthan, Varun Seth was approached by an American guest to reproduce a marble column that he had seen. In the course of travelling to Makrana, finding artisans to whom he could commission the work, and “turning a block of rock into an object that seemed almost alive,” Seth fell in love with craftsmanship.

A year later, in 1987, he founded Frozen Music. Now known as one of the best workshops in the world for pietra dura and marble work, it counts among its clients the likes of Peter Marino. The intricate designs of Seth’s lapidary and decorative arts studio have made their way from sleepy Jaipur to places as far off as Italy and Mexico. While the workshop uses state-of-theart machines—“to give my craftspeople pre-cut material”— handcrafting continues to be the focus. Seth has travelled widely for his work and finds himself inspired by individuals as diverse as London-based silversmith Jocelyn Burton, and a 78-year-old wood carver from Bikaner. Now joined by his son Parth as CEO, he aims to “bring quality-driven crafts to India and blend them with our craftsmanship”.

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KR AFTWERK

PHOTO: ADIL HASAN.

FROZEN MUSIC

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PHOTO: ADIL HASAN.

PHOTO: ADIL HASAN.

Above: A white-marble inlaid hookah bowl created by craftsmen at Frozen Music. Above right: A hand-carved jali in white marble, which was inspired by the classic marble screen at the Diwan-eKhas in the Red Fort in Delhi.

Far right: A hand-carved teapot that has been carved out of clear rock crystal from Brazil. Far right below: A hand-carved nut bowl made with malachite from the Congo has motifs of silver snails. Bottom right: A washbasin lined with mother-of-pearl being polished by hand. Bottom left: A micro-mosaic work in progress; tiny three-millimetre pieces of red jasper are being used to create a pomegranate, as part of a large micro-mosaic panel for a kitchen backsplash. Right: A work-inprogress inlay panel inspired by the illuminated front page of the Quran.

A N I TA L A L NEW DELHI

“Over the years, we’ve kept returning to the craft stories along the Silk Route, and this summer, we decided to revisit Kashmiri naqashi,” says Anita Lal, founder of the luxury lifestyle brand Good Earth. The Urdu word naqashi literally translates into ‘engraving’, but in practice, broadly covers traditional activities circumscribed within the decorative arts—from drawing to painting to designing to sculpture. Brought to India from Persia (now Iran) via the Silk Route, naqashi in Kashmir took on the form of delicately rendered nature-inspired patterns on papier-mâché objects. In classic Good Earth style though, it has been reinvented and refined into a line of products that would be as much at home in a New York penthouse as in a New Delhi apartment.

Lal, through Good Earth, was almost singlehandedly responsible for the repositioning of Indian crafts as luxury products. It was a journey that began in the early 1970s, when she moved to New Delhi as a young bride. “I would go to the crafts museum [the National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum] and was fascinated by what I saw there.” She channelled this fascination into creative interventions that brought together craft traditions and modern design. “I saw what potters could do with a simple matka—their great skills. But at the end of the day, it was a water vessel, and I thought, ‘Why not make it something more?’”

This urge to make it “more” is what led to her founding Good Earth, and more recently, the brand’s latest line of naqashi-based designs. In traditional Kashmiri naqashi, a single object can take over 45 days to create because of the intricacy of the drawing, which is also a strain on the naqash’s eyes. Lal’s team introduced a more vivid palette and enlarged the motifs to a size that was easier on the craftsmen’s eyes, but still showcased the intricacies of their work. “Our craftspeople are the repository of our heritage, some of which goes back 5,000 years,” she says, adding, “I am just amazed at what they can do—the sophistication, the level of design, and the thought behind it.”

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KR AFTWERK ANITA LAL

Top: The ‘Magnolia’ trinket box from Good Earth is made of papier mâché (from upcycled waste paper) and wood, and uses an unusual dark-blue base as a canvas for delicate, hand-painted, natureinspired motifs. Left: From the Nigeen collection, the fuschia handpainted bowl and hand-painted trays use pared-down naqashi motifs against dramatically coloured backgrounds. Top left: The ‘Cherry Blossom’ hand-painted tray, made from a blend of papier mâché and wood, features oriental motifs like the cherry blossom, rendered using naqashi techniques.

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ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST

` 200 MARCH-APRIL 2019 THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HOMES IN THE WORLD

INDIA

The

AlibagIssue BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE DOING BEAUTIFUL THINGS IN THE HAMPTONS OF MUMBAI

AD

100

THE MOST INFLUENTIAL ARCHITECTS AND INTERIOR DESIGNERS IN THE SUBCONTINENT

Belgian minimalism meets Indian richness in our handmade craftsmanship cover that is contemporary, contextual and a true collaboration. Power to the 100 karigars who made it happen!

WRITER DIVYA MISHRA . PHOTOGRAPHER ASHISH SAHI

LOGO OUTLINED IN KANTHA STITCH

DESIGN VINCENT VAN DUYSEN

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FABRIC AKANKSHA HIMATSINGKA

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EMBROIDERY MAXIMILIANO MODESTI

PHOTOS: ATHUL PRASAD (VINCENT VAN DUYSEN, MAXIMILIANO MODESTI); SHAMANTH PATIL (AKANKSHA HIMATSINGKA).

ETHICALLY SOURCED, 100-PERCENT, COTTONSLUB FABRIC FROM HIMÃ&#x160;YA, WOVEN IN HASSAN, KARNATAKA

INTERSECTING LINES OF KANTHA STITCH

HAND-STITCHED CASHMERE APPLIQUÉ

VINCENT VAN DUYSENDESIGNED BLOCK-PRINTED GRAPHIC

H

ow do you encapsulate the essence of Indian craftsmanship in a single 276-by-213-millimetre rectangle? How do you capture the ongoing efforts to modernize it, to make it more relevant to this day and age? For the answer, AD turned to three individuals who have themselves been championing craftsmanship in their own unique ways.

Enter Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen. Vincent’s work in architecture, interiors and product design over the last three decades, recently led to his winning the 2019 Henry van de Velde Lifetime Achievement Award. The cover design, in fact, was inspired by the sculpture he designed for the awards ceremony—a sculptural room-divider that embodies the Belgian designer’s ethos of not minimalism, but ‘luxe minimalism’. “The cover has a graphic touch, which has an architectural language that embraces >

< aesthetics while resisting passing trends and fashion,” he says of his design. It was the award-winning architect’s first time working on a magazine cover, and of the experience, he says, “I find a lot of enjoyment in the consideration of each project as a chance to test fresh and unexpected ideas.”

The canvas for Vincent’s “fresh and unexpected idea” was provided by Akanksha Himatsingka of the Himatsingka Group.

This was Akanksha’s second time working with AD on a fabric cover; her 2017 experience of the endeavour gave her perspective.

“This second collaboration has a different sentiment attached to it.

The idea of something ethical, simple and elegant with the element of handcrafting is something you can’t say no to.” Akanksha’s team had just one month to create the 1,100 metres of wide-width,

100-per-cent cotton-slub fabric chosen for the covers—and they took on the challenge with enthusiasm, first weaving the fabric “with a lower-loom speed for optimum quality”, then processing it, and then having it block-printed with Vincent’s design. The printed, textured white fabric set the stage for the next intervention by crafts entrepreneur Maximiliano Modesti.

Founder of embroidery workshop Les Ateliers 2M and the Lucknow-based Kalhath Institute for artisan training, Max has been a vociferous and active champion of Indian craftsmanship for almost three decades now. He was also part of last year’s collaboration on handcrafted covers, and is now, in a sense, an old hand at it. Max’s work exists in the space between traditional craft > techniques and contemporary design.

Above: At Maximiliano Modesti’s atelier, craftsmen carefully embroider an outline around AD’s logo using the kantha stitch. Above right: A single rectangle of cashmere fabric is appliquéd onto Vincent Van Duysen’s design with a blanket stitch.

Right: A craftsman uses intersecting straight lines of kantha stitches, giving additional depth and meaning to the cover.

< For this cover, he decided to use the kantha stitch—a humble running stitch that was originally used to recycle old clothes into quilts. “The idea was to show how the simplicity of this traditional stitch could be interpreted in a contemporary manner,” he says.

While his usual explorations of embroidery are richly intricate, for Vincent’s design, Max kept it simple. “We had to keep in mind Vincent’s minimalistic approach”. To complete the task, he called on 100 of his karigars, knowing that they could spend no more than an hour on each cover, “because we had to make it happen in a realistic time frame”. The cover also features a small rectangle of cashmere appliquéd onto the design using a plain blanket stitch.

This juxtaposition of high-quality fabric and a modest stitch is the kind of play that is almost vintage Max: “I liked the idea of adding a sense of ‘preciousness’ to it,” he says, his eyes twinkling.

Three collaborators, hundreds of craftspeople, and 22 days later, the results are in readers’ hands. And while making these covers might have challenged everyone involved in interesting new ways, the unanimous opinion among its makers is that there is nothing they would change. As Akanksha sums it up, “It’s simply perfect.”

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A gigantic, cutting-edge campus dedicated to sheeting and towels in Hassan, Himatsingka, known for its ultra high-end fabrics, has been continuously innovating and expanding horizons, now for a democraticâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and sustainableâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;form of luxury Writer GreG Foster

The expansive shop floors of the Process House at the Himatsingka sheeting factory in Hassan, Karnataka. Facing page: The warping process of the yarn.

he first time I worked with Akanksha Himatsingka on AD’s craftsmanship cover, ‘Volume I’, she was the managing director of Atmosphere, and a creative force at Himatsingka Seide, one of India’s most important manufacturers of fine drapery and upholstery fabrics. We flew to Bangalore for the day and spent the morning meandering around the beautiful tree-lined factory. In the archives of the design studio, we gushed over lavish textiles being made for the ne plus ultra of European fabric houses (Dedar et al), and hummed and hawed over what magical, ultra-complicated weave should grace the AD cover. On our arrival, a butler had greeted us with a selection of organic vegetables to choose from for lunch, and later, when they had been prepared to Ottolenghi quality, we sat in a sunny courtyard, on an Instagram-worthy table.

I will always remember that glorious day.

Things were very different when I recently visited for the craftsmanship cover, ‘Volume II’. Akanksha is still a vision of chic and still works at lightning speed, now acting as the head of business development for Himatsingka’s bedding and bath verticals across Europe and Asia. But gone are the leisurely lunches (well, for now at least). The car picks me up at 6.30am for the three-hour drive to Hassan, where the Himatsingka spinning, sheeting and terry towel manufacturing campuses have quietly risen into something so large, it resembles a township. We stop for breakfast at a humble cafe next to the freeway. Akanksha assures me it is one of the best places to get a south Indian breakfast.

By 10am we start arriving at the Himatsingka plant. I use the words ‘start’ and ‘plant’ because of the unimaginable scale. Over the years, Akanksha’s husband Shrikant Himatsingka (managing > MAY-JUNE 2019|

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< director and group CEO) has been building what is India’s largest

manufacturing facilities for fine count spinning (the largest under one roof in the world with 2,11,584 spindles). She points out airport hangar after airport hangar, each dedicated to spinning, weaving, processing, and cutting and sewing. The tour involves multiple jeeps as the roads aren’t fully built yet. I get the ultimate crash course in textiles, seeing everything from the bale that has arrived from California, tagged with Himatsingka’s cutting-edge DNA technology, to understanding why tagged organic Indian cotton doesn’t really exist yet (it needs to be farmed at a scale to apply the track and trace technology), and getting a first look at next-generation smart manufacturing shop floors with the highest levels of digitization, with machines from Switzerland, Germany and Japan, (so cutting edge that Akanksha asks me not to Instagram them). We

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whizz through the hangars on golf buggies, the tour finally ending at the finished goods warehouse, with huge crates ready to be shipped to customers globally. I am not allowed to mention many of the brands that Himatsingka is producing for, but they are all household names.

Himatsingka itself owns the global license for Calvin Klein Home and most recently has acquired the license for Tommy Hilfiger Home in North America. A “quiet giant” is how Malika Verma describes the operation and even that feels like a major understatement.

If I haven’t yet conveyed the magnitude of what Himatsingka is doing here, let me put it in terms of numbers: there are close to 10,000 people working with the group across a 400-acre campus. It’s a 24-hour, 365-day operation, producing 25,000 tonnes of towels annually, and 46 million metres of sheeting per annum. And this is before the construction of further hangers.

The launch collection from Himêya, in collaboration with designer Rina Singh of Ekà. Right: The cotton spinning plant—the world’s largest under a single roof. Right below: The cover of the album commissioned

by Akanksha Himatsingka to accompany the launch. Below: Trailing Flowers—Sateen Sheets by Himêya. Facing page: The warehouse where the finished goods are stored prior to shipping.

On my second trip here, I realize Akanksha has changed. She’s a global businesswoman who has evolved from being a connoisseur of aesthetics to developing a deep conscientiousness for sustainability.

“It’s not only about the way things look or feel,” she says to me on multiple occasions during the day. “This is a way of life.”

It is this new mindset, coupled with the might of Himatsingka’s operations, that led to the creation of Himêya. At its heart, Himêya is a new brand dedicated to rest—essentially, beautiful bedlinen and plush towels that are consciously crafted. But there’s more to it.

Himêya is to be high quality and sustainable at a price point that offers groundbreaking democracy—sheets begin at `1,599 and bath towels at `499.

To simply call it a home linen brand would be incorrect. It is conceived as a lifestyle brand, which sounds like cliche, but is exactly

what Akanksha herself represents. And this is her baby. It is an outlet for all the ideas and passions she had in her previous life, empowered by Himatsingka being a high-powered mega exporter. She is working with Bijoy Jain on furniture. She has commissioned an original soundtrack by Jeevan Antony of Madràs fame (available to download via the QR link on this page), and the flagship Himêya store is to open soon in Mumbai. Her online store will go live as we go to press with an India-wide distribution through stockists. More at himeyalife.com Something special has been brewing in Hassan for a while. It’s just that only a few knew about it. But now, the Himatsingka secret is out. And the first Himêya cotton can be found on the cover of this magazine. You felt it here first.

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asked nine designers to collaborate with Suffering Moses, the Srinagar workshop that is one of the world’s finest producers of papier mâché, to rethink the classic Kashmiri box Writer Gauri KelKar . PhotograPher Talib ChiTalwala

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NIELS SCHOENFELDER

For Mancini Enterprises’ Niels Schoenfelder, papier mâché came together with “the craft-centred Viennese attitude to applied arts prevalent in the early 20th century”. The box was designed by overlaying papier mâché with trompe l’oeil. The late Viennese designer Josef Hoffmann’s influence is also evident in the cube-shaped projections that channel his iconic ‘Kubus’ armchair, adapted in miniature form here. The idea, Schoenfelder says, was “to capture the modernist rigour already present in Hoffmann’s work”. It may have been his first outing with papier mâché, but this box showcases yet another dimension to Schoenfelder’s application of traditional techniques in his interior projects.

L O U L O U VA N D A M M E It’s powerful, it’s impactful and it’s boldly black. Isla Maria ‘Loulou’ Van Damme creates a dramatic effect through minimal design. The interior designer who has dabbled in product and fashion design gamely turned to papier mâché for the first time. “I thought of adding some geometric shapes to the flowers of Kashmir—a slight Japanese touch with bold colours.”

G U N J A N G U P TA

Product designer Gunjan Gupta’s serious-minded pursuit of making Indian artisanship internationally relevant often skirts the edges of whimsy. Her design here, though, in the form of a Kashmiri houseboat, is fairly straightforward—directly inspired

by Kashmir, which itself is the source of papier mâché craftsmanship in India. The undertaking resonated with Gupta’s own practice, which is anchored in “recontextualizing traditional craft in a contemporary and unique way”. This design is now hopefully headed towards newer shores, with Gupta considering “integrating papier mâché into a future collection for Ikkis”, her recently launched brand.

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AMBIKA HINDUJA MACKER

In the cacophony of sound and fury that is the world today, the ‘Peace Box’ is a visual representation of the sound of silence that comes from peace. Dubai-based Ambika Hinduja Macker, founder of interior and product design firm Impeccable Imagination, tuned to the universe for inspiration. “The design culminated into a cymatic [the study of matter’s response to sound] representation of sound through water, based on the frequency of 432 Hz, the natural frequency [sic] of the universe,” Macker explains, adding, “My thoughts gravitated towards creating a design that would breathe the energy of peace and harmony.” Fitting, perhaps, for a craft from a state that has long been in search of peace itself.

R A J E S H P R ATA P S I N G H

The winding vines, dense leaves, profusion of flowers and clutch of wild animals merge into a busily depicted forest scene—till you’re inexorably drawn to the eye of the tiger. Fashion designer Rajesh Pratap Singh chose to mine an artwork from his newest fashion and home collection, Welcome to the Jungle, to create a design that appears to leap out of its twodimensional confines. The collection is the result of “experiments we’re doing with [textile designer] William Morris’s designs. We’ve reimagined his design into something more complex,” says Singh. The couturier picked a design that would work well with “the intricacy the artisans in Kashmir work with”. The compelling motif, remarkable detail and sense of coiled strength give the concept of a ‘paper tiger’ a whole new meaning.

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P E T E R D ’A S C O L I

For Peter D’Ascoli, founder of Talianna Studio and creator of women’s apparel and home products brand D’ASCOLI, the inspiration for this box was rooted in his experience. Christened ‘From Amalfi’, the design represents the last view of the Bay of Naples that his grandparents had on their journey from Italy to New York—and decades later, his own from New York to New Delhi. The white-cross Amalfi flag is offset by a lotus motif and splashed across a canvas of saffron, which are “symbols of my adopted home—India”.

LOVEBIRDS

The abstract origins of this design by fashion label Lovebirds is in keeping with their philosophy, “of creating a visual language that is contemporary, functional and elegant”. In their first encounter with papier mâché, the fashion-brand-and-store—led by designers Gursi Singh and Amrita Khanna—worked to incorporate “our prints and graphics into the artwork. This one is a translation of the natural structure of a length of fabric,” says the duo.

Elaborately designed, the strokes look like nonchalant folds appearing on “carelessly tossed material”.

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P L E A S E S E E //

The art within a craft that represents the craft itself—you can’t get more meta than that. A branding- and strategy-driven agency, Please See// turned the focus entirely on the artisan. “The bird depicts the craftsman—the creator, engineer and architect of this piece,” says Pritha Sahai, the co-founder and creative director of the agency. The delicate calligraphy uses a language that’s tragically rare today: Urdu. The word takhliqi, which means ‘to create’, is suggestive of several meanings: the power to create, the person who creates, curiosity, and creativity. The box, using pictographic elements, contemporary typography and fascinating symbolism, is an ode to a dying craft.

VIVEK SAHNI

Squat, fluffy monsoon clouds and the delicate intricacy of a batik pattern depicted on a miniature Jodhpur painting—these were the points of reference for Vivek Sahni. The founder of the eponymously named design agency and proprietor of the concept design store Vayu, in New Delhi’s Bikaner House, is no stranger to papier mâché. “We have been working with it for years now. I love papier mâché and the possibilities it has,” he says. He visualized this box as encased in a suzani textile with the sharp delineations of a chevron pattern to give the romantic form a contemporary edge.

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PHOTO: NILUFAR DEPOT

Catch all the action from Salone del Mobile, the world’s largest furniture fair, in an extensive 25+ page report that covers the best trends, launches, space, installations and more

perspective WHITE FALL New York-based design studio Snarkitecture created this cave-like installation in Spazio Erbe, Milan for fashion brand COS by cutting strips out of more than 100,000 metres of translucent white fabric.

NEWSMAKERS, OPINIONS THAT MATTER, PLUS THE LATEST IN ART, ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

perspective

NEWSMAKERS, OPINIONS THAT MATTER, PLUS THE LATEST IN ART, ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN N pa Doshi and Jonathan Levien at Fondazione Prada

perspective

SPOTLIGHT

THE

NOAH KALINA

MILAN REPORT Each year with Salone del Mobile, Milan turns into an epicentre of design. We interviewed six Indian designers to get an overview of the Milan Design Week.

Our power-packed trend forecast follows, as well as an introduction to five designers and firms making waves internationally WRITER & STYLIST SONALI THAKUR

MILANREPORT This power-packed report brings to you all the news, launches and buzz that defined Salone del Mobile in 2016. Four of the biggest names in Indian design give us an insight into the places, products, people and food that made the week memorable for them. Five international designers making waves tell us about their latest launches. We also give you the low-down on the top five trends that will inform interiors this year, present a showcase of the top offerings by Italian brands, and introduce you to state-of-the-art kitchens and bathrooms WRITER SANHITA SINHA CHOWDHURY . PHOTOGRAPHER ASHISH SAHI

Held at the Palazzo Reale, the Fantasy Access Code exhibition—commissioned and produced by textile maker Alcantara— showcased the works of six artists from around the world. Each created a unique installation that visitors were encouraged to interact with. Italian artist Nanda Vigo created the entrance—an arrangement of mirrors, frames and coloured LEDs—which set the stage for the exhibition.

NEWSMAKERS OPINIONS THAT MATTER PLUS THE LATEST IN ART ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

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LONGPI Over the last few decades, a particular form of pottery has quietly grown in presence. Longpi Hampai, commonly referred to as Longpi or black pottery, enjoys a privileged place in the craft world. Originating from Manipur and produced by the Thangkul Naga tribe, it appears to have entered the global design conversation without significant design interventions, a prerequisite many crafts struggle to transcend. Currently at its helm is master craftsman Mathew Sasa, the son of legendary craftsman Machihan Sasa. And CuroCarte, a three-year-old retailer of handcrafted objects, has played a prominent role in expanding the craft’s presence around the country. For AD’s exploration into the craft, we tasked Malika Verma – founder of Border&Fall, and vocal advocate for the craftsman – with uncovering the story behind this craft, and sent fashion photographer Ashish Shah into the hills, with the help of Vivek Verma, CuroCarte’s Craftsman Relationship Manager and a regular visitor to Longpi.

WRITER: MALIKA VERMA PHOTOGRAPHER: ASHISH SHAH

The men, and women, who create Longpi pottery cite serpentine stone and clayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;both local materialsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;as essential for their craft. Materials are mixed in a specific ratio to ensure the strength of the vessel; too much stone or clay will result in a weak vessel, that will crumble or break in two.

The rock is available from one quarry in Nungbi Khullen village and is so crucial to the process that master craftsman Mathew Sasa transports powdered serpentine and other raw material to their unit in Delhi. It is not unusual for him to transport 2,500 kilograms to the capital for production.

Longpi in Manipurâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;located approximately 60 kilometres from Imphalâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;still remains elusive to reach; a Google map search states the area is currently out of coverage area for driving directions. Referred to as a collective, the villages of Longpi Kajui and Longpi Khullen are home to about 500 households of the Thangkul Naga tribe, of which an estimated 150 are involved in making Longpi pottery.

The shaping of a vessel is done by hand—moulding without the use of a potter’s wheel; above are Davin Mazanao (left) and Homi Kamkara shown mid-process. It is then fired with a low-fire technique; the process requires the wood to be lit at 3am to ensure a long and steady firing.

Once fired, a local leaf—called chiron ni—is used to buff and polish the pottery, its surface revealing the signature black gleam, aided by the botanical reaction. The entire process of production takes four days; on the facing page is Luithapi Mazanao, with a finished pot she created.

Eating from the zero-chemical vessels is said to impart medicinal properties. An uncontested fact is that the food tastes better, without voices to argue otherwise.

Master craftsman Machihan Sasa (pictured) played a significant role in the evolution of the craft. He cites dreams as the place of design inspiration. In particular, he saw a distinct new shape for a flowerpot, which he then realized in his waking hours. Once made, it was recognized by many, paving the way for government support and recognition, including the National Award for pottery in 1988.

Today, tableware is the common access point for the craft and therefore difficult to imagine that it was introduced by master craftsman Mathew Sasa—son of Machihan Sasa—in 2001. Meetings with NIFT students provided initial design guidance and he then took his father’s legacy of innovation to create a range of tableware offerings. Current explorations include reducing thicknesses by a few millimetres, and surface finishes—an initiative being led by CuroCarte. Pictured above are Simeon (left) and Kindson Luiram.

Master craftsman Mathew Sasa runs a Delhi unit citing access to market and exhibitions as a reason for the move. Six potters have come with him and he is in the process of training more in Longpi, so that when larger orders come in, production can be met. Spandana Gopal, founder of product design studio Tiipoi views a presence in Delhi quite differently. Having taken a deeper look at the Longpi region and its city-living migrant community, she remains sceptical of it being an ideal place, â&#x20AC;&#x153;As soon as you leave Longpi, the safe space of craft changes. In the village, there is a community that can help you, which you cannot recreate in Delhi. Given my conversations with the karigars, I am not sure there is a full sense of pride when one needs to make a thousand pieces of the same object. The context of production changes the process, and it is not ours to take, or have authority over.â&#x20AC;? Tiipoi is currently engaged in long-term dialogues with Longpi artisans, attempting to address agency and innovation, driven by the desire of the karigar. Pictured above are craftsmen Titus Layam and Rachel Luiram; on the facing page is Leiyapam Sharon.

It’s hard to imagine that as recently as the 1970s, only a few shapes of this vessel were made—primarily for brewing rice beer and as stove-top cooking pots. Among the pieces shown on these pages is a bust of a Naga headhunter, created as a decorative piece. Devoid of motifs, black in colour and handmade, this particular trifecta has undeniably co-opted Longpi as ‘contemporary’ design. Its continued ascent is a timely reminder that design found in rural India often follows the basic tenets of being simplistic, utilitarian and being made of natural material. To refer to these as ‘contemporary’ and ‘minimal’ removes context and denies acknowledging a community object, which many now have the privilege to acquire.

Master embroiderer Jean-François Lesage finds a home—and workshop—in a late-19th-century mansion near Pondicherry Writer Sunil Sethi . PhotograPher Björn Wallander

The ochre-and-red-oxide-painted facade of the Chennai home of embroiderer Jean-François Lesage is screened by profuse planting. The mansion’s elevated height and deep veranda secure it from heavy rains. The arched entrance, surmounted by a classical pilastered parapet, is typical of early-20thcentury Indo-European architecture of Tamil Nadu, known as the ‘Chengalpet’ style. Facing page: JeanFrançois Lesage with his fourth-generation silver-grey Weimaraner dogs. The Chinese-style birdcage was designed by Lesage, based on a decades-old sketch.

The rear veranda is supported by 12 teak pillars original to the house. Many of the louvred teak shutters that regulate light and breeze are also original; the missing ones were replicated using old Burma teak. The floor of polished cement, scrubbed with coconut oil to give it a sheen, was painstakingly restored. Facing page: The traditional central courtyard, framed by teak pillars resting on granite plinths, collects rainwater during the monsoon. The sloping terracotta roof tiles, arranged in six layers, are supported by flat, square tiles to ensure drainage.

The traditional metal uruli is replenished with fresh flowers each day.

The first-floor salon, which leads to a veranda, is lit by an 1860 crystal chandelier that Lesage transported from his family house in Chaville near Versailles. It was restored by Mathieu Lustrerie, who recently restored the great chandeliers in the maharaja of Baroda’s palace. The tiger-skin floor rug and armchair upholstery were embroidered at Vastrakala. The floor’s polished cement tiles are original to the house. Facing page: On the wall of the antechamber leading to Lesage’s bedroom hang two amusing embossed acrylic portraits of a Weimaraner and a basset hound—his favourite dogs—dressed like 18th-century French grandees and created by an anonymous artist. French-influenced Pondicherry chairs flank a cabinet with assorted curiosities.

In the small ground-floor master bedroom, the 19thcentury carved rosewood bed from Andhra Pradesh is typical of the style favoured by French occupants in Pondicherry. The bedspread and canopy, in handblocked Machilipatnam print, are embellished with Vastrakala embroidery. The caned chair is a Louis V pastiche found in Pondicherry. Facing page: The main ground-floor room leading from the veranda is where the former zamindar owners would have received tenant farmers. The hand-embroidered tiger rug was made at Vastrakala, while the ornate 19th-century black-tinted rosewood furniture suite was found in Hyderabad.

On the tripod claw-foot table is an incense burner on a Burmese lacquer tray. The Belgian chandelier with multiple cupolas is typical of those found in old mansions throughout India.

The dining room has an Anglo-Indian rosewood dining table and chairs from Kolkata. Above a terracotta bust of Mahatma Gandhi, with detachable metal glasses, hangs a portrait of a seated maharaja of Madurai. An array of candles on ostrich-egg stands and period French bronze candlesticks are lit for evening meals.

Facing page: The table is set for breakfast in a shady corner of the eastern terrace. The metal chairs are of French Directoire design and covered in block-printed cushions copied from an antique French embroidery gifted to Lesage by his father.

Two turkeys, named Czar and Kaiser, outside their thatched abode. The handmade domed chicken houses, typical of the area, were made by local potters. Facing page: A pair of locally made Chinesestyle terracotta jars grace the entrance to a small cottage Lesage built for his mother, in the style of the main house. Its dome-shaped rooms are covered with a thatched roof for better cooling.

The 18-metre-long swimming pool, a collaborative effort with Chennai-based architect Niels Schoenfelder, is partially roofed with woven coconut palm thatch, to keep the water cool. The pool terrace is paved with old bricks in a herringbone pattern.

Facing page: Lesageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Weimaraners on their walk down an avenue of fishtail palms leading to the garden and swimming pool.

Lesage confesses to a weakness for old-style Indian vehicles such as the Ambassador, and has also repainted a three-wheeler in the garage below his studio.

ost deep in the Tamil Nadu countryside somewhere between Pondicherry and Chennai, and situated between a lagoon and salt lake, is a house called Kandadu. It takes its name—which uncannily rhymes with Xanadu—from the local village. And glimpsed through a screen of trees and red ochre boundary walls, it evokes some of the magic of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s verse about the mystical palace in his 1816 poem Kubla Khan.

This is the bucolic retreat of Jean-François Lesage, French founder of Vastrakala, the reputed Chennai-based embroidery atelier. Despite a family legacy in embroidery—his 19th-century forbears created embroideries for Napoleon III’s court, while his father’s embroidery atelier adorned the works of Balmain, Balenciaga, Dior, Givenchy—it was India in the 1980s that ignited his interest in the craft. “In Varanasi, during a power cut, I was deeply affected by a karigar working uninterrupted by lamplight. In India, as in France, an embroiderer’s tools are the same—a hook, needle and frame,” says the 54-year-old entrepreneur. When he set up Vastrakala in 1993, with late partner Patrick Savouret and Malavika Shivakumar—and later joined by Sandeep Rao—he had two embroiderers producing cushions in Chennai. Today, the roots that Lesage had laid almost three decades ago have grown stronger; the atelier directly employs 220 craftsmen, creates bespoke embroidered furnishings for interior designers such as Peter Marino and Jacques Grange, and got Chanel on board as a major stakeholder four years ago. Its ventures have included recreating embroidered panels for Victor Hugo’s house in Guernsey and draperies in Rashtrapati Bhavan’s banquet hall. They also won the competition to restore the king’s bedroom at Versailles.

When it came to finding a place to put down roots in Tamil soil, however, Lesage and Savouret scoured the fertile, rural landscape (unsuccessfully) for years, in search of an old house that they might restore as a private idyll. “But most buildings we saw were located thick in the midst of villages. We wanted something more isolated with a bit of land.”

PRESERVING HISTORY Fifteen years ago, shown Kandadu from a distance, they were instantly bewitched. Captivated by its mystery, they knew they had to have it, but were unprepared for the hurdles ahead. The place had lain abandoned and boarded up for so long that some thought it was haunted. “When some of the doors were prised open, hundreds of bats flew out,” recalls Lesage. “And there were rats— and the undergrowth had invaded the house, cracking the walls.”

Kandadu was once the manse of feudal landlords of the Mudaliar community, whose wealth came from salt farming in the surrounding salt pans. “There were 14 owners, only 2 of whom lived in India. It took us over a year to find them and settle the dues and litigation before it was ours.” Then came the arduous business—undertaken with the help of INTACH in Pondicherry—of getting the late-19th-century mansion, with nearly a dozen rooms on two floors, back on its feet.

Lesage is one of those cultivated Europeans, of insight and learning, who speaks English in visual images of freshness and colour that the English-educated are somehow unable to achieve. He compares Kandadu to “a beautiful old lady who was sad and angry that she had been forgotten”. Of his years of careful, discriminating restoration, he says: “I wanted to give her

back her dignity without removing any of the wrinkles of her age and character.” When he first saw the encroaching jungle around, strewn with dying and desiccated trees, he “went to every tree and promised that I would bring many more”. His pride and joy are the 200 trees and 1,300 shrubs he has planted since he acquired Kandadu; he has followed a catholic regimen in following the natural contours of the nine-acre property, accentuating each dip and incline and embankment—for the area can be prone to flooding—to create a tended wilderness of ponds, meandering paths, vistas and sacred spaces. You may stumble upon the painted horses of an Ayyanar shrine sequestered among the gardens, or the image of a guardian naga deva in the hollow of a tree—a precious gift from the late dancer-choreographer Chandralekha when she visited Kandadu.

Lesage has followed the same principle in preserving the lovely bones of the house. Although many parts of the building have been structurally strengthened, missing shutters and shattered roof tiles replaced, five bathrooms and a modern kitchen added, any unduly invasive alterations have been avoided. Rather, the patina of recurring damp patches, occasional peeling plaster and mended cracks is left visible. In Lesage-speak, these are akin to the Japanese art of kintsugi, or repairing old pottery with gold to enhance its beauty, or to summon some of the crumbling splendour of the zamindar’s mansion in Satyajit Ray’s immortal 1958 classic Jalsaghar. “I am devoted to the skill of traditional artisans. I used local masons, stonecutters, carpenters and plasterers. It was rejuvenating to spend days watching them go about their work quietly and patiently. No bulldozers! No drills!” he exclaims in wonderment at the treasury of building skills that thrive in his remote neck of the woods.

LOST & FOUND Into Kandadu, too, has gone a lifetime of collecting furniture, art and objects—both valuable and whimsical—found on his travels in India. As a former auctioneer who worked at the most famous auction house in Paris, Lesage is proud of his practised eye roving in junkshops and forgotten corners of pavement godowns. “I often end up buying the pieces no one wants.”

Much like he is to his vast accumulation of inanimate artefacts, Lesage is attached to all sentient beings. Kandadu houses a large menagerie—six dogs and a donkey, turkeys, guinea fowl and chickens looked after by a staff, some of whom have grown up with the house and returned to raise their families there. In the recesses of the extensive gardens, where monkeys lollop among the trees, he has built a large swimming pool and a small cottage for his mother who visits in the winter months. Typically, both are roofed with thatch in the style indigenous to the region.

In the deep sense of tranquillity and repose that Kandadu embodies, its seamless confluence of the secular and spiritual, you can feel the old lady smiling and at rest. In a special puja room near the kitchen, clay lamps are lit daily before the painted clay deities that line the walls. Lesage is sometimes asked if, after all his years immersed in the life of Tamil Nadu, he has become Indian. He ponders the question reflectively. “No,” he says, “that would not be possible for it would take many lifetimes to become Indian.” But the one compliment he cherishes above all is The Hindu’s epigrammatic description of him and Patrick Savouret in an admiring profile. It fittingly called them “the most Madrasi of French men and the most Indian of Parisians”.

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It was Ambassador Kenneth I Justerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s memories of Karen Lukasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traditional Rajasthani murals at Roosevelt House that led to their eventual restoration at his New Delhi residence Writer Sunil Sethi . PhotograPher AShiSh SAhi

Kenneth I Juster, American ambassador to India, seated in the dining room at Roosevelt House in New Delhi.

New York-based American artist Karen Lukas designed the traditional murals on the walls of this room.

T

he story of the recently restored Rajasthan-inspired murals in Roosevelt House, the American ambassador’s residence in New Delhi, is a remarkable lost-and-found saga that links two envoys who occupied the imposing building completed by the modernist architect Edward Durell Stone in 1962.

It was Ambassador Frank G Wisner and his France-born wife Christine who decided they wanted to leave their visual imprint during their tenure in India— from 1994 to 1997. Deeply affected by the exquisite frescoes she saw, especially a blue-andwhite room in Jaipur’s City Palace, Christine was inspired to redecorate the large but slightly chilly formal dining room in that style. The couple set to work on the ambitious scheme in a systematic way. Through the well-known cultural anthropologist and India expert Stephen P Huyler, Christine established contact with the accomplished Manhattan-based decorative artist Karen Lukas; as it happened, Lukas had travelled in India and thrilled to the idea. Frank exerted his influence to persuade the US multinational, the General Electric Company, to fund the project.

As Lukas—whose engagement with India has since deepened to establish a non-profit (folkartsrajasthan.org) to assist traditional musicians in Jaisalmer—remembers it, designing and executing the murals in 1995 was an exacting but often exuberant exercise that took nearly three months to complete. “I created elaborate stencils of stylized flowering trees for the floor-to-ceiling panels and used a dry-brush paint technique. We stuck to Christine’s idea of a pale-blue-and-white palette. After hours on the scaffold, she and I would sometimes lie on the floor to consider the progress. It was a wonderful assignment.”

But a strange and inexplicable quirk of fate intervened. Between then and now, the murals disappeared; it is not clear what happened but, at some point, the dining room was walled in from the singular, free-flowing space of the main reception room and the artworks were painted over.

Enter Kenneth I Juster, appointed ambassador by the Trump administration in late 2017. A Harvard man, the son and grandson of architects, and with a prominent career in law, business and government service, he remembered the murals well from earlier visits to New Delhi. He was overcome by surprise—to put it mildly—that they were gone when he came to live in Roosevelt House. A man of consummate judgement and taste, he was determined to bring them back. But the restoration process proved complex.

Tracking down Lukas through Wisner, he was disappointed to learn that she had discarded the original stencils. “I was simply horrified to learn that my artworks were wiped out. But luckily I had kept a box of slides,” says Lukas. Taking no chances, the artist located a reputable Brooklyn firm of art restorers, EverGreene, to reproduce them. Each panel was painstakingly hand-painted, photographed and digitally reproduced on canvas to capture nuances of shading. The canvas rolls were shipped out and seamlessly installed on the dining room’s 14-foot-high walls under Juster’s fastidious eye late last year. “As a lawyer you learn that everything is in the details,” he says. In a final flourish, he commissioned the window shades of simple hand-block-printed blue motifs on white cotton to blend with the overall colour scheme.

Fifteen years ago, Frank and Christine Wisner’s original commission had cost $10,000. The restored murals up to the point of installation, cost six times as much. Juster lobbied with several Indo-American business associations to finance the project. Indelible as they now are, Lukas likes to believe that they are also indestructible. But for both diplomats, residents of the same house, they symbolize a cultural bridge of warmth and colour between the two countries.

At the Pondicherry home of designer Cedric Courtin, a mid-century silverpainted gate leads to the garden and the house beyond.

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For French designer Cedric Courtinâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;whose Chennai atelier produces leather accessories for global fashion housesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;an escape from frantic city life looks like a self-contained, sparsely designed tower occupying a corner of a garden in a small village in sunny Pondicherry Writer Sunil Sethi . PhotograPher AShiSh SAhi

The desk and chair in Burma teak is by Pondicherry-based furniture maker Vincent Roy of Wood’n Design. The smokefired cubes on the windowsill are from Mandala Pottery, Auroville. The handwoven-cane desk mat with leather piping and the watergrass basket are from Ateliers Courtin. Facing page: The roof of the glazed lounge at the top was designed by Pondicherry-based architect Poonam Mulchandani. The handcrafted woven-leather cushions are from Ateliers Courtin and the wood-fired stoneware cubes on the windowsill are by Adil Writer, based in Auroville. The cane-patterned woven-leather lampshade is by Courtin. The table—a distressed-wood top on concrete blocks—was designed by Courtin and executed by Auroville-based Art Brute.

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The cushions on the garden chairs interlaced in net were made in Courtinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s workshop. Facing page: A view of the house from the garden.

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Top left: A table with a brass-inlay-on-distress-wood top and concrete-block legs designed by Cedric Courtin, executed by Art Brute. Top right: The wall of the ground-level dining area features circular maps of the world, engraved on leather, by Ateliers Courtin; the dining chairs in teak are by Vincent Roy of Woodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;n Design. Above centre: A handcrafted woven leather cushion designed by Cedric Courtin, executed by Ateliers Courtin. Above right: A caneinspired leather cushion designed by Jean-François Lesage for Vastrakala, executed by Ateliers Courtin. Above left: The collection of cane baskets in the kitchen was bought on a trip to Shillong in Meghalaya; the period botanical watercolours on the wall were acquired at a house sale in Pondicherry.

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oreigners who land on Indian shores to live and work often go through a disorienting phase of intense curiosity pivoted on a degree of culture shock. There are, however, always exceptions. One such is French fashion designer and fine-leather specialist Cedric Courtin. From the moment of his arrival in Chennai in 2005, he says, he knew he “was going to spend my life here”. He was struck not by the differences between Brittany in coastal France, where he grew up, and the Coromandel coast, but the similarities—the food, the weather, the traditions. “It was small, simple things; for instance, the way a rava dosa is made.

In Brittany, we have a famous buckwheat pancake called a galette, and the implement used to make both is identical,” he says, rapidly scrolling through his phone for images of the long spatula used to flip the trademark staples. In addition, there was the familiarity of a diverse and long-established French community in Pondicherry, a couple of hours’ drive along the coast from Chennai.

COAST TO COAST Digging in his heels, the 42-year-old Courtin—whose rigorous background in fashion design includes a postgraduate degree from the prestigious Institut Français de la Mode in Paris and experience in producing leisure and sportswear—was so keen to stay on that, for a couple of years, he worked for a tsunami relief organization in Tamil Nadu. Then, a Parisian friend flagged him for help: to source and produce intricate jewellery in leather. It was the impetus for a highly innovative outpouring. Today, the neat white board with the words ‘Ateliers Courtin, Leather Traders’ that announces his small but busy first-floor workshop in Alandur, the bustling wholesale trade market in Chennai, opens on to a beehive of creativity.

Learning the hard way—in keeping overheads low and establishing a network of quality fabricators—Courtin has prospered. His fine woven-leather accessories and products— tassels, panels, cushions, even toys—embellish shoes, handbags and dresses by luxury brands such as Balenciaga, Chloe, Coach, Paco Rabanne and Christian Louboutin. Chennai is where it all started, and it remains the hub of Courtin’s global enterprise: leather is sourced from Italy, France, Korea and Brazil and a variety of eco-friendly grasses for baskets with leather handles and trimmings from as far afield as Manipur, Spain and China.

HOMECOMING But it is a truth universally acknowledged that an energetic, restless spirit behind a start-up will need a release from the frenetic pace of city life. For Courtin, the diversion has always been regular weekend getaways to the relaxed vibe of Pondicherry, with its sprawl of Auroville’s francophone community and easy access to a variety of European restaurants and patisseries. In search of a place of repose, for some years,

Courtin rented a small seaside cottage on Serenity Beach with red roof tiles around which he built a garden.

When the lease ran out, he went looking—and found something original and unexpectedly zany in a bustling village.

His new retreat is a three-storeyed, Rapunzel-like tower with a small footprint, set in a corner of a garden. Three rooms, all five-by-six feet, are stacked one upon the other, and linked by a concrete spiral staircase on a single shaft without rails: a tiny kitchen and dining area on the ground floor, with a bedroom and bath on the first floor and, at the top, a glazed lounge and sun room that Pondicherry-based architect Poonam Mulchandani helped him design.

The leather designer’s friend Vincent Roy, the well-known Pondicherry-based cabinetmaker and founder of design studio Wood’n Design who crafted the dining chairs, bed and shelving, jokingly refers to the idiosyncratic tower as “Cedric’s lighthouse”—a reference to the collection of miniature replicas of Brittany’s lighthouses that Courtin collects, which are lined up along a windowsill. With the help of friends such as Roy, he has furnished his tower with simplicity and flair. “Because it is a holiday home, it had to be light. It is full of handmade objects and furniture made locally by wonderful craftspeople,” says the designer. All his possessions for his weekend retreat pack into three aluminium trunks, which inventively hold up the birchply bookshelves in his bedroom with its flooring of curaçaocoloured cement.

Courtin put in new windows and doors to the bare shell of the tower and added elements of fantasy and good fortune as a flourish; for instance, the three circular maps of the world etched in leather of three places he loves—France, India and South America—are displayed on a living room wall. In the kitchen hangs a sheaf of wheat from Brittany that his sister brought him as a symbol of luck. And in the tiny bathroom, three pieces of white marble are slung on a nautical rope to serve as shelving.

SMOOTH LANDING The tower is set in a one-acre plot—an overgrown piece of land with desiccated trees when he acquired it—that is being gradually tamed and replanted with a profusion of palms, banana, pineapple, papaya, fragrant flowering trees and a cactus collection. Much of the living is outdoors. In shady arbours, Courtin has created spaces for seating and al fresco dining. A vegetable patch is up-and-coming with tomato, chilli, radish, sweet potato, basil and varied greens. “Healthy, home-grown produce for fresh meals eaten with a few friends in the garden,” says Courtin. “I love nothing more than digging and planting the land from Friday evening to Monday morning. It’s the perfect way to cleanse my mind and recharge my energy for a stressful week in the city.”

Courtin’s weekend retreat has a decidedly rural feel. It is both an escape and a sanctuary—a successful French entrepreneur’s private haven—far from the madding crowd.

In an 18th-century palatial building, buried under layers of unfortunate architectural choices, renowned Milan-based architect Vincenzo De Cotiis found the essence of his new home, which he refurbished in his particular aesthetic and layered with his sculptural furniture Writer & Producer Isabel Margalejo PhotograPher Manolo Yllera Portrait PhotograPher sIMon Watson

In the living room, the sofas, side table and wall light are by homeowner Vincenzo De Cotiis; the cardboard sculpture is by Florian Baudrexel. Facing page: De Cotiis and Claudia Rose, his wife and right hand.

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The ‘DC1732’ dining table and ‘DC1736’ stool—both made of recycled fibreglass and silver-plated brass— ‘DC1706’ hanging light, ‘DC1737’ resin screen, and ‘DC1711B’ sculpture, on the plinth, were all designed

by De Cotiis. On the wall, as sculptures, are theatre props from the 1980s.

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The ‘DC1604’ daybed—covered in a hand-dyed mohair velvet—sits atop a resin platform in one of the living rooms; behind it is a ‘DC1411’ panel in painted fabric. Facing page, top: The ‘DC312’ wall cabinet in recycled wood and ‘DC1514’ cast-brass bookshelf are from De Cotiis’s Progetto Domestico collection. The patinated brass baseboard around the house conceals outlets. Facing page, bottom: A Roger Herman vase is on the ‘DC1733’ side table in the hall.

In the only bedroom in the house, the bed and resin headboard were designed by De Cotiis, as were the cast-bronze lamps and silver-plated brass room divider on the left. The wooden sculpture, by the books, on one of the bedside tables dates back to the 19th century.

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The late-baroque-era landing outside the apartment.

Left: The master bathroom is covered in Brazilian marble and equipped with Dornbracht faucets, a FontanaArte mirror and vintage sconces; the doors connect to the bedroom and the dressing room. Above left: The wall light is ‘DC1604’; the artwork above the fireplace is Crisis Is A Private Obsession by Ryan Brown. Above: Another view of the bathroom—the early-19th-century bust is from the Fondation Louis Vuitton.

A view into the living room—the sofa has been constructed in resin and fibreglass, with linen upholstery.

Facing page: The ‘Platner’ chairs, at the dining table, are

by Warren Platner for Knoll. De Cotiis says, “They are the only things in the house which were not designed by me. I love them; they have a strong personality, and are capable of [interacting] with their environment.”

his is beauty in its purest form. Impeccable, perfect, objective, incontestable.

Architect Vincenzo De Cotiis has turned his house into a rotund manifesto, the apartment of an aesthete, a monumental habitable sculpture. The structure already had character—a 3,229-square-foot apartment in a palazzo, hidden away in a narrow street off the Magenta district in Milan. Behind a modest facade is a spectacular patio featuring a staircase that leads up to the first floor.

Before De Cotiis even began to weave his magic into the space, he found certain aspects that needed to remain untouched—like the floors and ceilings, which were mostly kept intact. “It was a miracle to find it like this. I tried to emphasize the pre-existing story and positive atmosphere, and enrich it with some surfaces that would create a contrast. The aesthetic is very brutalist but retains the opulence that one expects from the well-designed interiors,” explains De Cotiis, who applies the same formula to all his projects, the best known being Milan’s Straf hotel.

The refurbishment revealed the strong bones and original aesthetic of the space buried beneath. “We spent a lot of time removing the layers that had been added: years of paint and papers, fake ceilings and horrendous carpets.

What we found underneath, in a state of wonderful imperfection, was incredible,” he says, and goes on to elaborate. “Every colour seemed bleached due to decades of exposure to the sun. The effect is warm and friendly, one of the characteristics of my style, which reflects my love for textures, organic shapes and light.” De Cotiis finished all the rooms with a patinated brass baseboard, which serves the purpose of hiding away all the installations and other utilitarian requirements. Not a single cable or switch is visible to strike a discordant note or take the focus away from the purity of his enormous spaces, which include a dining room, two living rooms, a single bedroom and

bathroom, two dressing rooms and a kitchen with an office.

“I pay obsessive attention to detail, to the skill with which the objects are made,” he reveals. The furniture is his too, from the limited-edition Progetto Domestico collection that he sells in his eponymous gallery, along with almost all his art. “I understand space as something global. I draw each object—functional or artistic—so they empathize with each other,” De Cotiis says.

The result here is a rough but very refined elegance where aestheticism has been domesticated. “To eliminate the idea of functional design is part of my process. My pieces come after an extensive reinterpretation of other things, but they always stick to a function, although not in its original sense. Often, a table can be something else, even just an artistic gesture, a sculpture,” says De Cotiis. Despite his extreme modernity, spaces and pieces have elements of endurance. “I don’t like trends. I love the expressions of unique individualism,” the architect concludes.

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scouts

N E WS R E E L From the hottest products to the coolest launches, here’s the low-down on the latest in the market this season

It is that time of the year when a new order is emerging.

Every year Asian Paints, the largest paint pioneer in India identifies emerging Indian design trends, collaborates with the finest purveyors of design, and puts together the most comprehensive guide to colours, materials, textures and finishes. In its 16th edition in 2019, ColourNext brings to us the colour of the year—‘Awakening’. It is a shade of plum alive with the dynamism of being woke, with the dignity and power of purple fused with the humility of brown. It sets the playground for those who question the status quo, who find strength to stand up when it matters and dig in their heels with confidence. It is the inner voice that guides each one of us to be the change we wish to see in this world. ‘Awakening’ is nothing but the courage to lead this change. (asianpaints.com)

DISCOVER THE NEW MEANING OF LUXURIOUS LIVING An exclusive look inside Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most beautiful homes, featuring renowned architects, celebrated interior decorators and discerning experts to help you create the perfect GQ home

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scouts Continuously striving for excellence and paying utmost attention to detail, Roca, Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premium bathroom brand, has gone a step further with its brand-new, cutting-edge bathroom collection, aptly titled Beyond (pictured). Resonating sophistication and transcending functionality, this range, which comprises WCs, basins, furniture and bathtubs, embodies glamour and sophistication. It promises to elevate the mere ritual of bathing into the utmost relaxing and enjoyable experience. Organic curves, soft lines and visual appeal married with great strength and durability definitely add to the entire luxury quotient. (roca.in)

Every rug has a story to tell, be it ancient folklore from its place of origin or the inspiration of its artisan whose knowledge and experience reflect a passion for craft and design. With the idea of carrying forward the rich legacy of carpet weaving in India, and to enable patrons to enjoy the ancient craft, the luxury handmade rug brand, Cocoon Fine Rugs has launched its fourth flagship gallery in the country, in Jaipur. The 5,000-square-foot rug gallery showcases some of the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s signature collections such as Colours of Life, Alchemy, Kashmir and Urbane as well as limited-edition pieces made in collaboration with JJ Valaya, Ashiesh Shah, Rooshad Shroff and Varun Bahl. Jaipur, with its otherworldly landscape of palaces and forts, makes for a fitting location for this new outpost that is sure to capture the imagination of the international design community. (cocooncarpets.com) 224|

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scouts The long wait is finally over. Over a three-day, invite-only preview in March of 2019, Mumbai saw the launch of The Wardrobe Company and its first showroom in Andheri. This is a one-stop destination for wardrobes for architects, interior designers and consumers alike. The space offers a look into the world of wardrobes, be it Indian, Italian or German, and there is definitely something to like for everyone who visits.

Solely dedicated to retailing wardrobes and offering a diverse selection from multiple brands across the world, this is the first venture to address the growing need and desire for modular storage. The wardrobes on offer include everything from basic hinged wardrobes to premium sliding and walk-in wardrobes.

The fully customizable offerings and premium selection of internal accessories at varying price ranges allow you to create a wardrobe to suit your personal style. (thewardrobeco.in; 022-66990660)

With a passion for architectural hardware and art inculcated at an early age and inspiration derived from the thriving art scene in the city of Chicago, brothers Mahesh and Harsh Tanna co-founded the luxury architectural hardware brand Taannaz in 2001. Empowering innovative design concepts in the hardware world, today Taannaz offers an array of bespoke architectural hardware and accessories of the highest quality in varying materials like silicon bronze, white bronze and brass.

Featured is the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Expanseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; pull, handcast in solid bronze and created using the cire perdue (lost wax) process. The piece takes inspiration from the wilderness of the English moorsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the textured handle was clay modelled to depict the wild expanse of the moors patterned so by the whistling winds. Silicon and wax moulds were created before the final cast in bronze. The piece is available in all-silicon and white-bronze patinas. (taannaz.in)

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The work of artist and designer Alex Davis epitomizes India Modern and showcases a blend of contemporary art and Indian culture. One of his iconic sculptural installations is the Champa Tree (pictured), the ubiquitous temple tree found widely across the Asian subcontinent. The winter tree is architectural in its formation with a composite compilation of arcs forming the soft and sensuous branches that fan out at the top, giving it its archetypal canopy. Unique in formation and dimensions depending on the specificity of the sites, the natural shape of the branches has been exquisitely handcrafted in polished stainless steel by Alex and his team. (alexdavisstudio.com)

scouts

Great design, attention to detail, innovation and sustainability remain the cornerstones for Andreu World.

The ‘Hula’ stool (pictured) designed

by Benjamin Hubert creates visual interest with the symmetry between the seat and the base and the orbital position of the aluminium footrest.

The clean and essential form of the stool captures the eye and enhances the spaces it’s a part of. Customers have the choice of personalization with different finishes and colour options. Created with injected aluminium and an upholstered seat to add to its comfort, it is available in 10 colours including white, black, rust red, terracotta, dark grey and sand to name a few. There is a heightadjustable version and two revolving versions with different heights. (andreuworld.com)

This modern-day sofa has it all! The ‘George’ sofa (pictured), a part of Blue Loft’s bestseller range, and with its clean lines, bright fabrics, compact sizing and competitive pricing is perfect for modern-day urban living. Blue Loft, the brainchild of Kahan Chandrani and Sohum Deshmukh, is a design-forward brand that caters to the urban consumer seeking well-designed, good-quality and contemporary furniture. This beauty has three variations—a three-seater, a love seat and an armchair. (blueloft.com)

‘Happy D.’, by Sieger Design, was a cult-status bathtub that thrilled homeowners all over the world. It’s time again for Duravit, the leading international manufacturer of designer bathrooms to charm its customers with its successor series—the ‘Happy D.2 Plus’ (pictured). Subtly rounded contours, new colour variants, handle-free fronts, low material thicknesses, generous proportions and ergonomic interiors of all the bathtubs are just a few of the many highlights of this series that is equal parts contemporary and elegant. (duravit.com)

Whether the occasion is lavish and special or if it’s just a means of socializing without having to leave the comfort of your own home, there is one thing that’s as important as the food you are serving—what you’re serving it on. Vandana Khosla, the creative mind behind Elvy Lifestyle, a premium lifestyle brand has brought back the refinement of traditional Victorian dining with this add-on dinner set (pictured). So plan that impeccable dinner party and make a lasting impression with how you present your favourite dishes on the table. (elvy.com)

Rug making is an art with the final product being no less than a masterpiece—it is an expression of the designer’s vision and the weaver’s passion after all. Inspired by the infinite expanse and distant galaxies of the universe, Karpets by RKS makes sure you never stop dreaming with the Galaxy collection. With a legacy spanning across three generations, the brand offers uniquely patterned rugs perfect for accentuating your home. Featured above is the ‘GL-002 RED’, which showcases the excellent skills of the craftspeople who made it. The use of a high percentage of silk and hand-spun wool also play a central role in achieving the exquisite design and stunning texture. (karpetsbyrks.com)

LUSCIOUS CRAFT

Within, the brainchild of Sonal and Bobbi Tuli, is a premium interior design studio specializing in fine furniture and luxury interiors.

The studio embodies a vision of eternal design, teamed with a love for ornamentation and craft that translates into a unique design language.

Pictured is the intricately inlaid coffee table from their new collection Sanctum.

The collection is inspired by the inner sanctuary within— the basis for all dualities in nature, symbolized by the juxtaposition of two different stones. (within.net.in) MAY-JUNE 2019|

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With admirers such as Elton John, Paloma Picasso, Valentino and Oprah Winfrey, Ranjit Ahuja is renowned as one of India’s leading ateliers for appliqué and embroidery “This is the first artwork that was done by me prior to starting this business.

I had received an embossed monogram on a plain card, which was to be replicated on two cushion covers.

Little did I know that the covers were for Bill Gates!

His initials, WHG, are incorporated in the monogram.”

“All our embroidery threads are mercerized cotton yarns that marry extremely well with our pure linen fabrics.”

“The cutwork trellis border fabric perfectly reflects that not all that we do is understated.

Here is an extremely labour-intensive design using blue and beige embroidery on an ivory background that has been individually cut by our skilled artisans.”

“This gorgeous fabric is amongst my most special creations; [it features] a unique hand-knotting technique to accentuate the design outline. The marriage of these simple colours on blue linen stands for everything I do: simple done perfect is never simple.”

“I love the architecture of the Royal Bombay Yacht Club. I am a third-generation member and have been sailing for decades.”

“I have this attraction towards authenticity in all its forms. I’m naturally drawn to vegetabledyed fabrics and the unique hues they create.”

“While learning my trade in the early days, I sought out Umangbhai Jariwala, a Mumbai-based metallic-thread manufacturer, which makes the most incredible zari yarns that are perfect for my work. It’s no surprise that they have continued making thread since 1919.”

“Roaming the 6th arrondissement in my beloved Paris, I came across La Compagnie du Kraft, a tiny paper shop. Since the 1930s, these artisans have been manufacturing rugged, texturedleather notebooks with natural craft paper from the Gascogne region.”

“Having worked with the most discerning interior design professionals for two decades, I’m drawn to those who use our traditional crafts in less traditional ways. This hand-embroidered diamond pattern, with intersecting crystals, incorporates several shades of blue and white yarn to create subtle variations.”

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“I picked up this vintage travelling chess set in Chelsea during my Big Apple years. As a child, I enjoyed playing chess and still have this fascination for moving these beautifully crafted pieces around the board. My weekends spent sailing and racing in the Mumbai harbour often include a fulfilling game of chess.”

“In my quest to stay close to being both organic and achieving simplicity in all that I do, we take into consideration the little details that create ‘mojo’. Our artworks are all created by hand, whether they are simple vines or detailed motifs.”

PHOTO: TALIB CHITALWALA. STYLING: SAMIR WADEKAR.

“In my quest to stay au naturel, we serve green tea at my atelier. All the tea is sourced from Mariage Frères in Paris.”