Home Review December 2016

Picture This: MPavilion 2016

vol 15 issue 12

DECEMBER 2016

Design Destination: Tel Aviv

total pages 142

Uncovered: Studio Osmosis

RS 100 HOME-REVIEW.COM

The Sunshine Villa

by Ankit Prabhudessai DCOOP Architects’s Paradigm Shift

ROOF(S)

OVERHEAD

KHOSLA ASSOCIATES’ BALANCE OF FORM AND FUNCTION Design Award Special Highlighting winners of global design labels

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Photo: Cyrus Dalal

s

andeep Khosla and Amaresh Anand of Khosla Associates design the roofscape of a home in Hyderabad in such a way that it becomes its defining element. The large cantilevered trapezoidal forms are staggered over spaces creating a visual playfulness and also achieving the objective of performing optimally in hot tropical climate. The team weave a design narrative that encourages a conversation with the outdoors and landscape, while keeping the interior trim delicately understated. Here bespoke pieces of lighting, furniture and collectibles exist in quiet harmony. It is an art perfected by at Khosla Associates that bears testimony in this project too.

Quaid Doongerwala of DCOOP Architects revamps a dingy old Chinese restaurant into an Italian diner that lets one enjoy ‘la dolce vita’. The restaurant is recast into a progression of different spaces, where the multiplicity of areas offers diners a set of varied entertainment options.

What’s an added shot in the arm is the conversion of an outdoor storage area into a quaint pocket permitting al fresco dining - something almost de rigueur for an authentic Italian café.

Anish Bajaj, Editor anish@marvelinfomedia.com

Photo Courtesy: Kunal Bhatia

The MPavilion, an annual event held in Melborne, Australia invites a renowned architect to create a temporary structure to serve as a space for cultural programs and interdisciplinary activities. This year Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai was the invitee who crafted a precise and exacting structure using bamboo. The structure itself celebrates the idea of the handmade and the incredible science and ability of traditional Indian craft - ideals that are core beliefs of Studio Mumbai. Do turn to page 22 to catch a glimpse of this wondrous piece of architecture.

The MPavilion is a temporary bamboo structure created by Bijoy Jain for the Naomi Milgrom Foundation in Melbourne, Australia.

Turn to page 22.

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emails + feedback Very Helpful

Can’t Wait To Visit Atmantan I am absolutely in awe of the Atmantan resort and I congratulate Home Review for capturing the beauty of the place with words and pictures I cannot wait to visit the place that’s so near to the city is unheard of.

By Email Shweta Joshi, Mumbai

A Sense Of Place Let us know what you love and hate about this issue. Mail us at letters@marvelinfomedia.com

I am amazed with the way the Neogenesis+Studi0261 architects have encapsulated their talent by making a home out of a farmhouse.

By Email Divya Pillai

8 Home Review December 2016

I diligently read through the complete office special theme that you had covered. I am mighty impressed with it as it has helped me resolve most of my queries as to what kind of furniture I should use or how I can add a quirky look to my office.

By Email Neha Berde

A Home With A Balance Of Simplicity And Sophistication Samira Rathod has once again created magic with her fine architectural skills. This house is a perfect balance of simplicity and sophistication. Right from the selection of quirky furniture pieces to the colour scheme, the space looks functional and doesn’t compromise on aesthetics.

By Email Kishan Raj

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22 26

Studio Osmosis combines multiple materials to create plush, warm interiors that blur the lines between formal and informal settings

The 2016 MPavilion is not only the first time that an Indian architect has created a public space in Australia, but is also the largest bamboo structure to be built in the country

Cover Story

38

Amidst all the ‘bigger, better’ ostentation, architects Sandeep Khosla and Amaresh Anand of Khosla Associates stepped in with a contextual design for a home, sans any bling

Ankit Prabhudessai designs a sprawling home full of free-flowing spaces that share an inseparable connection with the surrounding greenery

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DECEMBER

At the very heart of Playa Grande beach in the Dominican Republic, lies Amanera, a picturesque getaway to say the least

54 art

form

Japanese artist, Masayoshi Matsumoto uses balloons of varied sizes to come up with ingenious and intricately detailed plants, human figures and animals

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Whilst refurbishing an old restaurant in Mumbai, DCOOP Architects have not only restructured spaces but also introduced a casual, relaxed ambience in keeping with the Neapolitan fare

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By Parul Vahanvati & Mooshir Vahanvati

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Design Award Special highlights the winners of International design awards

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Workshop Inc. combines art, graphics and space on a single canvas to create a showroom that emulates the The Wicker Studio’s philosophy

SAGA Designs’ Twin Restaurants - The Captain’s Table and Me So Happi - are an unorthodox juxtaposition of innate sophistication and frivolity

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Eclectic styles, varied themes, upcoming trends come together in our newly launched segment!

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GREEN PROJECT

Calicut-based design firm, De Earth believes in building timeless and innovative spaces that blend with nature while preserving tradition

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DECEMBER

TEL AVIV A DESIGN DESTINATION

THE MARKETPLACE

product

designer

128 Creating something with emotion and resonance is the speciality of the innovative Something Design Studio. From little ledges in bathroom fixtures to coffee pots, the design studio is changing the way we look at everyday things

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Landscapes

While physically, gardens are defined by boundaries, mentally they transport you into a limitless world accentuated by the forces of nature. Paul Hendershot’s enchanting landscape solutions are exactly such spaces

Get your hands on the latest products to hit the market

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134 Young and ambitious, the founders of ‘Whishbox’ wish to make an indelible mark on the way people interact with small products that find a place in their lives

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Priyanka Menon Writer Priyanka Menon is a copywriter, lecturer in advertising and English literature, poet, and author for HarperCollins and Juggernaut. When she isn’t busy with any of these roles, she can be seen at Starbucks, sipping on white-chocolate mocha, scribbling in her diary. She lives in Pune.

Editor & Publisher Anish Bajaj Creative Director Natalie Pedder-Bajaj Features Editor Mala Bajaj Assistant Editor Shweta Salvi Contributing Writers Chryselle D’Silva Dias Devyani Jayakar Dhanishta Shah Himali Kothari K Parvathy Menon Kanupriya Pachisia Ramya Srinivasan Shruti Nambiar Designers Asif Shayannawar Darshan Palav Pooja Modak Snigdha Hodarkar

Dhanishta Shah Freelance Writer She believes that writing gives sense to experience and her areas of interest span a diverse range including interior design,fashion, watches, luxury, parenting, art,business, health and travel.

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Editorial & Marketing Mumbai Mr. Ganesh Gurav, Mr. Vivek Jadhav, B-62, Cotton Exchange bldg., Cotton Green, Mumbai 400 033 T 022 23736133 / 23736131 / 23743069 E response@marvelinfomedia.com

Khosla Associates Roof(s) Overhead, Page 26.

Khosla Associates was founded in 1995 by Principal Architect Sandeep Khosla, a New York Pratt Institute graduate and former associate at Charles Correa’s Mumbai office. Sandeep was later joined by co-director Amaresh Anand in 2000.

Their contextual approach to design has resulted in a work portfolio that boasts of a wide array of projects and several laurels.

Chennai Mr. S. Venkataraaman Flat No. 2, 3rd Flr, E-Block, Hansa Garden, 30 Madampakkam Main Rd, Rajakilpakkam, Chennai 600 073 Tel 044 22281180 / 09444021128 Email: svenkat@marvelinfomedia.com Kolkata Mr. Subrata Mazumder 2, Nabapalli (Bidhanpalli).

Kolkata 700084 Tel 033 2410 4296 Mob 9831131395 Telefax 033 2410 7605 Email: subrata22@rediffmail.com Publishing Director Mr. R.I. Bajaj Distributed in India by India Book House Pvt. Ltd. 412, Tulsiani Chambers, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021.

This issue has a total of 142 pages comprising of a 6 page cover and 136 inside pages.

We welcome unsolicited material but do not take responsibility for the same. Letters are welcome but subject to editing. All rights reserved.

Nothing may beprinted in whole or part without written permission of the publisher. The editors do their best to verify the information published but do not take responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the information.

All objections, disputes, differences, claims and proceedings are subject to Mumbai Jurisdiction.

Editor Mr. Anish Bajaj. Published and Printed by Mr. Anish Bajaj on behalf of the owner Marvel Infomedia Pvt. Ltd, B-62, Cotton Exchange bldg, Cotton Green, Mumbai 400 033.

Corrigendum On the Cover Page of November 2016 issue, the name of Samira Rathod was cited incorrectly. The error is highly regretted.

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Workshop Inc. Inside-out or Outside-in, Page 75.

Workshop Inc. headed by Varun Shah, Keta Shah & Harsha Mistry is a multi-disciplinary design practice comprising of architects, designers and artists operating within the fields of architecture, interior design, products, graphics and installations. Based in Ahmedabad, the practice takes a consistent, holistic approach to spatial design and interior architecture, seeking out narratives for each project and offering a profound understanding and interpretation of a full range of creative possibilities for the same.

PAST & FUTURE

E V E N T S 1St+art OCT Festival, 2 NOV TO

Recognized for its innovative, long-lasting and striking cookware ranges, Le Creuset offers a wide variety of products ranging from cast iron, 3 ply stainless steel, toughened non stick, and stoneware along with countless accessories ranging to supplement every product category. The brand offers a combined cook and serve concept, wherein the products are useful from the stove to the table.

Bengaluru

The space will be dedicated to promoting modern and contemporary South Asian art through exhibitions and auction previews, as well as viewings, talks, and partner events with other leading galleries. The new space was inaugurated

by India’s leading and last surviving modernists, Krishen Khanna with an exhibition of his recent works.

With an aim to artistically transform the cityscape through art, India’s leading colour paint brand, Asian Paints collaborated with St+art India Foundation for the St+art Festival, which was held between October 1- November 2nd 2016 in the city of Bengaluru. The festival brought together 12 Indian and four international artists with 8 local Bangalore based artists who artistically reinvented the public spaces.

The festival was hosted by the Srishti School Of Art, Design And Technology and was held at Majestic City, Majestic Metro Station, M.G. road Metro Station, Cubbon Park, Mantri Mall, Church Street and Indiranagar.

From workshops on stencil techniques, street art technique, stickers and sign painting, a talk and screening on October 22nd followed by a St+art Hackathon in Cubbon Park on October 23rd, the entire festival month was buzzing with art and impact. Amitabh Kumar’s ‘Art in Transit’ public art project joined hands to help uplift the creativity of public spaces in the city.

CEO Hugo Weihe says, “We are proud to inaugurate our versatile, state-of-the-art gallery space with an exhibition of works by Krishen Khanna. Our gallery’s location in the heart of the capital makes it easily accessible, allowing us to hold exhibitions, previews, talks and other art initiatives. Additionally, the gallery space will be used to collaborate with artists and partner galleries in Delhi, extending Saffronart’s continued efforts to support the arts.” The gallery opening was followed by a series of talks on art.

AND 2Festival 3 DECOf Architecture And

Interior Designing - New Delhi

15 NOV

Le Creuset Launches Its First Flagship Store, Bengaluru Started with an idea celebrating the glory of Indian Architecture & Design, Festival of Architecture and Interior Designing, New Delhi aims to create a common platform for designers to discuss how the design world has transformed and innovated to create a future of spell bound figures. It is a festival of creative minds to meet and discuss the new facets of the design fraternity.

3 NOV

Saffronart’s New Gallery Space, Delhi

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www.le-creuset.in

www.saffronart.com

www.asianpaints.com

Following the launch of its flagship space in Mumbai, Saffronart, India’s premier auction house opened the doors to its new state-of-theart gallery space at The Claridges in New Delhi.

Located in the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi, the swanky 3,000 square foot gallery space is the finest of its kind in the centre of the capital.

Le Creuset products are the finest in the industry and are available in an array of designs and over 100 colour options. The brand aims at providing its customers a onestop solution for the perfect kitchen.

World’s leading cookware brand, Le Creuset known for its classic collection of cast-iron products launched its first stand-alone store at Phoenix Market City Mall in Bengaluru.

Le Creuset has been making world-class cookware since its launch in the year 1925 and has been standing strong as a prominent cookware brand since almost 100 years.

As the world of Architecture is growing, FOAID promises to create something unique & exclusive for the industry. The two day event witnessed a gathering of 3000+ design professionals who actively participated in the festival. The National Conference had a power packed presence with 400+ registered delegates from across the country.

The visitors were enthralled to witness the works of stalwarts which were displayed in a 30,000 sqft area at the Design Arena along with the latest innovative products by leading brands. www.foaidindia.in

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PAST & FUTURE

E V E N T S 5 TO 29 JAN

Pune Biennale 2017, Pune

Re-imagining city’s public spaces creatively to bring ART closer to People (within and beyond the region), the third edition of Pune Biennale will be held in the month of January 2017.

Steered by Pune Biennale Foundation, the event that is gearing up to open for public on January 5, 2017 will be held along Pune’s landmark J.M Road at locations including Pataleshwar Caves, Balgandharva, Z-Bridge, Jungli Maharaj Temple, PES Modern High School, besides the bustling public gardens, prominent art galleries and shipping containers.

The event will showcase substantial artworks from close to 300 artists of National and International repute in both the flagship and other participatory projects. While the flagship exhibition ‘Habit-co-Habit’ curated by art historian & curator Zasha Colah and art critic Luca Cerizza aims to present different forms in which artists reflect on topics such as cohabitation, adaptation, and assimilation; the participatory projects based on the theme ‘Identity and Self’ are specifically designed for engaging with the local community and showcasing cutting edge contemporary artworks through diverse mediums and forums including displays, installations, workshops, dialogues and seminars. punebiennale.in

14 TO 17 JAN

Midex, Tehran, Iran The 7th International Exhibition of MIDEX 2017 will be held between 14 January-17 January 2017 at Tehran international permanent fairground. A leading event in architecture and interior design industry in Iran, Midex will bring about hundreds of industrial companies and experts together.

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At the event, companies of architecture consult and design, interior architecture, decoration applications, floor and wall coverings, curtains, decorative accessories, furnitures, lighting equipment, smart systems will present their new technologies, publications and services. Midex will provide companies with a great opportunity to showcase their brands and advantages in a spacious market and develop their network of Business partners in new regions.

In 2016, the event was held in16518 SQM space, exhibiting 235 companies from 14 different countries such as Iran, South Korea,Malaysia,Ge rmany,Poland,Turkey,Finland,England,China,Belq uim,Hong Kong , Taiwan, Italy, Saudi Arabia, etc.

Exhibitor companies gained the opportunity of meeting 25000 visitors including top managers, suppliers, traders, investors, experts and end users.

Winter Antiques Show is vetted for authenticity, date and condition by a committee of 160 experts from the United States and Europe. The strict vetting regulations and the vettors’ expertise ensure that buyers can purchase with confidence.

The Winter Antiques Show is an annual benefit for East Side House Settlement, a community-based organization in the South Bronx. winterantiquesshow.com

TO 2India 5 FEB Art Fair,

New Delhi-Future

www.midex.ir/en/

20 TO 29 JAN

Winter Antiques Show, New York One of the prestigious art, antiques, and design fair in America, Winter Antiques Show marks its 63rd year as one of the most prominent design fair held at the historic Park Avenue Armory in New York City. The show provides new and established collectors, curators, dealers and design professionals with opportunities to view and purchase exceptional pieces showcased by 70 exhibitors. One-third of the show’s exhibitors are specialists in Americana, with the rest featuring English, European, and Asian fine and decorative arts.

The event will start with an opening night ceremony which includes glamorous night of cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, and the “best of the best” in the fine and decorative arts segment.

The next day will feature a young collectors night with an exciting, high-energy evening for new collectors, emerging philanthropists and art and design enthusiasts. Each object exhibited at the

India Art Fair is an annual Indian modern and contemporary art fair held in New Delhi, India.

The fair is South Asia’s leading platform for modern and contemporary art and portal to the region’s cultural landscape.

The fair includes paintings, sculptures, photography, mixed media, prints, drawings and video art. Founded in 2008, India Art Fair has become the bedrock of a now booming cultural community with connections to every level of the market.

Build on these foundations, India Art Fair is expanding its programming to reflect South Asia’s immense diversity in the visual arts and to provide a platform for innovation across disciplines and exchange, throughout the region and the world.

The programme schedule includes speaker’s forum, film programme, art projects 2017, curated walks and collateral events. indiaartfair.in/

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The MPavilion is situated amidst the green environs of Melbourne’s historic Queen Victoria Gardens.

MPavilion 2016 TEXT AND PHOTOS BY KUNAL BHATIA kunal@kunalbhatia.net www.kunalbhatia.net

Initiated by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation, the MPavilion is an annual commission that invites an internationally renowned architect to create a space for interactions and creative collaborations in Melbourne, Australia.

Taking form in the shape of a temporary structure in Queen Victoria Gardens, in the midst of the city’s art district, the MPavilion in 2015 was designed by British architect Amanda Levete and in 2014 by Australian architect Sean Godsell. In its third year, the Foundation invited Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai, whose pavilion exemplifies his practice’s firm belief and experimentation with hand-made architecture.

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With bamboo used extensively for scaffoldings at construction sites across India, it also forms a culturally appropriate choice of material for creating a space that is temporal in its nature and flexible in its programme.

The Studio’s pursuits are based on the notion of lore - a body of traditions and knowledge passed from person to person by word of mouth - with a strong emphasis on the act of making. Jain elaborates that his intent for the Pavilion was to create an “egalitarian space that celebrates the idea of ground and sky, east, west, north and south, and to find an angle of repose within that”.

Occupying a footprint of 18m x 18m, the Pavilion follows a formal grid and incorporates a large space in the centre.

The bamboo structure is topped by an undulating roof, which dips sharply towards the ground at the four corners, and provides a strong sense of enclosure while offering changing views of the surrounding gardens. An off-centre puncture through the roof acts as a light-well while also bringing in parts of the sky into the Pavilion.

The 2016 MPavilion is not only the first time that an Indian architect has created a public space in Australia, but is also the largest bamboo structure to be built in the country. Jain chose to work with bamboo because of its robustness, versatility and because “it allows us to be; you know you are looking at bamboo but you experience everything but the bamboo”.

Directly beneath it is a gold-leaf clad well that taps into the water-table below – highlighting the importance of water to traditional communities while also connecting the ground to the sky. It is also appropriated as a pivotal point in the central space, around which the MPavilion hosts a series of cultural programs and interdisciplinary activities.

Clockwise from bottom right: The black-stained tazia - a ceremonial tower used in religious processions - was made by craftsmen in Bharuch and forms an interesting juxtaposition to Melborune’s high-rises in the backdrop; The Pavilion’s external bay wraps around its periphery, almost in a circumambulatory manner; An off-centre puncture forms the metaphysical centre of the Pavilion, while also anchoring it to the site; Cross-bracing members provide additional stability at the four corners of the Pavilion.

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Over 7km of bamboo from India along with 26km of rope were used in the construction of the MPavilion, along with 5000 wooden pegs that help tie the structure together. The slatted roof panels made from sticks of the karvi shrub were put together in Maharashtra and sent across to Melbourne.

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Enabling its intent to function as a space for creative engagements, the MPavilion plays host to a series of diverse talks, workshops, performances and installations. These have included Indian classical dance performances, talks on architecture and urbanism, yoga sessions along with bio-diversity workshop for kids and pet-friendly activities.

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ROOF(S) OVERHEAD 26 Home Review December 2016

With multiple roofs defining the external appearance of this home in Hyderabad, Khosla Associates have juggled form and function with their customary finesse and created spaces that are at once sophisticated as well as acutely tuned in to the vagaries of the tropical climate.

Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad may perhaps be better known for its ‘have money, will spend’ syndrome, rather than any kind of circumspection in architectural design.

Amidst all the ‘bigger, better’ ostentation, architects Sandeep Khosla and Amaresh Anand of Khosla Associates stepped in with a contextual design for a home, sans any bling.

“The clients, a young couple, shared our empathy towards local materials, wellcrafted spaces and the tropical sensibility of our designs. However, in addition to the understated elegance, they wanted an iconic home which would be a kind of landmark in the locality,” says Sandeep.

This, the roofs have achieved, with their sculpturesque, sweeping assemblage.

Text By Devyani Jayakar Photographs Shamanth Patil J.

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Visible from the road, they are vast cantilevered forms which combat the fierce sun, carefully staggered upwards from the road to cover two levels of the home. “These timber-clad trapezoidal roof forms hover above the living room, master bedroom, children’s room and study. The difference between the slope of one roof and another creates visual playfulness in the elevations,” says Amaresh.

The spatial layout maximises the use of the linear site by dispersing the built form and greenery in equal measure along its length. Public spaces such as living, study, dining, puja, kitchen, guest room and home theatre are housed on the ground floor while the first floor has a master bedroom, two children’s rooms and a family area.

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Ground floor plan of the house

The design incorporates a good amount of glass, achieving transparency without sacrificing protection from the heat. The views all lie inwards, since the periphery of the plot was surrounded by other construction, hence offering no green vistas. The living room enjoys its own garden, whereas the master and children’s bedroom share an internal courtyard.

The landscaping is by Dewa Kusuma, the Balinese landscape designer.

In most rooms, just a sheet of glass separates the inside from the outside.

The roofs, however, flow seamlessly over both spaces to create large protective overhangs, covering verandahs and patios.

The roof of the study, which sits at the lowest level near the road, lunges towards the entrance courtyard and creates both a hardscape and a breather between the road and the house. The portal is polished cement, while the planters are in corten steel. Ribbed sadarahalli stone and cobblestones see generous use.

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Within, the private spaces are segregated from the public ones by an ample courtyard which functions as an oasis in the centre. All the courtyards function as pockets where the built form interacts meaningfully with nature. A skylight in the entrance foyer outside the puja room is oriented towards the north, casting a slowly moving patch of light on the floor during the day. “When it gets too hot, a remote-controlled motorised blind can shut it off,” says Sandeep.

The living room enjoys a 16 foot ceiling, with clerestory windows near the ceiling.

The pavilion-like feeling is enhanced by the slatted timber ceiling. Clad on mild steel I-sections, the slats enhance the linearity of the roof, creating visual movement as they sweep towards the light outside.

“Since the room is oriented towards the north east, it enjoys the quietest natural light,” says Sandeep.

As vastu was one of the mandates, there are maximum openings towards this direction, helping to manipulate the light.

Three large globular lights from Moooi anchor the room and create a focal point, their ethereal look elegantly skirting visual heaviness in spite of their size. The living extends into an ample L-shaped wooden deck that overlooks the central garden.

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A polished grey kota flows over the floors, paired with the calm white of the walls. These neutral tones provide a quiet backdrop for the judiciously used aquas and reds of the upholstery.The furniture is a tasteful amalgamation of stylish brands such as Moroso, B&B Italia, Poliform, Moooi, and Dedon with customised pieces designed by Khosla Associates and manufactured by Virasp Batliwala.

These are juxtaposed with a curated collection of art by contemporary Indian artists, like Tauseef Khan, Om Surya, Paribantana Mohanty and ceramist Vinod Daroz, amongst others - with vibrant tribal Kilim rugs sourced from Turkey and Morocco.“There is no clutter, but a rich array of tactile textures in the cushions and carpets,� says Sandeep.

Relating to an entirely different

sensibility,

the design

of the house uses the site well, emphasising natural materials.

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The powder room has a customised cabinet with PU coating in a cheery canary yellow, atop which sits a Gessi sink and tap. The skylight is a long slit above the washbasin, while the embossed tile is

by Patricia Urquoila, all anchored by a Moroccan rug. ‘There are several spots of delight like this throughout the home,� says Sandeep.

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Terrace plan of the house

“We carried out many experiments with the roof forms in this project. In order to create the vast cantilevers and shapes for each of the roofs, we had to create an elaborate tubular space frame truss structure, clad it with cement boards from the underside and then apply a final layer of thin slatted timber to it,� says Amaresh.This has resulted in a structure which has a presence on the street with its dramatic roof forms, but which still embodies the peaceful, timeless qualities of a home. amaresh@khoslaassociates.com sandeep@khoslaassociates.com www.khoslaassociates.com

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Studio Osmosis likes its spaces to be low-clutter, high-functionality kind of masterpieces. The team is an expert hand at combining multiple materials to create plush, warm interiors that blur the lines between formal and informal settings.

The team at Studio Osmosis knows its inspirations. The firm works on client requirements religiously while at the same time staying close to its affinity for basic metal surfaces, a restrained lighting scheme, and use of elements that represent the concerned brand or owner’s defining characteristics.

Shilpa Jain Balvally and Sameer Balvally founded this practice in January, 2010, and have since led impressive work in the fields of interior design, architecture, master planning, and furniture design.

Powai in Mumbai is a place of proud industrial roots, even if its current reputation is defined by luxurious high-rises and a well-heeled populace. Pizza Express is a brand which was founded in 1965, with headquarters in London and with a foothold of over 400 outlets across Europe and more.

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The baked-in visual legacy attached to both these names had to, thus, naturally come through while planning the interiors of a new outlet in India. Studio Osmosis stuck to a dexterous balance of inspirations, combining industrial roughness in honour of Powai, a low-clutter flooring plan illuminated by warm lighting to create a youthful appeal, and a few elements of uniqueness that would distinguish the outlet from the long list of others in the world.

The team had 1,800 sq ft to realise this scheme, and succeeds in creating a memorable experience through a focus on the fauna and flora of the neighbourhood.

“The design of Pizza Express Powai was inspired by the peace, tranquillity and the beautiful biodiversity. Unique birds abound in the Powai Lake even though it is in the midst of this buzzing and highly developed suburb of Powai,” the team asserts.

The clincher here, indeed, is a beautiful cluster of metal birds sitting on wires (MS hollow tubes) affixed at the ceiling and overlooking the linear expanse of American deli-like seating that features plush sofas and chairs and tables in aqua-green, light grey, and aqua-marine hues.

Edison bulbs spewing yellow light (‘bird lights’) hang down from in between these birds. The lighting scheme, including the basic metal lamp-shades, highlight the calm of the wood panelling with its herringbone pattern, the wooden trusses, the marble table-tops, the stout in-situ concrete wall columns, the sweep of brick walls, and the Pizza Express-regulation 3D-esque floor pattern of white-grey-black, pre-cast cement.

This effect of breezy brightness is accentuated by the generous natural light streaming in from the sectioned glass and black aluminium entrance wall, the black-painted 12 ft-high ceiling and the Black Portoro Marble-adorned service areas that have been left open and spot lit with gleaming steel. This eatery is a complete industrial chic delight!

Text by Shruti Nambiar Photographs Sebastian Zachariah/Studio Osmosis/ Kunal Bhatia, KB Studio

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This office is luminous, and exists in surprising contrast to what one would expect the work station of a dyes and dye intermediates-making company to look like. The client asked for a Vaastu-compliant and budget-respecting office design that also made a distinct visual impact on everyone. The Studio Osmosis team wrapped these basics around an uncluttered seating scheme and a palette inspired by the company’s sustainable practices and reputation for precision.

To save the space from straining under corporate stiffness, the team has peppered the swathe with statement elements – like, a lovely patterned wall to backdrop an unexpectedly casual sitting space near the entrance; an artificial green wall in the MD’s cabin; lovely show-pieces like brass art pieces, wall masks, and an almost art-popish rug; scattered hexagonal wood wool panel wall detailing in the private lounge; and a highlight wall featuring an array of test tubes affixed as plant-holders.

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These add whimsy, yes, but they also hold the more utilitarian parts of the office together in a happy embrace. At the centre here is the executive cabin cluster cube, standing flushed with light cutting through the coloured film coating of its glass divisions.

The general feel of the 3,500 sq ft space remains open and interconnected, thanks in part to the team’s continued romance with simple white work surfaces that square off with wood; uncomplicated and consistent floor claddings; and open ceilings. It is an office where the formal and informal balance each other off, and that always is good news for work efficiency!

This studio apartment looks out to the fascinating Bandra skyline, and the Arabian Sea, from its 7th floor perch. The views’ shifting light is framed by wide windows in the kitchenette-cum-lounge section as well as the bedroom, complemented inside by the subtle yellows, browns, and metallic elements of the interiors basking in warm lighting. The combined effect in this space is of peace; this is undoubtedly the abode of a calm soul given to deep introspections.

The home also is a prime specimen of spacedivision in simple modern homes meant for singletons in a metropolis. The sequential arrangement here is emphasised by the continuous stone flooring and a spare furniture scheme of custom-made pieces.

The spaces multi-task, and tend to blend into each other, especially evident with the central troika of spaces, with the bedroom here allowed a shut-in using a semi-glazed retractable partition.

The small living room doubles up as a guest bedroom, and the beautiful window ledge here is also the study. In the bedroom, the bed has been designed to look a tad afloat, and the wardrobe and the panelled wall stand together in brilliant camouflage. The team hits the spot with this 560 sq ft space because of its low-barriers approach to the interior layout.

The home never looks a notch below inviting and plush thanks to a colour canvas featuring sober greys and browns, and lots of natural light creating a feeling of openness. I am sure this is precisely the kind of ‘stylish’ K V Bala, chairman for BVK Group, would have doubtlessly hoped for! hr@studioosmosis.com www.studioosmosis.com

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‘Tropical Alchemy’ by Architecture + Design Ankit Prabhudessai, in Margao, blends the best design inspirations from both the traditional Portuguese and the modern legacies of Goa. It is a sprawling home full of free-flowing spaces that share an inseparable connection with the surrounding greenery.

This home in Goa is where sunshine comes to lounge. Sprawling and airy, this sumptuously designed home in Margao channels the best of the more modern beachy appeal of its location while staying rooted to the traditional homey warmth of old Goan architecture and at the same time paying handsome homage to the place’s Portuguese legacy.

The abode is named ‘Tropical Alchemy’, and it is more than fitting. “The building attempts to tell the stories about the relationship of the indoors with the outdoors, the body with nature and that of its traditional connection with the roots of interlayered aesthetic history with transparent and rhythmical legibility through the contemporary interpretation of architecture,” the team attests.

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THE SUNSHINE VILLA

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The home was built nearly 14 years ago, with the team from Architecture + Design Ankit Prabhudessai now responsible for its lovely re-design and re-imagination.

On the outside, the compound keeps it simple and more elemental, with Heliconia plants doting the cuboid swathe’s terraced periphery and a breathing stretch of natural views available all around, all the time. A spare seating arrangement sits among the whitewashed walls, complementing and contrasting the cragged exposed laterite stone walls.

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The design team’s most remarkable touch to the project is the shifting array of greenery that the home is afforded at all times, often with just a minor degree of separation by glass. A la Le Corbusier, the rooms experience a near continuous but framed feel of the natural bounty outside, primarily through wide set windows and doors.

But even when segments of the pad retreat into private corners, the green reminders are everywhere, in the form of a beauteous central tree, potted décor plants and green walls. The plush interiors and the entire subtle green ambience imbue the rooms with an almost spa-like quality.

Also soothing music playing from invisible speakers fills up the fragrant air here!

The home’s interiors are enlivened by intricately detailed wall accents and tiling.

In its layout, the home follows the current trend of progressive revelation, opening up its connected spaces one-by-one like a lovely puzzle, instead of laying all the spaces out straight up. In a home such as this, this tactic is a brilliant move, because it accentuates the feeling of moving across waves of sunlight and wind flowing through the spaces.

As the rooms change tenor, helped by their intricately patterned tiled flooring or wall accents, the flowy feel remains because of the dominance of natural light in the décor scheme. “The spaces in the house blend into each other creating a free flowing plan that connects the front lawn to the green backyard interlaced with elements from the Goan-Portuguese history,” states the team.

The home is a free-flowing swathe where the rooms constantly experience an inside-outside connect.

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Visitors entering the ‘balçao’(traditional name for ‘entrance porch’) are met by a lotus pond that doubles up as a reflection pool. “A teak wood door with a ‘janger dancer’ sculptural face placed on the lintel, an industrial cage light adorned with a tube shaped filament bulb and the red IPS(Indian Patented stone) finished bench with Azulezos or Goan painted tiles embedded in it define the balçao,” explains the team. The finish here is simple and focused on basic lines, brought to good attention by the bush hammered black granite flooring.

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In this placid universe, the spiritual centre is the fragrant Frangipani Courtyard. The tree’s bold, somewhat crooked countenance stands at the centre of a small pebbled font, which is hugged by bush hammered granite cladding, and which is yet again hugged by colourful statement tiles. The branches look up to a skylight, and during dimmer hours, hanging lamps throw whimsical shadows around it.

“The vibrancy of the Heritage tiles contrasts with the bare white walls and the skylight in the ceiling. The Frangipani tree creates exquisite shadows making the visitor aware of the changing sun direction and eventually rendering the space completely dynamic,” states the team.

A bench fashioned out of a jackfruit tree trunk here allows any fascinated visitor a chance to sit and stare, while sunlight bounces off of antique mirrors affixed on the walls.“The intricately woven low-height cane chairs predominant to the traditional Goan architecture facing the koi-pond and Frangipani tree act as a cosy coffee corner at dawn,” offers the team.

The interiors break tradition with their personality-specific avatars in different bedrooms with high-polish turmericcoloured, and blue, flooring, lots of pop culture referencing through framed wall-art pieces, cushion covers and masks, and low-rise Boho furniture items like diwans and chests. In most rooms, the no-frill charm of concrete/granite cladding and polished wood is off-set by an array of delightfully-patterned tiling, artful lamps, and carefully placed potted plants.

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In the selection of window drapes, rugs, upholstery, bathroom floor cladding, door carving detail, and the eye-catching floral detailing in the walls of the dining section present ample evidence of the design team’s deep love for intricate patterns, and their use as décor highlighting tools.

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Tropical Alchemy’s transition into a new visual medium was spurred in part by the age factor. It wanted to catch up with the times, but with its distinct pride in the old form of things intact.

The remodelling was also inspired by the need to create broader, more eclectic socialising spaces within the home for the owners. The team from Architecture + Design Ankit Prabhudessai has translated these needs with the help of an eloquent template that values tradition but doesn’t eschew modernity. The designers have succeeded in creating a vibrant home that seems alive and full of possibilities. What can be a more impressive feat than that? architecture@ankitprabhudessai.com www.ankitprabhudessai.com

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VIEGA SUPPORTS TEAM SWACHH BHARAT With a bid to eradicate open defecation, Viega joins hands with WASH United to Accomplish Mission of ‘Team Swachh Bharat’ In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi commenced India’s biggest ever cleanliness drive with 3 million government employees, school and college students of the country participating in this event. Extending support to the campaign is Viega, a German sanitary brand operating in India and one of the world leaders in installation technology for sanitary and heating. With this, the brand has become the first company from the sanitary industry in India to support Team Swachh Bharat initiative co-developed by WASH United and UNICEF. Swachh Bharat Mission’ (SBM), a countrywide campaign for a clean India covering 4,041 statutory cities and towns to clean the streets, roads and infrastructure of the country aims to eradicate open defecation.

With One of the campaign’s ambitious goals being access to toilet for every Indian by the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth on 2nd October 2019.

This kit combines play-based learning with rule-based habit formation and engages children through daily and weekly activities throughout the academic year.

Various NGOs along with government agencies are working on numerous fronts to implement SBM and ‘Team Swachh Bharat’ is one such initiative which was co-initiated by WASH United and UNICEF with intent to create an India where everyone uses a toilet. As the first company to join ‘Team Swachh Bharat’, Viega supports the distribution of ‘Team Swachh Bharat Action Kits’ to 3,500 schools, thereby reaching up to 7,00,000 children across India.

Talking about Viega’s participation in the campaign, Anna Viegener, member of the Management Board and shareholder of Viega said, “We are sure that the WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) in school component under ‘Team Swachh Bharat’ will bring positive change to the lives of many Indian children and with its educative approach improve the standards of hygiene in the country in a sustainable manner,” She further added saying, “WASH United’s and Viega’s common passion and professional

Thorsten Kiefer - Founder & CEO, WASH United, Anna Viegener, member of the Management Board and shareholder of Viega, Mr. Manoj Maithani - VP Sales & Marketing, Viega India

focus on sanitation forms an excellent ground for a partnership. WASH United promotes sanitation and hygiene in India since as early as 2012. To Viega, sanitation and drinking water excellence have been core competencies for more than 117 years.

An excellent opportunity to join forces especially in light of Viega’s investment into the Indian market.”

The German family-owned company has now been operating in India for eleven years and currently plans to invest 20 million Euro in phase 1 into a local production facility in Gujarat. www.viega.in

Mr. Manoj Maithani - VP Sales & Marketing, Viega India

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After sunset, the mid-eastern ambience is enhanced as the lights come on and create the drama of light and shadow.

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A CARIBBEAN ESCAPE At the very heart of Playa Grande beach in the Dominican Republic, lies Amanera, a picturesque getaway to say the least.

Playa Grande is one of Dominican Republic’s most beautiful beaches. On its western end, perched atop 60 feet high cliffs is Amanera a picturesque getaway offering the most to-die-for views.

In the most geographically diverse Dominican Republic, between Carbera beach and Rio San Juan, nestles the crescent-shaped Playa Grande beach which is overlooked by the Amanera resort. The layout and design of the resort has been inspired by the many surrounding water bodies offering a singular experience.

Designed by Heah&co, the London based renowned design and architectural firm, Amanera is the island’s first Aman resort and is being touted as a preferred holiday destination in the Americas. Founded in 1988, Aman is a bouquet of quiet retreats that are a reflection of the hospitality and warmth of the natives extending into private residences.

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‘Not only is this our first fully-integrated golf resort, but it is one that unusually presents ocean vistas from every opening,’ says Vladislav Doronin, Chairman of the Board of Aman.

Deriving its name from the Sanskrit word ‘Aman’ for peace, and ‘Era’, water in Taino, the language native to the people of the Caribbean, Amanera spreads across two thousand acres and is the first golfintegrated Aman and is continuous with Playa Grande Golf Course’s verdant greens and rolling fairways.

A clever use of space that speaks of the privacy of the Casitas with interiors in calming dual tones.

The Cordillera Septentrional mountain range looms over one side, while the rest of the area is made up of lush woods with old trees and royal palms extending over the seven-mile stretch of the seacoast. The region is sparsely populated and naturally picturesque with panoramic views of stark deserts, beautiful waterfalls and quaint towns.

The resort sits atop lofty cliffs of over sixty feet and is nestled between the golf course’s sprawling landscapes and the beach. It has been designed in a manner that even the minutiae contribute toward augmenting the property’s natural beauty.

There are twenty five Casitas, signature villas exclusive to Aman resorts, complimenting the area’s organic setting and reflecting the Caribbean’s relaxed and positive aura.

Every Casita is a beautifully laid out living space that perfectly captures the island’s warmth and intimacy, and is built from natural materials sourced locally – stone from nearby quarries, native handmade Aguayo tiles, and indigenous knick-knacks and art. The bio-diverse roofs of the Casitas are designed specifically for lush, green gardens that serve the dual purpose of reducing the difference between residences and the surrounding woods, as well as help to maintain a cool temperature.

An interior shot of a Casita that covers its lounge area as well as the intimate view it offers from a particular vantage point.

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The Casitas have a winding pathway that runs through private gardens. Thirteen Casitas have their own 10-metre private pools. While the one-bedroom Casitas, with their high-ceilinged living rooms and bedrooms, have breathtaking panoramic views of the ocean from their terraces, the two-bedroom ‘Bay View Casa’ overlooks the majestic cliff-side with stunning views of not just the ocean but also of the beach. With leisure seating in the outdoors, lounging areas, and infinity pools that stretch across the terraces, the Casitas are a marvelous rendition of opulence and luxury.

Casita bedroom and dressing room.

Low steps lead up to the Casa that open up to glass-walled living and dining spaces.

With overhanging eaves covering the lounging and outdoor-dining area, one can experience what can only be described as seamless living. The Casa’s central area opens to an opulent private garden on one side, with twin reflection pools; the other side opens to the ocean and pool.

The living area is flanked with a bedroom on either side and further opens to exotic views of the ocean. Each bedroom also has spaciously appointed en-suite bathrooms which serve to add to the overall luxury of the Casa.

Situated in the heart of the Amanera is Casa Grande, ‘floating’ above a three-level water display, with breathtaking panoramic views. It houses an open-air lounge and bar with intimate seating that overlooks infinity pools. Upping the luxury quotient is a cigar bar that opens to the resort’s signature restaurant that has both indoor and outdoor seating. The restaurant overlooks swimming pool cascades that curve down and around the dining areas.

Casa Grande’s lounge area overlooks the pool with the view stretching out to the vast ocean.

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Intimate daybeds at the water’s edge complete the picture of luxury in tranquility.

A separate pavilion for private functions and gatherings, a library and a reception complete the magnificence of this signature Amanera structure.

The resort also houses the Aman Clubhouse and Aman Spa that offers holistic methods of healing that incorporates traditional shamanic remedies. Club de Playa, the resort’s informal club is situated in a sandy cove on the Playa Grande beach itself and offers everything from lounging and unwinding under coconut palms to water sports. A fitness centre with state-of-the-art equipment, sauna and steam room, and a personal training studio is open to all guests.

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Bay View Casa’s best vantage.

Perhaps the most striking feature of Amanera is the state-of-the-art Playa Grande Golf Course. Originally designed by renowned architect Robert Trent Jones, Sr., his son Rees Jones, popularly known as the Open Doctor in the world of Golf, renovated the course that spreads across 370 acres.

The 10-hole course with its rugged landscaping is said to be the largest in the western hemisphere.

‘Green Coast’ as the Dominican Republic’s north coast is popularly known provides an idyllic setting to Amanera with its ample foliage and raw topography that is relatively untouched by commercialisation. The water bodies play a significant role in making Amanera the perfect getaway indeed! www.amanresorts.com

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Lifelike and breathtaking. The feature that stands out the most in this piece is its eyes which as we are told are again balloons!

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art form

Move Over Birthday Balloons!

Japanese artist, Masayoshi Matsumoto’s breathtaking balloon art is fast becoming the talk of the town.

How many of you remember that scene from The Mask, when Stanley Ipkiss (Jim Carrey) puts on a show of various balloon animals and inanimate objects? I spent quite a bit of my childhood trying to create something from leftover birthday balloons, and even from those that I collected when I visited amusement parks. The result was always painful to my eardrums, to say the least. Not to mention, I probably gave my grandparents a couple of minor heart attacks.

Matsumoto’s most challenging work till now, and we can see why.

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But for Masayoshi Matsumoto, balloon art has turned out to be a unique medium to communicate and connect with the world.

Matsumoto, through his balloon art, has garnered numerous accolades and a huge fan following across the globe.

Balloon art or balloon modeling is the reshaping of balloons, specifically designed for this purpose, into a different shape, animals mostly. Balloon benders or artists, as they are often called, are big hits typically at birthday parties, fairs, and various events.

Typically there are two techniques involved in balloon modeling, Single Balloon Modeling and Multiple Balloon Modeling. The first technique is restrictive, in the sense it uses just one balloon for a model. The second technique, as the name suggests, allows for the use of more than one balloon.

Both techniques pose unique challenges to the artist.

Considering how tricky the art can get, many artists also incorporate other methods into their art, such as weaving and stuffing.

Typically, the balloons are inflated by artists themselves, or by various kinds of pumps. Helium filled balloon art is not very common, as most artists do not create designs that float.

Helium restricts the twisting of balloons and more often than not makes the balloons too heavy to lug around. Nitrogen or compressed gas is usually what goes into the balloons in this type of art.

While the origin of this art form is unknown, the earliest balloon artist was Herman Bonnert from Pennsylvania, who in 1939 regaled the audience at a magician’s fare with some of his balloon art creations.

Does this phoenix remind anyone of Dumbledore’s Fawkes?

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Inspired by the works of contemporary artist Riusuke Fukahori, renowned for his resin-based studies of Japanese goldfish, 28 year old Masayoshi Matsumoto decided to revive the balloon art form. But, he wanted to do so with a twist. He uses balloons of varied sizes to come up with ingenious and intricately detailed plants, human figures, and animals like baboons, lizards, isopods, and even insects!

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But his art has balloons only. Matsumoto does not use any kind of adhesive, stickers, or even markers to supplement any of his creations. Even tiny details like eyes, nose, etc, are made from balloons. They are all 100% balloon only creations! And this unique skill of his makes his art even more unbelievable. Some of Matsumoto’s best creations are his neon balloon designs. They’re as unique and creative as they are quirky.

One look at them and you are left wondering if they’re made of something other than just plain old inflatable rubber.

And that is quite literally what he is after.

The fact that it took him nearly four years to learn and master the creation of perfect and almost life-like animals in balloon form is quite apparent.

Inspired by the works of contemporary artist Riusuke Fukahori, renowned for his resin-based studies of Japanese Goldfish, 28 year old Masayoshi Matsumoto decided to revive the balloon art form

However, the painstaking process comes with its own set of challenges. ‘Reproducing particular characteristics of the creatures is the most difficult,’ says Matsumoto. ‘Out of all my creations the Iguana was the most challenging,’ he goes on to say.

So how does a chemical engineer by profession become a balloon artist? ‘I have liked creatures since I was small. This emotion motivated me to make life-like balloon animals & insects,’ says Matsumoto, whose ballooning presence on social media has helped him showcase this lost art to the world. He photographs his creations himself and then posts them on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.

Every time you look at one of Matsumoto’s creations, you’re left spellbound. They’re as unique and creative as they are quirky.

But what happens after?

The answer is going to pop your heart, because that is exactly what Matsumoto does. He pops the piece it usually takes him nearly two hours to create. Why, you ask – ‘because there is no space in my house to display my creations,’ says Matsumoto.

However, knowing the artist and knowing that the popping of the balloon is a mere tiny interlude, one only has to merely wait a short while before he comes up with something fantastic again. isopresso@gmail.com www.facebook.com/masayoshi. matsumoto.5

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The possibility of having open-air dining similar to that in Italy and France, became an attractive prospect.

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A Paradigm Shift

Whilst refurbishing an old restaurant at Kemps Corner, Mumbai, DCOOP Architects have not only restructured spaces but also introduced a casual, relaxed ambience in keeping with the Neapolitan fare.

It was a tired old place. Dingy, ramshackle, falling apart. But after several decades, Chinese Room at Kemps Corner changed hands. Now dubbed Gustoso, the new cuisine on offer is Italian. A revamp was clearly called for. “The original décor belonged to the 70s, with a false ceiling and a mezzanine. In Mumbai, a mezzanine usually means you’re going to knock your head on some beam,” says Quaid Doongerwala of DCOOP Architects.

“At the back of the restaurant was an open dump yard being used for garbage.

Even residents on upper floors would throw stuff in it. The space was thus greasy, infested with rodents and smelly.”

One portion was a covered area and was being used as a store room. So began operation clean up…to gradually reveal a space which is now almost the star attraction of the restaurant. “It was a quaint pocket and the possibility of having open-air dining similar to that in Italy and France, became an attractive prospect.

This would revitalise the space,” says Quaid.

Text By Devyani Jayakar Photographs Sebastian Zachariah

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The light in the courtyard changes over the seasons and through the day. The tree canopy over the court creates dappled shadows shading the court through the day and then settles into a gentle glow in the evening

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“Before doing anything more, we also had to take stock of the stability of the structure.It was old and no repairs had been undertaken for decades,” says Quaid.

“Structurally, it was falling apart. There was leakage, decay had set in and props were being used for support in some places.” To restore the spatial quality, the mezzanine was removed, as it was detracting from the volume of the space.

The higher ceiling thus obtained revealed the original jack arches.

None of the walls could be knocked down to create one large room, as they were load bearing. So a layering of spaces, facilitated by the layout, has been used to advantage in the design. “You discover more as you go further in. Encountering one space after another, the sensorial experience of textures and materials and the verdant courtyard all come together to create a world-within-a-world quality in the restaurant,” says Quaid.

Integrating the services was another challenge, as the air-conditioning had to be sensitive to the space. “There was no false ceiling for the conduits, so we had to create seamless detailing which was not obtrusive,” says Quaid. Consequently, ducting for the air-conditioning follows the beams.

“The restaurant is entered at the corner of the block in which it is located, leading into a tall space with a bar at the entrance and the pizza oven glowing at the other end. There are different volumes and scales, intimate seating and the open dump yard at the rear has been transformed into a romantic landscaped courtyard with candles.

An informal, easy-going ambience pervades the space.

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This comes as a surprise when one comes upon it from the hustle and noise outside a rare jewel in a city which has few places which can give one an outdoor dining experience. The covered storage room is now a private space for groups, with flexible seating to accommodate different requirements,” says Quaid.

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The linear space has a water tank at the far end, concealed by placing a metal grill and plants around it. A standing counter for parties has been incorporated.

Gustoso Design Plan.

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Previously, multiple water tanks belonging to different owners in the building were spread out haphazardly in the courtyard.

These were consolidated into one large tank, concealed by placing a metal grill and plants around it. A standing counter for parties has been incorporated. The light in the courtyard changes over the seasons and through the day. The tree canopy over the court creates dappled shadows shading the court through the day and then settles into a gentle glow in the evening.

“Throughout, our aim was to use restraint and do less, with natural materials such as wood and copper,” says Quaid. The flooring is in cement tile; repeated combinations of nine tiles bearing floral and geometrical motifs create a subtly complex pattern. The courtyard in granite acts as a counter balance.

Some of the lighting is by the French design duo Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and is adjustable in height. A chandelier

by Moooi and chairs by Thonet complete the aesthetic of the space. Since natural light enters the space only from the front and the courtyard at the back, much support is required from artificial light even during the day.

“The challenge in designing the restaurant was creating meaningful spaces from an existing set of rooms of different sizes. Instead of trying to unify the spaces, we decided to use the multiplicity as a design and organisation idea. The restaurant is planned as a narrative comprising of a number of experiences layered one after the other.

The textures, materials tie these together to give a coherent experience. The multiple spaces give the user a choice from amongst many dining experiences within the same restaurant,” says Quaid.

Deceptively simple, the aesthetic brings together muted tones, to create a restful balance. dcooped@gmail.com www.dcoop.in

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Home & Hearth started

by Yash Ravel intends to become your go-to furniture brand for high quality designer dĂŠcor pieces.

H&H is an online store that curates and sells the best international furniture with a focus on modern and mid-century modern classics. And what's interesting is that the store lets you own (replica) furniture pieces by marquee designers like Charles and Ray Eames, Harry Bertoia or Eero Saarinen and others.

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WE HEART IT TEXT BY SNEHA LUKKA

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The Churchill Dining Chair and Table Set

Furniture pieces add an unabashed value to your house adding character which coherently reflects the idea of your ‘dream home’.

And similarly, when Yash Ravel was

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renovating his house, little did he know that his idea of design would give him a way to start a business which has created a niche for itself in the Indian market.

Talking about the inception of the brand, Yash says, “While I am a pretty unlikely candidate for being the founder of a furniture brand considering my previous work experience as an Investment banker, but at the time of renovating my space, I realized there is a complete dearth of furniture brands which even now remain unexplored. I saw this as a potential entrepreneurial opportunity and after a few months of research, decided to take the plunge establishing Home&Hearth as a platform to help Indian design lovers with an array of iconic furniture pieces.”

The Muuto Oslo Chair Replica (Red), Winston Lounge Chair (Blue) and Ida 2 Seater

As iconic furniture design pieces do not hold a current "technical manufacturing product design specific registration", Home&Hearth legitimately sources high quality replicas of these designs from specialist manufacturers who have surpassed rigorous quality control standards and third-party quality checks.

The brand lets you add an international touch to your home décor by helping you fetch replicas of marquee products designed by world renowned designers such as the Eames’s, Finn Juhl, Eero Saarinen or Hans Wegner.

Their refreshing sleek and stylish line of furniture products includes chairs, dining tables, work desks, sofas, sideboards, TV Consoles and bar stools.

The Winston Dining Chair

With design inspirations strongly centred on modern and minimalist aesthetics, the products are stylish and add an unique aura to your home. The Papa Bear Chair And Ottoman Replica, Danish Barstool Replica and Circle Chair Replica instantly add a element of interest to the dull looking corners of your house, also offering you a comfortable seating space.

The Winston Lounge Chair (Blue) and Hans Wegner “J16” Rocking Chair Replica

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Though there are different furniture portals in India, what sets Home&Hearth apart is its endearing collection. “I could say that at least 80% of our collection is exclusive in the sense that it would be difficult to find these items at most other online or offline stores. We believe that this is what will continue to set us apart and that we will endure to be the preferred destination for anyone who believes in our design ideology which is that of modern design.”

In the next five years, Yash looks forward to institute Home&Hearth as a national brand with top-of-the-mind recall for consumers looking for highquality contemporary home and lifestyle products.

The Theodore Dining Chair and Table set

Currently, being an ‘online only’ store, the brand also offers an option of scheduling a “preview appointment” to view items prior to purchase to its customers in Mumbai.

Home&Hearth Office 5.28, 91 Springboard Business Center, 5th Floor, Ackruti Trade Center, MIDC Andheri (E), Mumbai 400 093, INDIA +91-82680-51119 www.handh.in

The Muuto Nerd Dining Chair and Split Dining Table Replica

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Making Everyday Objects Beautiful

By Parul Vahanvati & Mooshir Vahanvati

DESIGNQUEST

Life is full of precious moments and the beauty of it lies in capturing them. Though for most people, these instances of joy come in the form of photographs, but for people like us, they come in the form of designer products. Quite literally, we create objects that foster our unique experiences.

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Watr - Carafe, Glasses and Carafe-mini

Urban Tweeter Oil Lamps

Inspired by the personal moments of our life which come through a paper boat that is sailing in the rain or a kid who is playing with a paper plane dreaming of flying a real one soon, we are always keen to contextualise our experiences into simple, functional, emotional, evocative designs.

Urban Tweeter - Pitcher, Glasses, Oil Lamps Tall & Small

Our inspiration stems from different places at different times. We find ourselves inspired by experiences, materials and curiosity; sometimes it is about looking at things differently, and at times it is about solving a problem where the result might require a functional solution.

For the most part, our environment is our biggest source of inspiration. Using inspiration from material, processes, experiences, context and people, we create objects and experiences which lean towards minimal aesthetics, are emotionally evoking and use precisely engineered construction.

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Our source of creativeness lies in anything and everything around us which lets us spread oodles of joy, smile and magic in the lives of our customers. We use the best of materials, technology and resources to fashion remarkably crafted objects. This is what places our work at the intersection of art and design.

At Rayden Design Studio, you’ll come across art, design and technology blended to create unique products that don’t serve the mere piece of being just any other décor material. We strive to enumerate a story behind our myriad range of products designed in various materials including copper, wood, stoneware and others.

Play Plane

Play Boat

As designers, we are on a mission to make everyday objects beautiful, one extra ordinary product at a time. Unlike other studios, our aim is not be different by producing products that are not relatable to the Indian consumers, but we want to be the best in our business by presenting products that have a useful purpose.

Our focus lies on design sensibilities as we function by the good old thinking ‘design is a way of life,’ and we always try our best to enumerate the same in our products. We are indulging our curiosities in exploring new materials and in the coming years, we hope to launch two new product lines. info@raydendesign.com www.raydendesign.com

Play House

Our exquisite collections of designer products consist of Water Glasses, Playhouse, UT Oil lamps, Playboats, Play Planes and Urban Tweeter Pitcher. What makes these products different is that they add a sense of style to your décor quotient and can also be put to an alternative use.

For instance, you can use the UT Oil lamps as a flower pot and a water glass as a flower vase.

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RAK CERAMICS GIVES ROOM FOR IMAGINATION

Mr Abdallah Massaad, Group CEO, RAK Ceramics

As one of the largest ceramics’ brands in the world, RAK Ceramics is committed to the intermittent art of excellence in design by helping create icons and build marvels. The company specializes in ceramic and GRES porcelain and floor tiles and sanitary ware.

The sanitary ware division is dedicated to developing eco-friendly products with a particular focus on water conservation and recycling natural raw materials to help conserve natural resources. It has also adopted clean development mechanism (CDM) project to reduce carbon emissions during the manufacturing process.

Latest technologies have been implemented covering design, development, production and supply of ceramics and porcelain floor and wall tiles, porcelain slabs and vitreous China bathware, including acrylic baths and shower bases, toilet seats and covers.

The Atlantis marble collection consists of wall and floor coverings and comes in white and brown colours.

RAK Ceramics has been studying new types of wood to develop tiles with wood-effect rendering a classic and contemporary look to the furniture.

Circle wood is available in modern colours - ivory, gray, greige, nut, beige, brown and in a wide range of graphics offering different inspirations in the world of interior design. Hard wood is designed to decorate interior and outdoor sections and is combined with stone work, marble and brick to create mesmerising patterns. Line wood gives a beautiful effect and warm elegance even in outdoor.

Besides, extensive research is also being undertaken to create the ceramic brick effect in cotemporary furnishing. The country brick, for instance, gives the room a rustic and contemporary look at the same time.

Studies are also being conducted to use marble for achieving brilliant aesthetic result in cotemporary design. The Atlantis marble, designed with elegance in purely modern style has decorations from refined textures, classic mosaics, octagonal and strips format.

The collection consists of wall and floor coverings and comes in white and brown colours.

The golden marble is inspired by six different types of noble material and six gradations. It gives light and charm to the wall coverings and floor and is suitable for decorating luxury contexts, private villas and 5-star lounges, spa and dream-like bathrooms.

Dream marble is used to achieve the perfect dream-like effect of wall panel in bedroom or entire luxurious walls and decorations from precious textures of the collection.

This collection plays with the same colour scheme combination of the four different marbles and speaks the language of modern design to furnish boutiques, lounge rooms, halls, restaurants and hotels and bathrooms.

The commitment of RAK Ceramics to the art of magnificence delivers the promise of excellence, elegance and innovation in the design of its products. The aim is to create visually expanded spaces and fewer interruptions. This is to ensure that the freedom of creativity and space for imagination subtly and phenomenally complements each other.

The golden marble is inspired by six different types of noble material and six gradations.

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www.rakceramics.com/en/

INSIDE-OUT OR OUTSIDE-IN

What is the best way to display the pieces in a showroom for outdoor furniture? How is it different from, say, a clothes store or an automobile showroom? Workshop Inc. resolves this dilemma with their design for The Wicker Studio’s latest enterprise.

Text By Ar. Priti Kalra Photographs Courtesy Kunal Bhatia

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The Wicker Studio focuses its endeavours towards revolutionising the way outdoor furniture is designed and used. They are of the belief that the occasional outdoor experience we encounter amidst our fastpaced indoor lives must be enjoyed and cherished. The team at Workshop Inc. was entrusted with the task of encapsulating this very ideology in the design of the new TWS showroom in Ahmedabad.

A wide range of furniture forms a part of the various outdoor ambiences that TWS offers its customers. Thus, clients have the option of redefining their space - be it a private balcony, a more social terrace or a commercial space - in an assortment of ways. The team at TWS adds, “You can even blend styles and leave your spaces free of definitions.” Displaying this diverse collection in an innovative manner formed the crux of the brief.

The biggest challenge with a project like this is that the context in which the furniture is to be displayed - an indoor showroom - is completely different from the context in which it is ultimately going to be used - an outdoor area. Therefore, the designers began with the premise of recreating the outdoor setting within the indoor environment. “Each stage of design focused on creating a different outdoor experience. Finally, we had to cohesively bring them under one roof,” says the team.

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The existing shell is linear, one in which the length of the space is considerably greater than the width. This gives rise to an essentially linear plan. A feature wall treated in grey stucco and exposed brickwork faces a brightly painted butter yellow wall on the ground floor and a royal blue one on the first. Along the length of the feature wall, smaller spaces are defined by tall, MS framed, shelved partitions that are suspended from the dark grey ceiling.

form backdrops to each of }brickwork these smaller pockets. Within each, a Varying patterns of the exposed

different furniture cluster is displayed.

“The partitions allow for each cluster to be viewed in its entirety, preventing the eye from wandering to the next cluster,” says the team. However, being suspended, seemingly lightweight and predominantly translucent, they ensure that the feeling of being within one large continuous space is not lost.

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Keeping the palette of materials very natural and raw was integral to the outdoor theme. The ground floor is covered largely in kota stone. Strips of pebbled patches set beneath the suspended MS partitions are used to notionally segregate the clusters. “The pebbles are reminiscent of outdoor garden walkways,� says the team.

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Seamless epoxy flooring is employed on the first floor. Below the yellow and blue walls, a raised platform built in brick paving is used to display special chairs and smaller furniture clusters. Small patches of green interspersed within the scheme reinforce the feeling of outdoors.

“A variety of vibrantly coloured props, artificial greens and small indoor plants accessorise the space and add character.”

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Minimal intervention in the staircase area in the form of kota stone flooring and grey stucco walls lends this space an elegant feel. Here, two details make the transition from ground floor to first floor an engaging experience. The first is a furniture cluster displayed on a floating concrete slab lit by suspended track lighting. The second is the railing detail - an MS sheet with a laser-cut pattern of circles mounted with a wooden handrail.

A triad formed by three members of the CEPT alumni - Harsha Mistry, Keta Shah and Varun Shah - leads the crew at Workshop Inc., a multi-disciplinary design practice that comprises architects, designers as well as artists. Since its founding in 2014 in Ahmedabad, the firm has worked on a broad spectrum of projects across product design, graphic design, installations, experiential design and space design.

The firm strongly believes that each new project is a chance to experiment and learn. “We seek out narratives for each project and focus less on form-making,” says the team. Each project is developed from a core idea that governs the design, an idea that employs a simple solution to arrive at the final product.

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The Wicker Studio is known for creating furniture pieces that fuse ergonomic sensibility, exotic charm and aristocratic elegance with an aesthetic that is internationally appealing. The multidisciplinary approach at Workshop Inc. combines art, graphics and space on a single canvas to create a showroom that emulates the TWS philosophy essentially. connect@workshopinc.in

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Page 85 Plus X Award

Page 82 Red Dot Design

DESIGN AWARDS SPECIAL

Page 88 iF Design Award

Page 92 India Design Mark

Page 94 Good Design

Page 78

Page 96 World Architectural Festival

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Page 98 Interview Vivek Rathore

DESIGN AWARD SPECIAL Text By Sneha Lukka

Design Labels given a certain authenticity to products, making it an instant hit amongst the masses. They offer a guarantee of great design, innovation, quality and form. Products that are awarded such design labels stand out from the rest by virtue of having passed rigorous jury selection.

Plus X Award 2016

In the forthcoming pages, we take you through a number of design labels which are widely recognised in the world. This ‘Design Award Special’ aims to spotlight products in the building, interior, kitchen, bathroom and other spaces that truly stand out.

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Red Dot Design Award is an internationally recognised quality label for excellent design.

It is an award which is aimed at t all those who would like to distinguish their business activities through design. Innovation, quality, functionality and various other parameters are adjudged by a competent jury.

LG WATER PURIFIER REFRIGERATOR The distinctive feature of this four-door refrigerator with door-in-door system (“Magic Space�) is its drinks dispenser and ice maker. The entire system including ice maker is integrated into the door so that there is more room for storing food. The drinks dispenser with its stainless steel tank offers triple-filtered water and ice. www.lg.com/in

STONETTO SHOWER TRAY, DURAVIT AG Featuring stone like look and feel, the shower tray is made of DuraSolid Q and is available in 12 dimensions. With efficient drainage hidden under a homogenous cover, the shower tray is slip-resistant and hardwearing.

The matte finish of Stonetto comes in the colours white, sand and anthracite. www.duravit.de

BASIN MIXER HANSGROHE TALIS E 150 Equipped with standard Hansgrohe EcoSmart technology, function of the side-mounted lever handle of the Hansgrohe Talis E 150 basin mixer is quickly and intuitively comprehensible.

With an aerator, the water flow is limited to about five litres per minute without a loss of comfort being felt. www.hansgrohe.com

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LEGATO WASHBASIN AND VANITY UNIT, VILLEROY & BOCH AG The straight-lined design of the Legato is emphasized by tapered edges which create the impression of lightness. Supported by a discreet circular LED lighting, whose colour can be set between warm white and cool white with 3-step dimmable brightness, the furniture part features handle less fronts that are flush with the corpus. www.villeroy-boch.asia/en

MIRA SWITCH HANDSHOWER KOHLER MIRA UK Ergonomically crafted to improve water coverage and handling, the Mira Switch Handshower is designed to provide a soft pressure pattern for children or those with sensitive skin. A seamlessly integrated button enables easy switching between spray modes and prevents discomfort or damage to fingers and nails. www.kohlermira.co.uk

RESI9 CONSUMER UNIT RANGE, SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC Ensuring your comfort with its long-lasting performance and easy to install feature, The Resi9 consumer unit comes in wooden or aluminium finishes, or with magnetic surfaces so that photos or notes can be attached. The innovative control cabinet offers a number of different door versions ranging from transparent doors that can be personalised and enhanced with prints or children’s drawings. www.schneider-electric.com/ww/en

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HOTPOINT OVEN WHIRLPOOL The extensive use of black glass surfaces and a horizontal band of stainless steel gives this built-in oven a monolithic aesthetic. A contrast is provided by a horizontally running stainless steel band in the upper third of the front panel. A white touch display becomes visible when simply touching the glass. www.whirlpool.com

HONEYWELL DOORBELL RANGE With optimised light and sound effects, Honeywell Doorbell Range creates a very distinctive, elegant appearance, which suits both traditional and contemporary home decorating styles. The manufacturer’s newly developed design focuses on basic geometric shapes such as squares and circles and includes both wired and wireless doorbells. www.honeywell.com

FRAMES BY FRANKE STAINLESS STEEL SINKS FRANKE KITCHEN SYSTEMS LTD The stainless steel sinks of the “Frames

by Franke” series allow performance of various work steps at the same time.

This is facilitated by a whole range of system compatible accessories such as a rolling mat, cutting board, strainer insert and a glass chopping board. With a few simple hand movements, the sink can be transformed from day to night mode and tidied up. www.franke.com

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The Plus X Award is conferred on products that have at least one ‘X’ factor; it is one of the world’s largest innovation award for technology, sports and lifestyle.

ELECTROLUX ULTRAFLEX High quality, flexibility and design are the three most important aspect of this Electrolux Ultraflex vacuum cleaner. It starts with the extremely high vacuuming power, which reaches the top of the market, goes over the excellent manoeuvrability up to details as the impressive 12m long cable, which helps to operate the Ultraflex in different rooms without changing the socket. www.electrolux.com

WENKO MULTI-STOP Awarded for its design and functionality, the Wenko Multi-Stop can be used as a classical door or window stopper, for tilted and open windows as well as a wall buffer for door and window handles – or as finger trap protection for doors. The Multi-Stop is available in grey, blue, red and yellow colours. www.wenko.de/en

FRANKE EXOS The Exos sanitary series of Franke features completely coordinated washbasins and accessories which impress you with its high quality, design and functionality. Each product offers additional adaptability. The soap dispenser for example can be set for liquid soap or foam. The glass or stainless steel fronts guarantee the modern look of all accessories. All products of the Exos sanitary series are only made of highquality materials. www.franke.com

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BEURER TL 50 The Beurer TL 50 is essentially designed to balance the lack of light which mainly takes place during the autumn and winter season.

The LED light technology immediately produces pleasant light without flickering.

Although being a certified medical product, with its elegant design, it can be ideally used every day in the office or at home. www.beurer.com

ABUS SECVEST The Secvest wireless alarm system fits into any environment due to its high quality, design, easy use and functionality. The user can activate or deactivate the system from anywhere in the world with just a click.

Similarly, the live access to the integrated IP cameras - with up to three cameras - is possible. The alarm system can be directly activated or deactivated using the remote control or with the Secvest Key. www.abus.com

KLUDI Q-BEO The design of the Q-Beo follows the latest trends, combining puristic and soft design elements. The long and broad handle is more than design only: it cares for the simple and precise handling of the Q-Beo, which helps to set temperature and amount of water. The s-Pointer offers an individual setting, by which the blasting angle of the water can be adapted to the washbasin to prevent spray water. www.kludiindia.com

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KENWOOD CHEF SENSE KVC5010 Featuring high quality and modern design, Kenwood Chef Sense KVC5010 is easy to use and scores high on functionality. The casing and the accessories for the bowl are made of metal; the bowl is made of brushed aluminium. Depending of the accessory used, the Chef Sense can mix, cut, grate, juice or cut meat, roll dough or dice vegetables. www.kenwoodworld.com/en-in

LG CHEM RESU6.4EX With a storage capacity of 6.4 kWh, which can be expanded to 9.6 kWh or 12.8 kWh, the LG Chem Li-ion RESU6.4EX has its own battery management system, and a free app which can be used to monitor its performance. The high quality, design and ecology along with energy storage make it very compact and light and needs only little space. www.lg.com/in

VITRA V-CARE Redefining hygiene and comfort standards, VitrA V-care convinces you with its high quality, design, easy to use and functionality. Combined with effortless cleaning and innovative hygienic design with VitrA’s rimless (Rim-ExTM) WC pan, the shower toilet offers washing, drying and air purification options. www.vitra-vcare.co.uk

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The iF Design Award, conferred by the iF International Forum Design has been around for more than 50 years. Acknowledged internationally as a symbol of outstanding design, the iF logo given to the winners acts as an impetus to their design and business.

BOSCH KGF56PI40 Setting new standards in terms of design and technology, the new NoFrost generation from Bosch feature extra-high solid-metal handles that live up to the Bosch standard of quality and durability. The new lighting concept impresses with a vertical light band that illuminates the interior to perfection.

A ceiling spotlight draws attention to the new VitaFresh Pro compartment and also illuminates the contents from above.

These compartments preserve vitamins and freshness optimally. www.bosch-home.com

AXOR CITTERIO SELECT, HANSGROHE Characterized by high-quality design and freedom of movement at the kitchen sink, the Axor Citterio Select kitchen mixers provide an elegant, convenient solution around the sink unit for design enthusiasts. Compared to conventional mixers, temperature and volume can be pre-set: opening and closing the water flow with the elbow or back of the hand is controlled via the Select button on the front end of the spout. This technology requires neither a power supply nor additional equipment hidden in the cabinet below - it is purely mechanical. www.hansgrohe.in

74 R / Q LED, WALL LUMINAIRE LED, TRILUX The 74 R / Q is a round and soft-square wall luminaire with which Trilux sets a further milestone at Light & Building 2016. The flat, floating appearance, timeless and discreet, as well as two designs that harmonize well together and are available in three sizes, provide high levels of planning flexibility. www.trilux.com

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AIR CIRCULATING FAN, MIDEA Featuring nine blades with a 24 V ultra-low voltage variable frequency motor, this ultra-silent circulating fan, provides mild blow at low level and powerful blow at high level.

Combining the 90° up and down adjustment and oscillating, it can meet the demands on ventilation in the space. The vertical column can be removed according to the living mode of different users, thus changing the fan into a desk air circulating fan with diversified use modes. www.carriermideaindia.com

AIR HUMIDIFIER SERIES 5000, PHILIPS Delivering an intuitive and real time indoor humidification rate plus a high-end particle filtration technology, the Air Humidifier Series 5000 offers humidified air that is clean and healthy. Boasting a compact and elegant design, superior performance and a user friendly control system, the Air Humidifier Series 5000 delivers peace of mind. www.philips.co.in

TOP CLASS / HOOD, ELICA Elegant and efficient, Top Class is an ideal hood for a contemporary kitchen.

Giving character to any space, Top Class features glass and polished steel and offers optimum cook top surface lighting with its LED lightning. Top Class is in the A+ Energy class rating, which allows for 50% of electrical savings compared to lower energy class rating products. www.elica.com

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OCTAGON / FREESTANDING WASHBASIN, VILLEROY & BOCH Villeroy & Boch’s new ceramic material TitanCeram stands for precise forms, exact corners and thin edges. The washbasin Octagon combines all these characteristics in a truly unique way. It is a masterpiece of precision and craftsmanship in an elegant matt look, inspired by the eight-sided shape - a symbol of perfection since antiquity.

The exquisite facets inside the basin are especially effective and reminiscent of cut crystal. Octagon is supported by an impressive pedestal available in four high-quality finishes: wood veneer, elegant genuine or faux leather and stone veneer. A decorative copper ring ensures the finish is set off perfectly. www.villeroy-boch.asia/en

ASUS VIVOMINI VC SERIES Offering a powerful computing performance in a compact design, VC series features three different top covers in its modular design. Taking inspiration from the “Pile-up” concept that is often used in architecture; users can select the upper modules to “build” a PC that best suits their needs. The CPU, storage drives, thermal module and adapter are intricately arranged to ensure they fit within the tight confines. Each cover features the concentric circle design and has an elegant textured finish and louvered vents on its sides. www.asus.com

ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM, LG An energy storage device that combines the functions of PV and PCS (Power Conditioning System) has been developed to increase solar energy consumption when connected with a solar module.

The battery can be easily installed anywhere on PCS and is expandable up to three (9.6 kWh). The 7”touchscreen enables the installer to change the settings with ease. The user can also check the PV generation output, battery status, electricity consumption and ESS status. www.lg.com

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Home Review Now on Apple and Android Devices

All you need to do is download the free ‘Magzter app.

Apple users can download Magzter from the App Store.’ Android users can download Magzter from Android Market.

Try it out today.

The India Design Mark symbol is a trustworthy indicator of excellence, providing strong differentiation and market positioning as a design and innovation leader. Through India Design Mark, the India Design Council seeks to inspire Indian manufacturers to bring to market well designed products that enrich the lives of people.

ART STORAGE SYSTEM GODREJ & BOYCE MFG. CO. LTD Designed for storing paintings in an art gallery, The Art Storage System by Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. ensures safe storage along with ease of access and provision to handle any size of painting. In a closed condition, the system looks like a cabinet suiting the ambience of an art gallery. The system has a set of pull out trolley that move in and out. www.godrejandboyce.com

CAPSULE MORTISE HANDLE GODREJ LOCKING SOLUTIONS & SYSTEMS Designed to satisfy aesthetics and enhance the beauty of door dĂŠcor, Capsule Mortise Handle is designed for both outdoor and indoor establishments like main door in residential and the commercial areas, bedroom doors, hotel room doors and jewellery shops unique handle design in the shape of a capsule with a simple and robust concept makes its grip comfortable for users of all age groups. The handle assembly is suitable for 28mm to 55mm thick doors covering a large range of doors available in India. www.godrejlocks.com

CHANCELLOR WIPRO ENTERPRISE LIMITED Redefining aesthetics and enhanced flexibility, Chancellor is a furniture range targeted for medium and small enterprises, branch offices, start-ups and site offices. The angular form of the main table along with angular modesty imparts a unique visual language to it. The modesty and the front panels of the main table are such that it can be made from left-over pieces of other components yet it improves the visual appeal of the product considerably. www.wiproel.com

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SLEEK AJNA BOLLARD K-LITE INDUSTRIES Ajna Bollard, available in Ă˜166 (16W) and Ă˜100 (8W) is of extruded aluminium body, die-cast aluminium top, PC diffuser and a CI grouting plate at bottom, finished with Graphite Grey powder coat.

Lighting is by Nichia LEDs, conical reflector, LED driver and a surge protector. Top-down lighting design with a conical shaped reflector for circumferentially symmetric and glare free lighting distribution. www.klite.in

EXTRA BASS HEADPHONES SONY The MDR-XB450BV are Extra Bass Headphones with a vibration feature for a more immersive experience. As the vibration synchronizes with the sound of the bass, users can feel pulsing sensations right against their ears as if listening to a live performance. This vibration feature is controlled via a rotatable ring. www.sony.co.in

LOWEST LIFE CYCLE COST SERIES PUMPS (LLC) KIRLOSKAR BROTHERS Giving sustainable efficiency with less power consumption, less wear and tear and less frictional losses, Kirloskar Brothers, a leading pump manufacturer and pumping solution provider provides Lowest Life Cycle Cost (LLC) series of pump in the Split casing and Vertical Turbine Pumps. This series is specifically focused on energy and maintenance costs. www.kirloskarpumps.com

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Each year, The Chicago Athenaeum presents the GOOD DESIGN Awards Program for the most innovative and cutting-edge industrial, product, and graphic designs produced around the world.

STARPOINT PENDANT DOWNLIGHTS ERCO GmbH The Starpoint pendant luminaire combines the design principles of “ambient luminescence” and “play of brilliants” coined

by Richard Kelly. The luminaire cover with its strikingly illuminated ring creates an effective eye-catching effect. The translucent element, which is visible only when illuminated, makes for a subtle decorative detail in the room ideal for hotels, bars and restaurants. www.erco.com/en/

MATRIX AIR ELECTRONIC ACCESS CONTROL DORMA DEUTSCHLAND GMBH This functionally intelligent solution system has a very modern and elegant appearance with technology that is integrated in the handle. The modular system operates with a telescopic cylinder that adapts flexibly to a variety of door thicknesses. This not only simplifies the planning and ordering, but also considerably reduces storage needs. www.dorma.com/in

DOLBY CONFERENCE PHONE DOLBY LABORATORIES Built for better meetings, The Dolby® Conference Phone dramatically improves meetings, letting everyone understand what’s being said, easily determine who said it, and participate as if they were all in the same room. Designed to develop a Dolby Voice experience, the phone offers stunning audio quality and easy joining and management of meetings, features that support greater productivity. www.dolby.com

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TIARA, ARTIZE Crafted by Artize, Tiara is built to provide uniqueness in usage experience. The inner loop of the faucet is swung out to dispense water. It creates an experience that works seamlessly without spilling water before it is swung out. Tiara is designed like a piece of jewellery with echoing ovals abstracting functionality into a simple act of elevating conventional usage into something unique and desirable. www.artize.com

WHIRLPOOL MW-T500 MICROWAVE With 6th sense tech and touch screen, the cooking process is much simpler and more intelligent with Whirlpool MW-T500 Microwave. Featuring LED smart light belt system, different colours of the light belt guides the users through the cooking process, making it easier for all users especially the elderly. www.whirlpoolindia.com

THE PALM’ DOOR HANDLE DUNEX ARCHITECTURAL PVT. LTD Designed by Kishor and Ketan Khambhayta of Dunex Architectural Pvt. Ltd, The Palm Door Handle is made using conventional machines, water-jet cutting technology and is finished by polishing and sandblasting equipment. The product was made using anticorrosive high grade AISI 316 Stainless Steel and manufactured with the highest possible standards. The GH-20 ‘The Palm’ Door Handle design was inspired from The Palm Island, Dubai. The idea was to create a fancy design door handle using stainless steel material. www.dunexmetal.com

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World architectural festival

The World Architecture Festival was first held in 2008 as a “festival and live awards competition dedicated to celebrating and sharing architectural excellence from across the globe.”

A three-day event for architects and interior design professionals, World Architecture Festival is the only global festival that combines awards, conferences and networking architectural knowledge and inspiration. The World Architecture Festival was first held in 2008 as a “festival and live awards competition dedicated to celebrating and sharing architectural excellence from across the globe.” This year the festival was held at Arena Berlin, Germany.

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With WAF being one of the biggest architectural festivals of the year, India too made it entry with a number of Indian projects shortlisted to win the honours at the festival. However, only School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal emerged as a winner in the WAF Student Charrette Winner and the following projects made its entry in the list of shortlisted candidates.

1. House on the Elephant Hills, Tamil Nadu

Presented by EL+D Architecture + Interior Design firm, the Elephant House is an ongoing project designed in harmony with the nature to encourage dialogue and build relationships through design.

EL+D Architecture is a leading multidisciplinary Architecture and Interior Design practise based in Hyderabad, with a presence in New Delhi and Mumbai.

Over the years, EL+D has created projects ranging from high end corporate, hospitality, retail, automotive, health care, education and luxury homes to product design, bespoke light fixtures, exclusive surfaces and contemporary furniture pieces.

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2. Aarohan, WOW Architects

An International design consultancy, WOW Architects offer master planning, architecture, interior design, landscape and design advisory services. At the World Architecture Festival, the firm’s latest project Aarohan, a residential project in Gurgaon was nominated in the Future Projects: Residential category.

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4 3. Rangoli House, Mangera Yvars Architects Designed by Mangera Yvars Architects, the Rangoli House in Bangalore incorporates vastu principles. At the World Architecture Festival 2016, the project was shortlisted in the Future Projects: House category.

4. Akshay 360, Chennai, Sanjay Puri Architects

Having now won over 99 international architecture awards, Sanjay Puri Architect’s latest project Akshay 360 was shortlisted in the Future Projects, Office category. A sustainable space with enduring climatic conditions, the project offers landscaped terraces and unusual office-typologies.

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5. Iskcon Temple, Gandhinagar, Sanjay Puri Architects

Spelling traditional elements of traditional design, Sanjay Puri Architects are renowned for contextual nuances, three-dimensionality, sustainability and unique identity of their projects. The Iskcon Temple at Gandhinagar was nominated for the future Projects in the Civic category.

6. Mandir, Kanpur by Mandviwala Qutub and Associates Well-known for providing innovative and contextual design solutions for over two decades now, Mandviwala Qutub Associates project Mandir in Kanpur was nominated in the future category civic project. The project is modern yet rooted in Indian culture with its aesthetic design and has its own cultural identity.

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Vivek Rathore

Mayapur Master plan A spiritual place ideated with transcendental qualities Located on the banks of river Ganga is Mayapur, a well-known tourist destination housing the famous ISKCON temple which is visited by millions of pilgrims annually. And now with the Temple of Vedic Planetarium being built at the ISKCON Campus, the place is all set to witness an even greater increase in the number of visitors.

Even before the completion of the project, Mayapur has already garnered a name for itself at the World Architecture Festival 2016. The Mayapur Masterplan designed, by Salient Design Studios was shortlisted as one of the top candidates in the Master planningfuture category.

We talk to Vivek Rathore of Salient Design Studio, the brains behind the execution of this plan.

Share with us the novelty of the Mayapur Master Plan?

Considering the complexity and sophisticated requirement of the Mayapur Master Plan, Salient had proposed a master planning approach that is deliberate, sequential and methodical for the rational development of a new city and community within the ISKCON campus.

The three main anchors of this master plan are- design excellence, technical soundness and economic viability.

The uniqueness of the plan lies in inculcating Vedic values, philosophy and lifestyle in the city. As Mayapur has been imagined as the “Spiritual Capital of the World,� the overall planning lays a lot of emphasis on educational, spiritual and devotional aspects of the ISKCON belief system. The plan has been designed considering millions of devotees from around the world who will visit the city to be a part of the Vaishnava movement.

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Mayapur Master Plan

The master plan encourages people to walk through gardens, plazas, avenues and forests creating a unique experience for visitors and the resident devotees

What is the design inspiration behind this project?

The design approach towards this project is to restructure the lifestyle by ethics and spirituality and to save, strengthen and innovate the traditional rural systems to higher urban value and context for sustainable living. The prominent inspiration for the project is interpreting the Vedic way of life in a built environment. The Vedic system and its way of life is in complete harmony with nature which can be achieved through various design concepts which harness the power of sun, wind and earth. “The Vedic way of Life” is a belief system which encourages a certain lifestyle and establishes a connection with nature.

This belief system has inspired the design of the master plan, its buildings, features, etc. creating a “Carbon Neutral City”.

How was your experience at the World Architecture Festival?

World Architecture Festival is an architecture design festival which offers you a wide representation of International projects by the world’s most respected names in the industry. The festival gives you an insight of how world is coming close on the grounds of sustainability and humanity while thinking architecture.

I recommend architects to visit WAF every year as it helps one develop International design acumen.

The design interlaces the natural and the built environments together making the campus “a green development” in true sense

The built environment has been designed in the midst of rich landscaped gardens, greens and forests

In the next five years, where do you see Salient Design Studio?

In the future, Salient will become more sensitive and responsible towards society, its people and our design solutions. We would lay more stress in delivering much higher quality than quantity. Salient shall strive towards training the local craftsman for more evolved modern design solutions.

info@salientdesignstudio.com

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The coloured glass partition gives the seating area a very contemporary look, despite the carved wooden tables and velvet upholstered chairs.

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WHEN CLASS MEETS FUN

SAGA Designs’ twin restaurants - ‘The Captain’s Table’ and ‘Me So Happi’ - are an unorthodox juxtaposition of innate sophistication and frivolity.

Restaurants today have gone beyond just providing a run-of-the-mill dining experience. Patrons and restaurant-goers look for more than just food when they choose a restaurant. Apart from proximity, they consider ambience, setting, vibes, and novelty when it comes to answering the age-old question - where should we eat tonight?

Mumbai-based design firm SAGA Designs, headed by Mayur Gujare and Deval Shah has created what can only be described as an inimitable dining experience. ‘A blend of casual and fine dining spaces’, Me So Happi and The Captain’s Table will indulge the child as well as the suave diner in you.

Speaking exclusively to Home Review, Deval Shah of SAGA Designs says, ‘With various interesting concept based restaurants taking shape in the city, the biggest challenge was to create original and unique designs.’ She goes on to say, ‘It’s our passion to self-learn and grow; learn from smaller discussions and implementation of details, and experiment with new parameters.’

Text By Priyanka Menon Photographs Courtesy SAGA Designs Home Review December 2016

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Having worked with renowned architects like Christopher Charles Benninger (CCBA Designs, Pune), Mayur had a very determined and meticulous approach when he began working on this project. The brief was simple: global seafood cuisine with an air of sophistication and class, and dining at the restaurant should be equivalent to dining in the cabin of a ship’s captain!

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Inspired by the workings and interiors of an actual ship, The Captain’s Corner is a dining experience replete with maritime motifs and artifacts. “We decided to understand various elements of a ship and weave in each element into the design,” Deval adds. “We visited the shipbuilding yards to get scrap material and tried using it, primarily in its original form, unless the design demanded otherwise.”

‘Figure-Eight-Knot’ ropes which are elemental in sailing, can be seen at the entryway and have also been used to separate the dining space from hostess’ table. This separation gives the dining area an immediate distinction from the other areas of the restaurant. The hostess’ table is anchored by an actual fisherman’s anchor and the top is made out of wood procured from a ship’s deck.

The tables and chairs in the seating area reflect the eclectic personality of the restaurant, with carved legged tables, blue and beige upholstery and maritime knick knacks adding to the overall allure of the space. Perhaps the most interesting feature of The Captain’s Table is its ceiling that in turn helps in establishing immediate hierarchy of space. Ropes draped to look like waves and supported by rafters lend a typical ship-like ambience to the dining area.

Lighting plays a significant role here. That with the view of the sea through the glass windows makes for a wonderful setting.

Elegant, yet simple light fixtures drop down from the ceiling like chandeliers, minus the ostentation. Tall and clear windows cover two sides of the restaurant. With bright sunlight pouring in through them, and the vast blueness of the sea making for a spectacular view, diners can as good as indulge in a meal on-board.

Now, while The Captain’s Table is an exemplary display of class and grandeur, Me So Happi is an ‘elaborate nostalgic trip to childhood days’. With the entrance to both restaurants being the same (before they branch out in different directions), “What was important for us was the screen between the two spaces,”says Deval, who feels that “combining two extreme functions in a single space” was a bit of a challenge.

The hostess’ table is supported by an actual anchor from a fisherman’s boat.

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}

Coloured glass partitions (like screens) that serve a two-fold purpose separate the dining spaces - “letting one peek into his playful mood while dining on the sophisticated side and look onto the other while still being at play,” says Deval.

}

Me So Happi also gets most of its woodwork from ‘shipwrecks’. High tables and chairs have been strategically designed and placed in order to maintain the openness of the restaurant space. Spanish patterned tiles having intricate designs in lively colours have been used for flooring, thereby not allowing the rugged furniture to overwhelm the design scheme.

Light fixtures, representative of nautical elements, drop down from the untouched concrete ceiling, and brick walls, though painted in a soft earthy tone, further enhance the ruggedness of the space.

Wooden ledges placed on the brick walls house artefacts, each one a symbol of childhood and years gone by. With the pipework openly visible there is a steam-punk like vibe that lingers.

A bright yellow couch adds a dash of colour in a smaller section of the seating area. On the wall rests a painting of a saree-clad woman, cocktail in hand. In a way, this painting summarises the philosophy of both the restaurants - rooted, yet fanciful.

Greatly inspired by the works of Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright, SAGA Designs has created a stylised cornucopia of textures, lights, moods, and materials.

All aboard, folks! sagadesign11@gmail.com

A semi-private seating, perfectly capturing the mood of the restaurant.

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YELLOW-CEDAR, AN EXEMPLAR OF IDEAL WOOD Know the top advantages of having yellow cedar for your doors and windows.

Yellow-Cedar is an exceptional wood species that grows in the Coastal Mountains of British Columbia, on the west coast of Canada. It is a highly sought after wood type in the world right now and there are several factors due to which it has carved a niche for itself. The distinctive factor about this wood is that it is unique to the region of the world and grows so slowly that it needs 200 years to grow to a marketable size.

There are many species of tropical and coniferous woods that are ideal for doors and windows. However, YellowCedar has terrific advantages that make it worth considering over others.

It is widely used around the world for external applications, and in India it is being increasingly specified for making door jambs and windows. It forms an essential component of green buildings which is the new trend today. Like all Canadian Wood species, Yellow-Cedar lumber is certified and available in various grades and sizes.

Versatility & aesthetics: It has a beautiful and unique yellow color which can instantly lend a plush look to any door or window. It is one of the easiest ways to make a lasting first impression on visitors. It can be used with a clear polish or with a range of stains and finishes.

Some of the advantages that Yellow Cedar provides you are mentioned as follows:

Talking about versatility, Yellow-Cedar works beautifully with other materials like glass and steel and can be used in combination to produce a variety of designs.

Durability: Yellow-Cedar is a tough, solid and durable wood species. Its natural oily extractives make it highly termite, decay and rot resistant. It is therefore ideal for windows and external doors that are constantly exposed to moisture and extreme weather conditions.

Workability: This wood type can be easily machined and finished owing to its smooth, fine-grained texture that results in a beautiful end product.

Yellow-Cedar is the perfect material to use for carvings and mouldings, ensuring ornately carved exterior doors.

Nail and screw holding properties: Constant and rigourous fitting and fixtures can loosen or simply wear-off wooden materials if not chosen wisely.

Yellow-Cedar has good nail and screw holding properties ensuring longevity despite heavy usage. This makes it a firm choice for adorations and decorative work as well.

www.canadianwood.in

Yellow Cedar Window

Dimensional stability: The specialty of Yellow-Cedar from Canada is Kiln Dried and Heat Treated which makes it dimensionally stable with no warping or bending over the period of use. The wood is strong with a tight grain and an average density of 431 kgs/cubic meter resulting in strong doors ideal for door chaukhats or jambs.

Wood Turnings

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Design Milton’s South Corner, Gujarat Transforming a 1600 Sq.Ft. Bajaj service station into an authentic South Indian cuisine restaurant came easy for Ruchita Mehta & Trupesh Purohit of Studio Outline.

With a very limited budget in hand, the architects made maximum use of unused materials. They incorporated coconut shells as light hangers and South Indian sarees as a panelling between the kitchen and seating area. The old kota flooring has been used with a mirror polish to make it stand out in the wooden seating arrangement.

To make the place look traditionally South Indian, a banyan tree made of PVC of is set up amidst, while a wall featuring a hand painted kathakali mask holds focus.

Overall, the place has been designed with an experimental mix of sustainable and colourful products for people to feel the taste of the food as well as get a glimpse of South India.

outline891@gmail.com

Text Compiled By Sneha Lukka

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Intelligent design need not be restricted to mammoth-sized spaces. Sometimes even a small idea can lead to stunning, brilliant themes in the creation of interiors.

Mixology Every month, Design Mixology - our latest entrĂŠe in the design arena will spotlight innovative design in various domains such as showrooms, bars, clinics, spas and much more.

Calem Grove, Goa Calem Grove in Candolim, Goa is set in a coconut grove surrounded by paddy fields on three sides looking towards the 350 year old Candolim Church. The project consists of six private plotted villas, each with a built up area of 4000 Sq.Ft. as part of a single 1.25 acre complex, along with a 2 bedroom Annexe. The idea behind the project was to develop independent villas in a warm contemporary style as a counterpoint to the surroundings.

Each villa is composed of three elements - a base block at the ground level clad with grey granite, an open staircase and a well-lit glass living space with an earth toned upper story spanning across the two.

Each villa is accessed by a landscape court featuring a small garden and a water body with separate access for service and staff.

The main body is broken into two masses with an open concrete staircase linking the two, above which the rain screen clad rectangular mass floats across. This creates a series of interior and exterior spaces which flow seamlessly into one another at the same time affording privacy and protection from the elements. The beautiful outdoor shower courtyards are a unique feature attached to every bedroom.

www.alva.co.in

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ANJ Svatantra, Mumbai ANJ Svatantra weaved magic as they designed this office for a micro financing company, clearly depicting the brand perspective through its free flowing design concept.

Located in Central Mumbai, the place features non-linear design intent with meeting rooms, cabin and boardrooms designed in a circular form. The tonality of the workplace is very elusive, with veneer used across the office premises and blue sand stone marble used for the MD cabin.

Innovative ceiling concepts in keeping with the curved/circular form and use of new-age light fixtures complement the design of the particular space bring to life the concept of this workplace.

Vibrant hues of green and orange perfectly complement the whole setting.

anj.co.ins

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GREEN PROJECT

The warm hues and lighting bring a sense of warmth and intimacy as different rooms merge into each other. The contrasting roof tiles and wall tiles, with natural light filtering through make this an ideal space for conversations and even quiet introspection.

Kind To The Environment

Calicut-based design firm, De Earth believes in building timeless and innovative spaces that blend with nature while preserving tradition.

Text By Priyanka Menon Photographs Courtesy De Earth

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The light blues and contrasting textures come together to reflect the simplicity of the family. Devoid of ostentation the house exhibits its inherently sustainable character.

‘Going Green’ has essentially become a way to live by especially since perils like Climate Change and Global Warming are looming closer than we realise. At such times, it becomes imperative to make a change.

And what better way to bring about change than to start from your home?

Established in 2004, De Eearth specialises in eco-friendly designs through innovation, steeped in culture and tradition. Headed by Vivek P. P. and Nishan M, the Calicut (Kerala) based architectural and design firm recently completed an ecofriendly residential space, and suitably called it ‘A Timeless Way to Dwell’.

A typical Kerala setting - the house blends in seamlessly with the environment – a timeless way to dwell indeed.

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A beautiful coming together of bold and natural colours, the flooring here is central to establishing the character of this setting.

De Earth’s philosophy runs deeper than just building eco-friendly homes. ‘We believe in nature becoming an integral part of living, and building spaces that merge into the context.’ According to them, ‘nature is not restricted to aesthetics, but is closely knitted into the daily life and routine of people belonging to the space’.

Inspired by Sri Lankan architect, Geoffrey Bawa, De Earth’s designs are earthy, soulful and yet, understated. ‘Bawa’s representation of context, culture and nature friendliness through his simple, but thought provoking spaces are often mistaken as the creations of nature itself,’ and this is what De Earth has done with ‘A Timeless Way to Dwell’.

Au naturel, with a pop of colours! Not only were building costs kept down with intelligent choices but also sustainability was the primary driver in the scheme of things.

Belonging to Mr Yasir, from Calicut, the house is located in the residential district of the city. The uneven layout and shape of this plot make it rather unique, especially with the rear side of the plot having a difference of three metres in height. This difference proved advantageous, as it turned out to be a place for utility and storage areas, a vegetable garden, and a well.

Calicut is one of Kerala’s hottest cities, with temperatures soaring past 40 degrees Celsius during summers. This was a prime consideration for De Earth when they drew up design plans. With provisions for maximum cross ventilation, the house has a beautiful U-shaped courtyard. This is the main feature of the house, and is also perhaps the most beautifully designed.

A metal pergola, allows direct sunlight to enter. Adjacent to the courtyard, is a long verandah that separates the dining and living rooms from the bedrooms. We are left with an intimate setting, but without being completely disconnected from the rest of the house.

Since the house is designed on a slender build concept, every room is very wellventilated. In order to avoid direct heat gain caused by sunlight, slope roofs serve well as protection and also render the overall structure and layout of the house aesthetically pleasing. Made of double layered clay roofing tiles, these overhang slopes are as low as 180 cm for a more private and intimate setting. Slopes at 40 degree angles are as tall as 4.5m and make the rooms look more spacious.

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Staircases that narrate stories in design. Style and good sense go hand-in-hand.

Paved steps leading up to the house - warm and beckoning!

The double layer is what helps keeps the rooms insulated from the heat and the interlocked pattern of the tiles allow the hot air to pass through from the joints. This is an important feature of the house and has been specifically designed keeping Calicut climate and weather conditions in mind.

Additionally in place of cement, De Earth preferred the use of lime plaster as it helps maintain the temperature in the interiors.

Negating an extensive use of artificial cooling, energy costs have been brought down substantially with these measures.

Mr Yasir had a simple brief for De Earth. He wanted his house to reflect the traditions and customs upheld and nurtured by his family. In lieu of his sentiment, De Earth used a lot of recycled wood for the flooring and interiors.

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The exterior paving is made entirely out of recycled stone. The use of natural kota stone makes the interiors cosy and welcoming. Even the furniture, made out of recycled wood, is a reflection of the family’s simplicity. Passive and pastel colours, natural textures all characteristically define the house.

But perhaps what will leave you speechless is the simplistic dĂŠcor, minus any kind of ostentation. Not only were building costs kept down with intelligent choices but also sustainability was always the primary driver in the scheme of things.

The suspended light fixtures, the wooden cot, flooring, and natural light here highlight the rustic simplicity of the home and the effective low carbon footprint.

Keeping the client’s budgetary restrictions in mind, the challenge was to create meaningful spaces. “We restrained ourselves to creating spaces that spoke for themselves with some factual representation of textures and materials. The lime plaster, exposed country bricks, kota stones, old recycled wood, un-plastered ceiling, open kitchen cabinets, helped us reduce cost and created a true symphony of inherent textures and colours established by eco-friendly procedures.”

What De Earth has essentially done is transform a house into a longstanding legacy of tradition mixed with the need of the hour, which is creating sustainable spaces.

www.deearth.com

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mPOWER PORTABLE SOLAR GENERATOR

The mPower Solar Generator is an all-inone solar power generator that provides mobile clean power anytime, anywhere. It looks very much like a suitcase and opens and folds up just like one, to become one compact portable unit. Once open the solar panels are exposed to the sunlight and these start making clean energy almost instantly.

Text Compiled By Mala Bajaj

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The solar panels charge the battery during the day and the battery delivers electricity for the next 8 hours. This cycle can continue once the battery is discharged fully. This means that once charged you may carry it to as remote a place as you like and have power to use as you wish, be it day or night.

The mPower is the world’s lightest and most powerful solar generator.

It comes in three sizes M6, M12 and M24, and one may select the size most suitable to one’s need. Liberation from the grid can fill you with all the various things that you would be able to do in the open and away from the city. The best of both worlds is what mPower solar generator offers you.

The mPower solar generator consists of two silicon flexible solar panels, a lithium iron phosphate battery, an embedded battery management system with over-charge and over-discharge protection, an mPower smart app, pure sine wave inverter, daisy chain connectors and a thermal circuit breaker.

This innovative product is an absolute need of the day as power is something that is essential for the use of the various devices man has gotten addicted to. The apt answer to man’s need of energy at almost any given moment, it conveniently provides both AC and DC power, is easy to carry, set up and easy to use. It has also been selected as a 2016 FiReStarter by Future In review. Future In Review is ‘the best technology conference in the world’ - The Economist. www.mpowersolargenerator.com

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BAKEYS EDIBLE CUTLERY

If one examines any pile of trash, it will be seen that one of the major components in it is disposable stuff; and amongst this category, plastic cutlery’s contribution is quite substantial.

Wouldn’t it be amazingly convenient if after using cutlery we could just eat it?

Hyderabad, Telengana’s Narayana Peesapaty had the same idea and he went on to establish Akeys Foods private limited, which is a pioneer in manufacturing edible cutlery on a commercial scale. Bakeys edible cutlery is a healthy, hygienic and eco-friendly alternative to the very polluting plastic cutlery which also has a high carbon footprint.

Plastic contains toxic and carcinogenic substances which leach into food and harm the health of the user directly. Even in ‘Food Grade Plastic’, this leaching happens, albeit under the so-called ‘permissible limits’.

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All of Bakeys edible cutlery is made up of a blend of jowar, rice and wheat flours to which small amounts of cummin, carrom, black pepper, rock salt and sugar are added.

The mix is kneaded with plain hot water and turned into dough which is then moulded into different shapes and baked. The entire range contains no chemicals, preservatives or even fat.

The basic price of a single piece of cutlery is as low as Rs 2, making it a very attractive, low cost and eco-friendly alternative.

The wide range includes dinner spoons, soup spoons, dessert spoons, chop sticks and forks. The cutlery once taken out of the packaging has to be preserved in an air tight container.

This range is so safe that it can even be offered to teething babies. It can safely be used and consumed by the elderly and even pregnant women. The cutlery is high on nutrition and supplies a good dose of energy when hungry. Apart from being 100% biodegradable, Bakeys cutlery can safely be consumed by both vegetarians and vegans.

If one does not wish to eat the spoon after the meal, one can safely throw it in any plant and just pour some water on it. In this way it readily gets absorbed into the soil. Alternately the used cutlery can even be added to compost. Bakeys eco-friendly, edible cutlery does not turn soggy or drop off even in hot liquids like soup, tea or coffee.

www.bakeys.com

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DESIGN DESTINATION

TEL WHERE Thriving, on a 14 km sun-bronzed strip of Mediterranean coastline, Israel’s second largest city serves as a major transportation artery. It extends beyond the Yarkon River to the north and the Ayalon River to the east. Closely fringed by Jerusalem and Haifa, Tel Aviv is easily accessible by air and road.

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AVIV WHEN

WHY

March to April and September to November, basically, spring and fall work as the best periods to visit the city’s sweet tourism spots and be guaranteed of pleasant temperatures. Celebrations and festivals based on anything from beer to science fiction make October an appropriate month to consider a vacation.

Tel Aviv, is caught in the midst of an exciting transition from a medium-sized urban centre to a bustling metropolis. The UNESCO listed Bauhaus era buildings that popularly tag it the ‘White City’ are a major draw as is the historic port of Jaffa. A store house of energy, Tel Aviv is a sure ‘must visit’!

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A ‘RETRO-CHIC’ ADDRESS Nicknamed the ‘City that never sleeps’, Tel Aviv, is also gaining recognition for innovative contemporary design particularly when it comes to the city’s perfectly curated boutique hotels. The Brown Beach House is a well-executed reimaging of the 1950’s summer resorts remixed with Tel Aviv’s unique urbanism.

Making its mark on the beachfront, this 39 room hotel, sister to the Brown TLV chain of hotels has no detail that is overlooked.

It is a brave and astonishing contribution to this design dizzy city.

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A charming balance of elegance and eccentricity is detectable in every piece of handpicked vintage furniture on display throughout the property. Filled with the playful and quirky - a mix of black and white textiles, yellow chesterfield sofas and tropical hints of colours and graphics, it is sure to steal your heart.

Cane chairs and bamboo panels contrast ornate lamps and geometric, monochrome rugs and cushions.

The room options range from standard single rooms to a pet house suite accommodation for four. Each room has a distinct personality. Relaxation is the key focus here with spa facilities and private sun terraces offering sea and city views. The hotel also flaunts a fish focused gourmet kosher restaurant, bars and lounges and a much awaited pillow concierge.

THE GEOMETRY OF ART The new Herta and Amir Building of Tel Aviv’s Museum of Art, poses as an extraordinary architectural challenge.

It strives to resolve the tension between the tight, idiosyncratic triangular site and the museums need for large, neutral rectangular galleries that are organised around the ‘Lightfall’ - an eighty-seven feet tall spiralling atrium that refracts light into the crevices of the half buried building. Architectural excellence is achieved by squaring off the triangular plot from within.

Cantilevers accommodate discrepancies between plans and provide overhangs at the perimeter.

None the less, it offers a new type of museum experience - one that is rooted in the Baroque as well as the Modern.

Composed along multiple axes that deviate significantly on each floor, the building is a series of independent plans with steel structural systems stacked one atop the other. The program includes galleries of Israeli art, temporary exhibitions, photography study centres and archives, auditoriums, libraries, restaurants, offices and public amenities.

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A TASTE OF FRESH AIR The Segev Kitchen Garden is a portrayal of how ‘green’ can both carry a space and add style, sophistication and a touch of the exotic. The greenhouse like eatery is a unique garden hybrid which doubles as both décor and sustenance. The large variety of plants and fresh herbs hanging from the ceilings and popping up between tables puts this restaurant design into a category of its own.

The use of natural materials is predominant. Soft natural tones are contributed by the furniture and counter tops made out of local wood while a leafy garden encircles an alfresco dining area.

All in all, a picture of rustic charm, it also has a fully stocked bar with a good representation of Israeli and international wines.

DOCKING A TOURIST MAGNET The Jaffa Port Market is a new culinary, shopping and entertainment venue with an eclectic mix of permanent businesses and pop up stalls that attract a varied audience.

Inbuilt within a large warehouse, it features a gallery, indoor and outdoor seating areas and passage ways.

The port’s current location, the original role of the building as a storehouse and the versatility of its history offered abundant architectural possibilities but the hollow building envelope with a central core showcases conservation and planning restrictions.

Stainless steel meshes and sheets, solid wood and grey bricks were deliberately chosen as they would weather naturally in the salty and humid location. The stainless steel mesh that provided several functional benefits not only defined zonal layouts but also celebrated the height of the warehouse.An amalgam of the city’s traditions and trends never failed to act as a guide at each stage of development.

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Text By Kanupriya Pachisia

SOmethin6 0ESI6N Stu0I0

Creating something with emotion and resonance is the speciality of the innovative Something Design Studio.

From little ledges in bathroom fixtures to coffee pots, the design studio is changing the way we look at everyday things.

Text By Chryselle D’Silva Dias Photographs Courtesy The Designer

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When you look at Something’s projects, the word that comes to mind is ‘sleek’. Straight, minimalist lines and clean colours make their designs a perfect fit for any interior.

The quirkily-named ‘Something’ is a design studio founded in 2010 by designers Daniel Debiasi and Federico Sandri. The designers work from London and Verona, Italy, for a long list of reputed clients such as Ligne Roset, Stelton, and Villeroy&Boch, among others.

Dafne

One of their first products was the ‘Wanda’ bathtub for Antoniolupi (2011). The generously proportioned bathtub (fits two) is designed for “an intimate bathing experience”. The border of the bathtub extends to create a backrest, so you can sit back comfortably in the bubbles. The new Dafne bathtub (2016) is a more compact version, but with a similar backrest to accommodate the shoulders.

Next came Gino (2011), a simple design with a touch of genius. Gino is a side table with a handle that can be used as a towel bar or a clothes rail. No more stepping out in suds to reach out for your towel!

Club

The QGINI series (2011) was an extension of the Gino table. A range of bathroom accessories included wall hooks, shelving with an attached towel rail (similar to the Gino), a tumbler and a soap dish. The last two are made of Alabaster.

Simple changes can make a traditional product more effective. Take, for example, the Lino table (2011). It’s a simple round side table with a difference. A rim around the tray edge prevents things from sliding or falling over. Use it in a bathroom to keep your jewellery safe, or as a bedside table or even as a pedestal for plants.

The Club mirror (2012) is a study in elegant and unusual design. The free-standing mirror/wardrobe stands on wooden stilts.

The secret to this design? An unexpected clothes hanger and hat stand at the back – such a great space-saving trick.

ViClean

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Labo

For Villeroy&Boch, the designer duo also created the award-winning ViClean (2013), an electronic bidet series. The ViClean was designed to be used as a conscious element of design, not as an afterthought. The designers were inspired by leaves, which seem simple but are pretty complex. The parallel drawn here is that the ViClean “appears delicate and light” but is a complex system” designed to favour intuitive human interaction.”

In an interview with design blog Nykyinen, Daniel Debiasi explained the duo’s creative process by saying that they try to create objects that have a certain narrative and these little stories remind people of things in their life, which in turn, make them feel comfortable. “Sometimes you just raise a smile, revive a memory, encourage a reflection… well, basically interact.”

Campanule

This emotion is reflected well in the series of lamps that Something Design Studio has created. The Labo (2013) is a collection of lamps made from borosilicate glass and is inspired by lab instruments (hence the name).

A simple connection of a glass lampshade and body and a fabric-covered power cord visible through the body makes this an interesting desk lamp or floor-standing reading lamp.

The lamp is meant to be just what it seems – open and revealing with nothing to hide.

TheLabo Pendant (2015) is a cluster of Labo lamps flowering from one glass stem.

Stage

The Campanule (2014) for Ligne Roset is a bellflower-shaped lamp and equally pretty.

It has a big ‘head’ and a thin stem, much like the flower, making it a lovely little droopy companion for a bedside table or a spotlight for an object or two.

The Stage floor lamp (2016), on the other hand, is bold and direct and takes after stage lamps that are bright and ready-foraction. A very practical handle on top of the lights helps control the direction of the light.

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The Momento (2016) also has a simple design but in several parts which can be split. Inspired by fishing rod holders, the lamp can be separated into different elements, resulting in a “curious object”, according to the designers.

Momento

The duo are beginning to veer into furniture design with ‘Cape’ (2016), a friendly and inviting sofa and armchair collection with generous proportions that make you want to curl up with a book.

More recently, the designers have received much praise for Collar (2016), a contemporary take on traditional coffee makers like the Italian moka pot. The idea was to recreate the pleasure in not just consuming the coffee, but also in the process of making it. The popularity of the Collar only goes to prove that consumers are ready to relive slow coffee and all its aromatic pleasures.

As Debiasi and Sandri continue to experiment with different materials, shapes and emotions, one can only wait and watch to see what comes next from the Something Design Studio. Whatever it is, it promises to be understated, unique and totally beautiful.

Cape

info@somethingdesign.com www.somethingdesign.com

Collar

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The Ojai Cottage, designed by Paul picks on a simple garden design which is not overdone but stands to speak volumes.

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Landscapes

NATURAL INSTINCT While physically, gardens are defined by boundaries, mentally they transport you into a limitless world accentuated by the forces of nature. Paul Hendershot’s enchanting landscape solutions are exactly such spaces.

Based in Ojai, California, Paul Hendershot Design, Inc. is a landscape design company that works closely with its clients to create gardens that adopt a classic approach.

European aesthetics and designs are embedded and maintained to unite the architecture of the home with that of the expanded views that lie outside. The firm’s main focus is to create usable landscapes that grow as an extension of the concretescape. Paul says, “I have a great passion for landscaping. I listen closely to what the clients want for their outside space and strive to create a landscape that not only satisfies them but also complements the style of the house.”

While Paul’s designs are simple and sophisticated, they possess the ability to make a bold statement. His spaces are always re-writing the grammar of greenery in a way such that they are ready to start a conversation in their own unique natural tense.

Text By Kanupriya Pachisia Photographs Courtesy Paul Hendershot Design, Inc Home Review December 2016

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Natural stone is an inseparable part of a Tuscan garden. Its use on earthy toned pathways and boundary walls only comes forward to fit the bill.

The Ojai Cottage Located in the Ojai Valley, the Ventura County city is blessed by a climate characterised by Mediterranean flavours.

The hot, dry summers and mild winters, dictate its vegetation. The Ojai Cottage, designed by Paul picks on a simple garden design which is not overdone yet stands to speak volumes.

The cottage garden, built on a Tuscan backdrop renders a timeless feel to a landscape where everything seems to be in place. Paul tells us, “I was inspired while travelling, mainly in Europe where I saw courtyard settings that had a recurring use of the same or similar plants that I use now.

This creates that lush look with very low watering and permeable ground.�

The main concern while designing the garden was to cultivate a low maintenance space. Hence Paul chose to use hardy plants like the Westringia balls and Agave Attenuata that require less water and looking after.

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The no-fuss Westringia can be grown into beautiful manicured balls to align sprawling edges and its flowers are prolific, putting up quite a show for much of Spring.

Natural stone is an inseparable part of a Tuscan garden. Its use on earthy toned pathways and boundary walls only comes forward to fit the bill. The use of warm terracotta roof tiles, undulating pockets of gravel, wooden pergolas and large urns restate the hallmarks of the landscape style used.

The Agave Attenuata is a local Mexican plant that forms rosettes of succulent like, soft, fleshy, lime green bluish leaves. It is one of the easiest plants to establish and maintain and therefore qualified as an apt choice in adding form and texture to the garden beds.

The Westringia, an Australian native is a super compact form with stunning foliage and remarkable versatility. While this plant can be grown into beautiful manicured balls to align sprawling edges, its flowers are prolific and put up quite a show for much of Spring.

Their no-fuss character made them a good bet to use for the client. Soft pink roses, that labyrinth around the wooden pergola and picket fence convey thoughtfulness, passion and sentiment, and add a contemporary punch of colour that brings the cottage to life.

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The Peagravel Pool The Peagravel Pool is yet another captivating chapter in the landscape story penned by Paul Hendershot. Paul used the shades of warm-tans, reddish-browns and terracotta most adeptly to soften the effect of a large area of stone but has also made it feel more inviting rather than cold and formidable.

Getting rid of the grass helped the client to achieve a topographical plan that required less watering. The swimming pool not only mitigates the heat of summer but also creates a juxtaposition of textures by playing up the smoothness of water elements against the rough textures of stone around.

The main idea behind the space, Paul tells us was that, “We wanted to create a lot of shade. We got rid of the grass and added two levels with steps and put in fruit trees such as plum, peach, apricot, apple etc.�

Artificial turf was planted around the pool.

An entertainment area with a bocce ball court and a brick patio with a grape pergola that houses a ping pong table were built to meet the clients’ requirements.

The garden celebrates the combination of relaxed materials and plants with formal accents and designs. While boxed hedges and rolling steps provide for leisurely moments, the neatly manicured plants bring in an arrangement of the formal.

A wrought iron gate invites one in to take a seat and enjoy a glass of wine. A cluster of wooden tables are almost always ready for an impromptu gathering. The only thing one would probably miss would be a view of the glistening blue ocean.

paulhendershot@pacbell.net www.paulhendershotdesign.com

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There are two distinct areas - one with wooden flooring and the other with raw cement flooring. Both offset each other and the entire look flows harmoniously.

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Retail Therapy

Make A ‘Whish’ Not so recently, three friends with stars in their eyes and dreams held close to their hearts got together.

They hoped to give the city a dose of modern, quirky and thoughtful products that reflect the pulse of changing times. A little while later ‘Whishbox’ was born….

Text By Dhanishta Shah Photographs Neel Ghelani

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Two gallery walls showcase framed posters; these adhere to themes of travel and motivation, and add to the ambience.

Yash Ghelani, Vinay Gada and Chandresh Gujar have much in common. Young and ambitious, the founders of ‘Whishbox’ wish to make an indelible mark on the way people interact with small products that find a place in their lives. A unique sense of aesthetics binds them all, and they are set to share it with the world.

“We wanted people to first come and visit us, and understand where we come from,” explains Ghelani. “Our logic for this location is quite simple. People from all over Mumbai come and work here as there are big commercial and residential complexes in the precinct. This leads to many walk-ins,” explains Gada.

Their store, a spunky and striking 450 square feet space, is quite conspicuous in the narrow by-lanes of Lower Parel in Mumbai, enveloped by rising towers from all sides. A cheery yellow door beckons passersby to enter, as does a big banner that asks people to come in and have a conversation.

Just as you enter, there is a ‘summary wall’ with boxed wooden shelving, that has at least one ‘specimen’ of all the product-types stocked in the store. Hence the name! Two gallery walls showcase framed posters adhering to themes of travel and motivation. “The frames are in-house products and are for sale.

But while on the wall, they add to the ambience. The framed pictures are a result of a collaboration with three popular Instagrammers,” states Gada.

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The founders were extremely cost conscious while doing up the store.

They scouted the flea market Chor Bazaar and ended up with true gems such as the beautiful cabinet for storing barware (which they painted in white and blue) and some statement making chandeliers and light fixtures that add a dash of elegance to the peppy décor.

“The space used to be a café earlier. We pulled down the wall dividing the dining area and kitchen. As a result, the store looks spacious and there are two distinct areas - one with wooden flooring (which used to be the former dining area) and the other with raw cement flooring (belonging to the kitchen). Both offset each other and the entire look flows harmoniously, without any additional expenditure,” says Ghelani.

The walls are lined with wooden shelves, all designed to look different by playing on the sizes of the shelf length.

Some items to look out for are the gear and flip clocks, bottles, trunks, candle stands, matchbox art, handmade lanterns and a host of quirky home accessories from equally quirky brands.

Many products are displayed in wooden boxes, a nod to the distant past when fruits used to be sold in these. The founders forayed into Crawford Market and found an artisan who custom-made the boxes in Deodar wood.

In its earlier avatar, a pillar-beam cutting the space right in the middle, used to be an eyesore. Now, it is an attractive showcase for colourful shoes! It has been painted black with wooden shelves affixed on it.

To maintain congruity, the laminate used on the tables in the store matches the texture and colour of these boxes.

The walls are lined with complementing wooden shelves, all designed to look different by playing on the sizes of the shelf length.

The products are a curated mix of accessories and clothing, most of which are sourced from independent standalone artists and established brands having a unique design philosophy. With the collection of frames, the trio have also forayed into in-house products.

The mix of products recalls talents from varied parts of the country. Some items to look out for are the gear and flip clocks, bottles, trunks, candle stands, matchbox art, handmade lanterns, a well-curated barware collection and a host of quirky home accessories.

Right now, the trio are enjoying the interest their store is garnering. “There is a long way to go! We plan to open up more branches, once people know us better.

We are also thinking about hosting events in this space,” they say. May their ‘whish’ come true! www.whishbox.com

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DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COPY* OF The Inside Track and stay connected All you need to do is download the free Magzter app.

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THE MARKETPLACE Casa Colour Unveils Its Winter Collection

K-lite Introduces LED Landspace Lights Founded in 1977 in India, K-Lite has grown to be one of the leading manufacturers of outdoor luminaires and decorative poles.

Exploring the many potential facets of lighting that supports the wellbeing and safety of all, the brand has established a niche for itself in producing top quality lightning products for the landscape segment.

Stylishly lightning the space, K-Lite’s product range for the landscape segment includes an array of Linear Wall Washer, Up-Down Lighters, LED Strips/Neon flex, Promenade Lighting, Bollards, Under Water Lighting, Post top luminaires, Bulk Heads, Path finders, Polar lighting and newly added series of Facade Lighting. Over the years, the brand has also excelled in providing lightning solutions for your indoor spaces too. www.klite.in

Queo’s Shower For Music Lovers

Casa Colour known for its striking range of colourful products unveiled its latest winter collection that lets you to cherish this year’s winter cold in a cosy way. Helping you give refreshing and colourful makeover to your house, the brand has made maximum use of rainbow colours which make its products look appealing and elegant.

The eye-catching and modern collection includes a range of L-Shaped printed sofa, a pleasant looking light coloured couch, exquisite chairs with animal prints, a bright corner solo sofa and other items. The brand has not only excelled in designing elegant looking products but has also taken care of the durability factor of these products.

Samira Chopra, the Creative Head of Casa said at the launch of this collection, “We have conceptualised this series after a through market research and product thought. People had been bored of getting the same stuff year after year; we decided to bring something worthwhile. We focus on elegance, durability and luxury in our products; to be fresh and different is our motto.” www.casacolour.in

Queo, a leading British purveyor of bespoke bathrooms recently introduced LA MUSIQUE WET BEATZ which lets you enjoy therapeutic effect of music and rain drops. The luxurious LA MUSIQUE WET BEATZ comes with a rain shower head with the facility of receiving phone calls without interrupting the bathing regime.

The in-built magnetic wireless speaker can be paired with Bluetooth(R) enabled devices and is also compatible with popular platforms like Windows, Android and iOS enabling user to enjoy their favourite playlist.

Mr. V. Krishnamurthy, Senior Vice President, Queo said, “The luxury sanitary ware market has been witnessing an exponential growth over the last few years. The driving forces in the luxury space has been primarily technology which is enabling innovation and customization to meet one’s personal needs coupled with elegant product designing. While brand Queo has always been at the forefront of innovative design; with the launch of LA MUSIQUE WET BEATZ, it has reiterated its commitment of bringing a good looking product with a useful accessory for luxurious bathrooms.” The LA MUSIQUE WET BEATZ price range starts from INR 8490/- onwards. www.queobathrooms.co.uk Home Review December 2016

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THE MARKETPLACE Franke Launches Crystal White Linear Hob

Graff Presents Aqua-Sense Shower Graff, the worldwide manufacturer of innovative faucets and shower systems has now introduced Aqua-Sense shower, a full sensory shower program inspired by the feeling and luxury that one experiences at spas.

The shower system is created for demanding customers who want to achieve both an innovative and high-style design. The AquaSense range combines a shower system that defines the concept of home wellness with a true sensual experience created through the mix of water, colours and sounds.

The electronic system with ceiling-mounted shower-head creates a very intense central rainfall effect as well as a waterfall jet. The RGB LED changes color, shaping diffused chromatic lines to produce a soothing effect of the bathroom environment.

Making cooking easier and tastier, Franke launched crystal white linear hob coming with four burners that ensure effortless cleaning, while maintaining a consistent high performance. In addition, the hobs also incorporate several professional-style features.

The system is controlled by a touchscreen with simple and intuitive interface controlling water functions, color changes, music and videos. Music can be easily uploadedby connecting an i-Pod to a wallmounted USB port, while the speakers are ceiling-installed.

Franke, a leading market brand that values premium kitchen appliances manufactures designs and produces its hobs entirely in Europe. Extreme care is taken over selection of materials and components, and over monitoring all processing phases, ensuring lasting hob quality and total safety.

The system is well equipped with handshower and adjustable side body-sprays.

From watching videos and listening to music to enjoying color therapy, the Aqua-Sense shower system provides a multimedia experience through the use of touchpad technology.

For people who love to cook it is definitely a unique product with distinctive technical and aesthetic features, oversize is undoubtedly the ideal hob for anyone who loves to cook. The protection offered by the front edge means the hob control knobs always remain cool guaranteeing greater operating safety.

The raised position of the control panel and the gas taps means that oversize has exclusive spacing – the most generous on the market between burners allowing five large pans to be used at once. Although, the cooking surface is large, oversize can be installed in standard recesses for traditional hobs. www.franke.com

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EmanuelaTavolini, Sales Director of Graff Europe says, “Our new collections cross design borders. We are constantly committed to offer the highest quality standards, thanks to chromatic effects and technological solutions designed for a clientele looking for a completely new and original product. Our design intends to never be an alternative to the practicality and functionality of our systems.” www.graff-faucets.com

Pergo’s Wood Parquet Collection Nothing adds warmth and character to a room like a wood floor .The Inherent personality of the material, with the unique variations it offers, makes the perfect starting point for creating beautiful interiors. Pergo, a leading innovator of high quality laminated flooring brand recently introduced its wood parquet collection available in seven different designs.

Pergo has always aimed at making the best use of natural resources in its products, with the way natural resources are depleting; it is reassuring to know that Pergo uses most part of recycled materials in its manufacturing of Wood Parquet flooring.

Pergo Wood Parquet is easy to install and durable, which means it can withstand years of use and still look beautiful.

First introduced and invented laminate flooring 35 years ago, the wood parquet collection is now available with the new manufacturing technologies like Brushed Surface, Sawcut and Dutch Pattern designs. www.pergo.co.in

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