Picture This: Green Edge
vol 16 issue 09
September 2017
Product Designer: Hella Jongerius
total pages 134
My Space: Studio Amita Vikrant
RS 100 HOME-REVIEW.COM
THE POOL RULES By Shroffleon Brick by Brick By DWG Architects
THE TREE CONNECTION Sanctuary Architects redefine the perfect office
Home Review March 2017
Renovate & Decorate Special JOIN IN THE FESTIVITIES AND REVAMP YOUR HOME
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A SHINING DI GERMAN ENG
A modern stainless steel piping system that ma When you are driving quality forward it is essential to have a partner you can rely on. Over 30,000 feet of Viega Sanpress stainless steel pipes and roughly 50,000 gunmetal connectors make it possible to provide 15,000 Audi employees with clean drinking water and thereby enable impeccable work – right to the very last detail. Viega. Connected in quality.
Audi AG, Böllinger Höfe factory, Germany
viega.in/About-us
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ISPLAY OF GINEERING.
atches even the highest quality standards.
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Photo: Cyrus Dalal
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spartan material palette and raw appeal is what drives the aesthetic in Sanctuary Architects’ office in Bangalore. Perched on an existing building, this twin storied workspace comprises of large airy volumes and an open-plan construct which allows for close interaction amongst its associates (and even with the encircling trees around). The collaborative space is largely an exposed structure which allows occupants to experience materials in their bare form. The team believes that colour emerges from their work culture, whilst everything else around should be quiet and earthy, encouraging creativity. The ability for exposed brick structures to overcome their rather basic aesthetic is when there is close attention to detail and the masonry is executed to near perfection. Dinesh Suthar of DWG Architects does just that by applying the virtues of brick architecture to create an undulating facade that becomes the piece de resistance of a home built in Surat. Kayzad and Maria of Shroffleon design a home in Alibaug with a striking infinity pool that holds centre-stage in their design scheme. From this oasis positioned on its highest level, the owners get a vantage of their surroundings. Blurring the boundaries of the built and the unbuilt, Shroffleon have created a sensible space with a timeless disposition that is a welcoming marvel nestled deep in the hills. Anish Bajaj, Editor anish@marvelinfomedia.com Simple. Sensitive. Soulful. The Dr. Reddy Memorial designed by architect Sanjay Mohe. Watch #GetInspired on www.designowl.com/designvideos Presented by Hafele.
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emails + feedback Story Sculptures
Memories Revisited
Harvey Brown’s book sculptures featured in Home Review is one of the most brilliant innovations I have ever encountered.
I thank Home Review for refreshing my memories of a recent visit to Cape Town this year!
By Email Nishpal Kaur Bhat
By Email Ramanujan T.
Gothic Grey
Striking
Tejal Mathur Design’s wonderful execution of the grey-scale palette for the Mumbai apartment left me bewildering at the gothic overtones of the home.
The refined space created by DIG Architects using the volumetric approach and the concealed storage spaces was really striking!
By Email T. Gangopadhyay
Let us know what you love and hate about this issue. Mail us at letters@marvelinfomedia.com
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By Email Ayesha Menon
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SAV By embracing the traditional techniques and collaborating with the modern-age systems, SAV constantly strives to push the envelope
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The team of Parallax Design Studio loves ‘design’ in all its manifestations and constantly strives to push its boundaries in both its projects and products
Cover Story
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Bengaluru-based Sanctuary Architects & Interior Designers have designed the perfect office for themselves
Nestled among the lush hills of Alibagh, Aurelia is located on an envious vantage point; it aims at total serenity, especially the kind that celebrates its surroundings
SEptember 46 In the ferocious summers of Surat, DWG Architects zeroed in on a large brick curtain wall as a device to deflect the heat of the sun from this bungalow
54 art
form
Yoshitoshi Kanemaki is a Japan based sculptor renowned for his bizarre yet lifelike wooden sculptures
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59 By Namrata Jain
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Hotel Moments Budapest sits advantageously with St Stephen’s Basilica and the Opera House, both a short stroll away
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Nicobar is a space one needs to visit not merely for shopping but to experience a beautiful amalgamation of contemporary Indian style and a global Indian spirit
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Renovate & Decorate
Renovate your abodes as festive season hits town with our latest coverage on products and solutions across categories of lighting, paints, wall coverings, home decor and accessories
Designed by Aangan architects, this charming farmhouse in Dumas, Surat, far away from the city’s chaos, is designed to bring in whiffs of fresh air from its ambient orchards
103 Designed by C.F.Moller, Villa Rypen is a symphony composed of nature and raw minimalism
September
108
Queensland’s tropical strip is home to some of the oldest continuously surviving rainforests on earth, which predate the Amazon forest by millions of years and boast of flora and fauna not found anywhere else on the planet
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DUBLIN A DESIGN DESTINATION
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GREEN PROJECT
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product
designer
Armed with expert craftsmanship, unrestrained creativity and a commitment to the best sustainable building practices, Surfside Projects designs homes that enable clients to engage with the outside as much as the inside Hella Jongerius and her team bring in unexpected dashes of colour, texture and context to everyday pieces, making them stand out in a crowd of product designs
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Eclectic styles, varied themes, upcoming trends come together in our newly launched segment!
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Editor & Publisher Anish Bajaj Creative Director Natalie Pedder-Bajaj
Virupa Kantamneni Architect And Writer Based out of Hyderabad, Virupa is an architect with a Masters’ degree in Sustainable Design from UK. She is an avid blogger, and has been exploring writing as a passion since her college days. Design and creative activities run her daily life apart from the young spark she has for a daughter.
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 Virupa Kantamneni Designers Asif Shayannawar Darshan Palav Pooja Modak Snigdha Hodarkar
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.
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Editorial & Marketing Mumbai Mr. Ganesh Gurav B-62, Cotton Exchange bldg., Cotton Green, Mumbai 400 033 T 022 23736133 / 23736131 / 23743069 E response@marvelinfomedia.com 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 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 134 pages comprising of a 6 page cover and 128 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.
Sanctuary Architects The Tree Connection, Page 26. Anshul Chodha is an Alumni of MIT, Manipal and founded Sanctuary Architects and Designers, Bangalore in 2003. Anshul has worked on a wide array of projects across the country and abroad on projects ranging from Hospitality, Residential to Commercial both in architecture and interior design.
Shroffleon The Pool Rules Supreme , Page 38. Shroffleón is a full service design firm led by Kayzad R.Shroff and Maria I Jimenez-Leon offering comprehensive architectural, planning and consultancy services to civic, municipal, institutional and private clients. Shroffleón continually strives to invent and innovative, environmentally responsible design solutions whilst creating spaces that establish healthy connections; fluid exchanges between inhabitants and their environments.
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.
DWG Architects Brick By Brick, Page 46. An emerging team of young architects, led by Jitendra Sbalapara, Dinesh Suthar and Bharat Patel, DWG has a vast experience in all kinds of projects – residential bungalows, apartments, commercial and institutional. Their design philosophy is innovation, communication and transparency, adopting a clientdriven approach.
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PAST & FUTURE
E V E N T S 07 17 SEP
Shanghai for Furniture China. Where they believe huge business opportunities and productive connections will be established, leading to further and more profound development.
TO
Helsinki Design Week 2017, Helsinki
Organized for the 13th time, Helsinki Design Week spreads around the city and features more than 250 events between 7 and 17 September 2017. Helsinki Design Week 2017 is to launch the DesignCommons seminar that allows the audience to have dinner and discuss with international design stars. The first published speakers include iconic architect Winy Maas, technology entrepreneur with a Nokia background Marko Ahtisaari, landscape architect Cees van der Veeken and Studio Swine consisting of architect Azusa Murakami and British artist Alexander Groves. The seminar is part of the two-day World Design Weeks Summit that Helsinki is hosting for design leaders from all over the world. The installation series consists of works by Finnish and international designers and architects and focuses on the theme of a developing city. In addition, the programme features more than 150 events by independent organizers, filling the streets, galleries, stores and museums with architecture, fashion and urban design.
in Paris. Paris Design Week is an itinerary uniting 250 participants that all proudly promote first-rate design in Paris. At a time when new collections are popping up in stores and the new concepts for the autumn season are being launched, the event brings together the talents and forces of retailers, galleries, showrooms, hotels and restaurants for eight days to share their experience in design and creation with the public.
TO 12Furniture 15 SEP China, Shanghai
London, England
08 16 SEP
The London Design Festival is another city-wide event that celebrates London’s thriving design sphere over nine days. The events are staged at 400 different venues across the city, although the Victoria and Albert (V&A) museum is a good place to start as the festival’s main hub. Major features of the event are the extraordinary projects and installations that are commissioned throughout the city at inspiring locations. World-leading architects and designers have worked on installations at London’s Southbank, Tate Modern and Trafalgar Square in previous years.
Maison&Objet 2017, Paris
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TO 16London 24 SEPDesign Festival,
www.maison-objet.com
TO
For eight days, the event invites French and international professionals and the general public to discover the best showcases of design
www.furniture-china.cn
Established to mirror the development of the Maison&Objet Projets show, this new themed itinerary invites specifiers and private individuals with development projects to enter the participants’ showrooms to meet interior design professionals – a unique earlyautumn opportunity to start planning home improvement and décor projects.
www.helsinkidesignweek.com
The sixth annual Paris Design Week, scheduled to overlap with Maison&Objet Paris, will take place from Friday 8 to Saturday 16 September 2017.
Growing over two decades, Furniture China is entering into a new realm of pursuing quality excellence instead of expanding merely exhibition scale. By having strict quality control of participating exhibitors as well as continuous upgrades of hall layout and services, the organizers aim to provide an ideal trading platform for global industry buyers to source high-quality furniture products and to boost business opportunities through the exhibition.
Furniture China is an international leading trade show, which provides a one-stop procurement platform with high quality furniture products, which are rich in diverse styles and categories. In close combination with Maison Shanghai and Shanghai Home Design Week, exhibitors and furniture traders are accustomed to coming to
The festival seeks to promote London as the design capital of the world. Now in its fifteenth year, the Festival will be returning to venues and institutions across the city between 16th and 24th September, 2017. www.londondesignfestival.com
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PAST & FUTURE
E V E N T S 22 23 SEP TO
FOAID India, New Delhi
FOAID started with the idea of celebrating the glory of Indian Architecture & Design. Since its inception, it aims to create a benchmark where the stalwarts & the future designers share a common platform to discuss how the design world has transformed & innovated to create a future of spell bound figures. FOAID is a festival of creative minds to meet & discuss the new facets of the design fraternity. As the world of Architecture is growing leaps & bounds, FOAID promises to create something unique & exclusive for the industry. After covering varied topics in two years, this year we aim to touch upon topics which will focus the future of design space. The Festival of Architecture & Interior Designing aims to expand its horizon by making a conscious effort to gather the Design fraternity together to celebrate the passion of Design. Team FOAID awaits your esteemed presence at the largest Design festival of Creative Minds for the year 2017.
The Facades+ conference series sponsored by The Architect’s Newspaper is a robust dialogue encompassing all things building skin-bridging the profession, industry, academia, operations, and ownership. We’ve distilled the best of the Facades+ 2-day event into a quick-take morning forum with a strong local flair. Facades+AM is coming to Philadelphia for the first time this September. See the full program below. Facades+AM Philadelphia features a program coorganized with Kieran-Timberlake covering issues unique to the region focusing design innovations for high performance envelopes and showcasing firms doing exceptional work in Philadelphia and the region. The program for this year includes - Facade Futures: Computation and the Amplification of Design, Beyond Form, Data, and Metrics: Envelope Performance in Context and Philadelphia’s Design Trajectories: Growing Beyond Center City.
29Vienna SEP TODesign 08 OCT Week, Vienna
25 SEP TO 01 OCT
World Green Building Week, New Zealand
Vienna Design Week is Austria´s largest design festival, with a variety of locations and events in Vienna. The festival, curated by Lilli Hollein, will enter its 11th round this year. Opening up creative processes and giving scope for experimentation on site are core elements of the festival concept.
25Facades+AM SEP Philadelphia, World Green Building Week is an annual event that empowers the green building community to deliver green buildings for everyone, everywhere. Buildings can be heroes in the fight against climate change – and so can you. This year, the activities are designed to share knowledge and celebrate those buildings that are helping the fight against climate change. Green Building Councils will be hosting a range of events as part of the week, from the UK Green Building Council’s 10-year birthday party (on 28 September) to Emirates GBC’s launch of its Net Zero Energy Report (on 27 September).
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www.worldgbc.org
www.am.facadesplus.com
www.foaidindia.in
Philadelphia
WorldGBC’s partners will also be hosting events and engaging in the week. JPMorgan Chase, a member of Corporate Advisory Board, will be hosting an event at its New York headquarters on 25 September to kick start the week. The event will talk about the company’s recent commitment to renewable energy and building efficiency, and will include a panel session with speakers from the bank, US Green Building Council and WorldGBC.
During Vienna Design Week, the city becomes a platform and showcase of design. Design is more than just a designed object. Vienna Design Week defines design as an essential part of the cultural production. The festival shows that design shapes our material culture, our every-day life and our world as consumers. Simultaneously, it influences our lifestyles and most fundamentally our aesthetic senses and judgements. The Vienna Design Week is a festival staged in various locations in the city. It isn’t a fair or a sales event and doesn’t have a single central venue/exhibition location, but a multitude of locations waiting to be discovered. www.viennadesignweek.at
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Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas once said, “If you want to be relevant, you need to be open to an enormous multiplicity of values, interpretations, and readings.” SAV, a multidisciplinary firm, led by Amita Kulkarni and Vikrant Tike, uphold this very ideology in their practice. Taking cues from their work experiences at world’s leading architectural practices like Zaha Hadid Architects and Foster and Partners, Amita and Vikrant have devised their own typology in architecture and design. Just six years into practice, this international contemporary studio has created a wave in the design domain. Based out of London and Goa, the studio often adopts bio-mimicry in its work, which is efficiently supported by advanced technology and craftsmanship. By embracing the traditional techniques and collaborating with modern-age systems, SAV constantly strives to push the envelope. With practices in two countries and projects spread across the globe, this young studio through its relentless study and research relays a unique narrative in their designs. In this interview, they share their love for the ‘process’ of design and the challenges of working from two climatically and culturally diverse countries.
Interview By Shweta Salvi
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Every creative practice is triggered by an inspiration. What were the guiding rules that marked the inception of SAV?
SAV is a global studio, how much focus do you lend on creating a practice identity?
Our designs are very much inspired from natural systems which have evolved over so many generations. Their combination of ordinary beauty, elegant tactility, experiential sublimity and meticulous efficiency shapes our work. Additionally, constant research and emphasis on innovative craftsmanship form the core of the studio philosophy.
Amita: There is a lot of talk as a young studio on building on a brand identity. We believe our identity is shaped through the combination of our innovative design processes and constant engagement with diverse cultures. Being based in London and India we get to bring the best of these cultures together.
With offices in two different countries, how do the design methodologies and work processes vary?
Vikrant: Exchanging and sharing local skills with global design insights bring a rich innovation and elegant sophistication within our creative process and our cross disciplinary design work.
With two talented architects at the helm of the firm, how do the brainstorming sessions play out and finally reflect in the work? Our everyday work is an engaging and collaborative one. We view our studios as a lateral organisational structure with open plan office spaces, allowing everyone within the team to interact on a constant basis. Our creative sessions happen mainly during the open-ended discussions throughout the day as well as during lunchtimes when the entire team sits together over a communal lunch table.
The construction processes in both countries vary greatly. In London, the emphasis is on standardising details as well as reducing labour costs. In India, its mainly about working around available materials and skills. Our constant emphasis on design as process recognises these different methods as well as the diverse contextual and climatic requirements in both countries.
We believe our identity is shaped through the combination of our innovative design processes and constant engagement with diverse cultures.
Your practice emphasises on the process of design. How do the geographical and physical parameters, choice of materials, construction techniques and their application finally take shape on the drawing board? Vikrant: The traditional notion of the master architect on a drawing board is an out-dated one. We believe in collaborative and innovative methods of design that reflect the 21st century way of working. We equally invest a lot of time on updating skills as well as on research and observations in a world that’s changing so rapidly.
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What we teach enhances and refines our design methodologies, and our practice is a means to tie our academic research and design interests through our work.
Amita: As said before, considering the diverse locations of both of our studios we integrate a variety of design and construction techniques ranging from advanced computational programming to traditional crafts and joinery in our designs to create fluid working process that brings the best of the old and new practices. Both of you are actively involved in academia and teaching. How has that helped your practice? Vikrant: Being actively involved in academia reflects our constant desire to learn and innovate, what we teach enhances and refines our design methodologies, and our practice is a means to tie our academic research and design interests through our buildings and projects. Amita: By collaborating with academia and specialist manufacturing workshops we are also able to draw in advanced skills like computational programming and rapid prototyping to create unique and innovative designs as well as sustainable and efficient construction processes.
Your pick of an Indian heritage structure that displays idiosyncratic construction techniques and has made an impression on you. Amita: I particularly like the Bahai temple in Delhi, which I visited during my undergraduate school trip. The progressive cultural brief mixed with a complex but elegant structure that is inspired from nature emulates all that is possible in architecture within India. Vikrant: I cannot pick a single structure; however, visiting the city of Ahmedabad recently left a deep impression on me. It’s a unique city combining its lineage of being a manufacturing hub, the older modernist building language of Le Corbusier, B V Doshi and Louis Kahn amalgamating seamlessly into the contemporary architecture that I happened to see all across the city.
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Any current global architectural practice that inspires you? We are inspired by BIG, Snohetta and WOHA architects. These global contemporary practices combine conceptually playful ideas with a strong emphasis on merging landscape and architecture. They also integrate innovative new fabrication methods with contextually relevant low-tech solutions through a strong rigour within the design process.
Things you do when away from your drawing boards… What immediate goals have you lined up for the practice? What are you currently working on? Currently, we are working on a boutique masterplan in Siolim, Goa for four unique houses that merge with their landscape, both in form as well as function, and are due for completion early next year. We are also working on a large masterplan in Alibaug, office interiors in various Indian cities, private houses in London and few research based installations, and product design projects.
Since we are currently based in India we are focusing a lot on the process of ‘making’. Our ongoing boutique architectural and interior projects are allowing us the opportunity to fabricate products using a wide variety of crafts and materials combining both traditional crafts with digital technology.
Amita: When we started the studio six years ago we were totally immersed in it. Moving to Goa for a couple of years has brought me closer to nature and allows me to spend more time with my three year old son. Vikrant: I love making and I love music. Having my own studio allows me to constantly fabricate things for work and for research, while equally giving time to make my own music. I also love cooking and that allows me to spend time with my family. info@studioamitavikrant.com www.studioamitavikrant.com
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Bengaluru-based Sanctuary Architects & Interior Designers have designed the perfect office for themselves – it is spacious, simple, sports an earthy material palette, and is surrounded by trees that are never out of sight.
This office is made for placid ruminations. Its design wanted to embrace its surroundings and its site’s past even while creating something new. The language that was used to express this was to be natural, in celebration of all the essential textures and patterns. The team from Sanctuary Architects & Interior Designers was to sit here to make the most of its creative energies. It was decided, then, to keep the workspaces fluid and the elongated sections were so designed that they pull in all light all through the day. “The new structure is juxtaposed against an angular, plastered and painted old concrete structure.
Text By Shruti Nambiar Photographs Courtesy the Architect
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The change of materials, scale and volume in the new structure clearly defines the transition between the old structure and the new,” state the designers. Located in a leafy residential part of Sadashiv Nagar in the busy city, the Sanctuary Office is spared the worst of traffic noise and confusion. It is instead allowed warm green views of trees, affording the team members all the pleasures of a tastefully re-done terrace of an existing structure. The 1,700-sq ft area here spreads across two levels; a folded metal plate staircase connects the lower level with the mezzanine where the principal architects sit. The altitude, understandably, influenced the form and tenor of the space as well. “The exposed structure allows one to experience materials in its barest form. As the studio is on top of an existing building, the structure had to be light, of good thermal quality and easy to dismantle,” states the team. The roof is the most visible result of this strong influence. The two-layered roof system is topped by a GI sheet - a visual element that establishes the space’s quasiindustrial aesthetic leanings - while below it is an independent arch made from Aerocon blocks.The air gap thus created allows for the necessary heat loss. As the team attests, the colour in this space comes from the work culture whilst everything else promotes an earthy ambience to encourage creativity. The angular leaning of the design layout reins in any confusions and spill-overs, disciplining the free-flowing vibe of the office within professional boundaries.
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There are the tall walls housing glass doors and windows with knotted pine frames. Then there are the wooden ceiling sections where the rafter pattern splits the illumination from hanging tube lights. Other overhead lamps are affixed to or hang down from metal tracks that run along the arched roof. The grey cement concrete flooring stretches across the lower level, reliably bringing that under-construction look with it, while the flooring on the mezzanine changes to a polished wood look.A multifunctional unit sits at one end of the workstations, smartly gathering up the files, the printing and the library materials, and other resources, and clearing up the main areas for better movement.
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One obviously quasi-casual element is the outdoor seating scheme in this office. The lower floor has a lovely green patch that is linear, open to a close rendezvous with the trees and the sky, and a surprisingly cosy place within a work zone. The office folks can wander into this nook to relax, eat, or hold meetings, while sitting at the beautiful, wavy wooden table. This is also the entry courtyard, laying out a relaxed welcome to whoever steps into the main work zones. Attached to the mezzanine is another outdoor sitting area where a simple glass-topped table is accompanied by four chairs and lots of leafy shadows. Have we mentioned the trees yet? The office’s immediate neighbourhood is dotted with coconut and gulmohar trees, their visage always visible from the workstations and their drooping branches happily invading any open spaces. On the mezzanine, a coconut tree is part of the wall, its elegant body snaking into the room before escaping through the ceiling.
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As the designers have stated, the trees are part of the scheme and not its fringe. The smooth dark shelfing, display and storage cabinets on the upper floor have been designed to complement the graceful tree and not to upend it. “The preliminary concept for the structure and the design was to rope in the surrounding trees as a part of the space. Hence the design was oriented to open up to the west facade; allowing the trees to become a part of the space,� the team confirms. The Sanctuary Office lives up to its name. It is calm in a self-assured way and is formed so that open-minded acceptance of different ideas is ensured.
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The spartan material palette and the deliberate eschewing of colour could have easily tipped the space into mundanity, but that possibility is avoided by the angular perfection of the space and the design scheme’s deep interest in remaining close to its environs. This is a low-clutter, highproductivity interior design - and it is beautiful. anshul@sanctuaryarch.com www.sanctuaryarch.in
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The design ethos of Mumbai-based Parallax Design Studio cannot be forced inside a box. The team loves ‘design’ in all its manifestations and constantly strives to push its boundaries in both its projects and products. Mumbai-based Parallax Design Studio harbours a keen interest in exhibitions, teaching and competitions, a fact that encourages the team to constantly innovate and remain keyed into the latest in design. Founded in 2005, the firm likes to steer clear of getting stuck in any one style or type of construction, and instead looks for gamechanging excitement involving multiple fields of art. Rohit Mankar, a graduate from the Center for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT), Ahmedabad, clearly inspires the team’s sustainable conscience as its principal.
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In a city that’s constantly kicking its perimeter to make more space, Parallax Design Studio decided to dwell on discontinuity, specifically of the coastline that runs along Mumbai and provides it the
most direct nexus with a natural body. “We began our study with the intent to map the coastline of Mumbai and identify the points of discontinuity in its water edges. These were locations where access to the water edge is restricted and the connection with the water is disrupted, and where we could experiment with a unique mix of technology and design to rejuvenate the connection with the water in a sustainable manner,” states the team. The Edge + Edge project’s chosen site for intervention is the Love Grove outfall that is connected to a waste water treatment plant and whose low-lying reclaimed land is today home to slum settlements that grapple with regular flooding. High-rises have popped up further south and the encroachments together establish the disconnect between the Worli Sea-face promenade to the north and the Haji Ali promenade to the south. Considering the sensitive station of the site, the Parallax team imagined an intervention on two-levels - an environmentally-sensitive technological upgrade that would enhance the 19thcentury water treatment set-up; and an aesthetic one involving the building of public recreational spaces. An additional promenade is imagined connecting Worli Sea face to the Haji Ali promenades - featuring cycle tracks, parks, and more, with the 60 m buffer between the old and the new edges expected to become a series of multi-height lagoons across which treated water (both potable and good for landscaping use) can flow. The edge along the Love Grove will also be re-imagined to accommodate a promenade and community spaces for the benefit of the residents of the slums. The overall idea is to plug the gaps that split the waterfront with sustainable design, and the team deftly balances the topographical demands of the job with civil expectations.
Text by Shruti Nambiar Photographs Courtesy the Designer Home Review September 2017
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At first glance, this office for Fine Organics Laboratories and Office in the Navi Mumbai suburb of Mahape looks like a complex grid of building blocks held together by magic. But there is strategic method here. The design team had initially thought of a rectangular mass, which later was split up to become a much more visually appealing system of interconnected and multilevelled mini structures. The connecting elements are the courtyards and the terraces that jut out, setting up a wide swathe of light-and-shadow pockets that can be taken in at all times from the tall glass walls. The structure’s form incorporates a happy maze worth of walkways and verandas - running parallelly, sloping down, enhanced by green patches, or connected by staircases. The effect that makes an impact is cumulative, all of the monoliths surprising you with their commitment to a disciplined outlay. The outer skin of the structures features alternating panels in the interest of both sunlight protection and visual connectivity with the outside.
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The aesthetic effect of this plan is a stand-out as well, further reaffirming the unique brand of assured movement that the whole project exudes. This could easily be a sci-fi film set, one that inspires the viewers to imagine the plates and the panels shifting any moment, bending the concept of time. Pretty exciting for an office space, must say!
Parallax Design Studio’s products peddle virtuoso minimalism. They aim to flip conventional form templates through the use of a chosen few sturdy materials and a faithful reliance on geometry. There is the Peel Chair, straight out of grand origami dreams. Made from M.S. matt-finished in light green and grey, the chair was realised by bending the material along a careful sequence of folds. The Flamingo Lamp, with its brass lamp head and M.S. rod frame, is a multifaceted light source that is a perfect fit on a study table. The cut bamboo stalk-shaped brass lamp-head passes through an M.S. ring and its orientation can be gear-adjusted from here. The Puzzle’OTable-Chair is wholly fascinating in this array. Made of black-powder-coated M.S. and light wood, the pieces again channel a Jekyll-and-Hyde sentiment, alternately covering and exposing frames and surfaces to establish visual excitement. Trikone questions the ‘mundanity’ of tables by being inspired by the pyramid format – its capped base is made of an M.S. metal pipe on which rests an inverted pyramid form of veneer-finished plywood box frame. A patch of matt-finished M.S. metal inlay on the surface is an indicator that this is not a normal table. And then there is the Bird Lamp, its chamfered lamp head capable of bending and looking upright like a bird happily pecking at seeds in a park. The battery-charged lamp can be moved up or down to form a down light, a wall flush light, or a reading light, a USB port on its body ensures the phone-readers are taken into consideration! projects@parallaxdesignstudio.com www.parallaxdesignstudio.com
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Nestled among the lush hills of Alibagh, Aurelia is located on an envious vantage point.
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THE POOL RULES SUPREME
Nestled among the lush hills of Alibagh, Aurelia is located on an envious vantage point; it aims at total serenity, especially the kind that celebrates its surroundings.
Text By Virupa Kantamneni Photographs Courtesy Photographix India Home Review September 2017
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On a site of 3 acres, absorbed into the densely vegetated hills, this house has a modest area of 2000 sq ft. The pool that doubles as the terrace taps the full benefit of its natural surroundings. The dictating element for the design scheme was the natural terrain of the plot and the designers at Shroffleon granted its maximum benefit in the way of splendid views to both the indoor and outdoor spaces.
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A manipulation of the spatial arrangement of the enclosed areas sees that the house keeps its respect of the micro environment at the fore. Given that Aurelia is a holiday home, the design ensures that the owners get to have a constant taste of its tranquil environs. Radical as it may seem, the planning of the house is nothing short of functional while sticking closely to the contemporary genre. The upper level houses a magnificent infinity pool that proves to be the house’s crowning glory. Minimalistic monochromatic materials used at this level highlight and yet blend into the visual theme of the surroundings.
A private corner to share or occupy by oneself - just perfect for a spot of reading or mere quiet contemplation.
The designers highlight that “the pool being infinity on all sides overspills into a smaller water-body underneath, forming a cascading waterfall that becomes the backdrop of the main living room.” One element - in this case the infinity pool, creates multiple spaces to lounge and relax in, fulfilling an important prerequisite of a good holiday home. The cascading water that forms a lounge pool of sorts lends a bit of drama to the lower level that is otherwise a straight-cut, simple, contemporary structure. Large decks with wooden flooring surround the building forming the main focal points of the ‘built’ outdoor space. Chic and fluid outdoor furniture in pristine white automatically draws ones attention in a rather soothing way - again highlighting the purpose of the home.
Large pebble-like seating punctuates the outdoor decks.
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Pathways and peripheral areas are predominately filled with pebbles creating a contrast to the smooth wood and sandstone decking. A patch of manicured green lawn hosts another gathering spot that the designers proudly boast about, calling it “an eco-mesh structure enclosing a barbecue pit that in time will get taken over by foliage and will transform into an outdoor ‘house of purple flowers’.” The interesting part about the landscape at Aurelia is that everything is planned in rigid zones. The hardscaped decks and pathways intersect with manicured lawns intermittently, softening the overall look of the outdoor spaces and also serving as connections to the unspoilt environment that surrounds the plot completely. The building by itself is clean-cut, planned with perpendicular edges that announce that there are spaces with maximum functionality within. Modest in size, the L shaped house has 2 bedrooms and large living areas surrounded by glass ensuring unobstructed views of the valley. The treatment of surfaces within the living areas also keeps to the theme of the entire design and as a result there is a constant connection with the outdoor spaces. Fabric for the furniture in the living areas has been contained to tones of beiges and greys giving the space a sense of laidback homeliness while bringing to the forefront the main aspect of the house - the views that are to die for.
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The bedrooms nestled into the corner have their own private sit-outs. Aurelia has a virtually open plan when it comes to the common spaces, but the bedroom planning is another story by itself. Privacy being the key, the secluded location and introverted planning ensures the residents get all the alone time needed. Calm and soothing colour schemes in tones of yellows, greens, beiges and cool greys add to overall appeal of these tastefully designed spaces. A private sit-out is an added luxury for one of the bedrooms that gets its own private view of the hills.
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Jane Austen always said “There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort,� and the designers of Aurelia ensured that the owners are provided more than enough comfort, and then some enviable more.
k.shroff@shroffleon.com www.shroffleon.com
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JAQUAR GROUP HONOURED FOR EXCELLENCE IN DESIGN Linea, a product of Artize, the luxury bath brand of the Jaquar Group has been honoured with the prestigious Good Design Award. Linea from Artize has received several acknowledgments in the past and was India’s first and only faucet to win an iF Award from Germany. It also made its presence felt at the Plus X Award where it was awarded four seals of approval under the categories of Innovation, High Quality, Design and Functionality. Linea has also won the Good Design (Chicago) award, making the Indian Design Mark the forth award in its winning streak. “Linea is the epitome of minimalism,” says Parichay Mehra, Head of Design at the Jaquar Group. “It eliminates every inessential layer between the user and the experience of the product.”
The sleek, stylish, sophisticated Linea is designed so that the water always falls near the centre of the wash basin, safely away from its brim. The product’s intelligent design prevents hot water from coming into contact with its chrome body, allowing the Linea basin mixer to remain cool at all times.
Inspired by the idea of minimalism, the basin mixer is as stylish and spectacular as it is impressive in the advanced technology it embodies.
www.artize.in
The most striking feature of the award-winning Linea basin mixer is its spout, which swings elegantly and also functions as the faucet’s on-off mechanism. The faucet’s spout moves in a graceful arc, controlling the temperature and flow of the water as it moves along its curve. Home Review September 2017
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The living room is an expansive space enjoying a double height ceiling.
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BRICK BY BRICK In the ferocious summers of Surat, DWG Architects zeroed in on a large brick curtain wall as a device to deflect the heat of the sun from this bungalow. The notable architectural calisthenics superbly combine form with function.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that we cannot change climate. Cognisant of this fact, “we can only react to climate,” says Dinesh Suthar of DWG Architects. When Dinesh was asked to design a home in Surat for a gentleman whose life’s blood was social work, he realised that the house should be recognisable right from afar, since it would be visited by at least 20–50 people every day. But simply making an empty design statement bereft of meaning is not something Dinesh subscribes to. “The plot faced southwest, but overlooked nothing significant. There simply wasn’t a view to look out onto.” So with nothing to lose but much to gain, he put his mind to a solution which would reduce the heat gain from the southwest, even while it became the very identity of the house. “The west was exposed to the sun from 11am till sunset. The harsh sun had to be controlled,” says Dinesh. “In the south, we could create a 2.5 metre overhang to solve the problem, but for the design of the façade in the front, we did a good deal of research followed by several experiments.”
Text By Devyani Jayakar Photographs Courtesy IRA + Sebastian Zachariah Home Review September 2017
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This involved studying brick architecture… the way the porous, local material functioned in traditional structures. “We conducted many studies with different sizes of bricks, to determine what was viable,” says Dinesh. “We also noticed that in Rajasthan, the jaali is used to great effect, with a variation in its depth for different results. In Jaisalmer, deep carvings provide shade to parts of the facade. What is important to remember, is that all these were responses to climate and function. Taking our cue from this, we used brick to create shade, through which 40% of the house is shaded from the sun.” The resultant undulating brick wall is the piece de resistance of the project, with its surface in the living room reflecting the exact reverse of its concavities and convexities visible from outside. The design responds to the climate at both micro and macro levels. “Only the area in front of the balcony and staircase does not undulate, as these are open spaces,” says Dinesh. “We used software to determine the details of the undulation. Models were made with different variations, with structural stability being a primary consideration. Two I-sections provided strength, with 25mm rods and a net adding support. It was risky to create perforations as the wall would be weakened structurally.” At the entrance of the bungalow, a sit out provides a space in which the lady of the house can chat with her neighbour while chopping vegetables. The area is shaded all day except after 5 pm, when the sun is not so harsh. The ground floor houses the parking and the home theatre, with living spaces starting on the first floor. In the home office on the third floor, openable clerestory windows bring in light and control air.
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The living room is an expansive space, 45 feet long and 25 feet wide, enjoying a double height ceiling of 18 feet. Light and air enters from the two shorter sides, adequately illuminating as well as ventilating the room. The balcony acts like a buffer during summer, with the sun coming in only till the edge of the living room because of its 2.5 metre overhang. But in the winter, the sun is able to come further into the room to warm it up.
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“Exposed brick and concrete is often associated with cheap, cost effective work,” says Dinesh. “Unfortunately, the perception is that such work should look cheap as well…so generally, kota stone is used for the flooring in such projects. But here, we’ve tried to overcome this perception not only by using Italian marble, but also cutting it horizontally instead of vertically, so that it looks different.”
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Along with the living room, the first floor accommodates the dining room, master bedroom and kitchen. Three bedrooms overlook the living room, their doors hidden from the living room by a long corridor. The centre of the bungalow also houses the lift, staircase and the washrooms, while the third floor has an office with toilet facilities. An openable clerestory window brings in light and controls air. “Throughout the home, we avoided using hardware such as handles for the doors. It was either too expensive or not durable, requiring continuous maintenance,” says Dinesh. The result is detailing in the woodwork of the door which substitutes for a handle, while adding a sleek sophistication to the styling.
In the master bedroom on the first floor, a white palette is offset by the beige and brown of timber, adding warmth to the space.
The staircase in the centre of the bungalow has a skylight at the top which coaxes light into the interior. Visually light, it has no risers but there is a grill on its side for safety, the design of which recalls a Mondrianesque aesthetic. Initially tempted to resist the client’s safety concerns, Dinesh acknowledged that form must take a back seat to function - now the grill connects all the floors from top to bottom. “The human faces in its design are an abstract representation of Krishna’s Raas Leela,” says Dinesh. “It doubles as artwork and installation, but we were concerned about how it would interface with the undulating wall, which is the very identity of the bungalow.”
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A calm, uncluttered aesthetic characterises the living room, with the brick wall taking centre stage.
Dinesh readily states that at least half the effort in the design went towards the undulating brick wall. Marrying purpose to aesthetics with aplomb, this feature achieves exactly what the architect intended‌it wards off the sun, while making a rather spectacular style statement. drs@desingworkgroup.in www.designworkgroup.in
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Kanemaki calls this ‘Ambivalence’ and we can see why. Think of time passing from the left to the right of the sculpture and notice the change in expressions.
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art form
Metaphoric Sculptures Yoshitoshi Kanemaki is a Japan based sculptor renowned for his bizarre yet lifelike wooden sculptures. We dive into his complex world that questions both mortality and temporality.
The first thought that hits you when you first run into Yoshitoshi Kanemaki’s sculptures is a sense of wonderment. How can someone create something so grotesque and yet so beautiful at the same time? And it is this dilemma that Kanemaki takes full advantage of. Born in Chiba, a Japanese prefecture, the forty-five year old sculptor has a degree in fine arts from Tama Art University and has been the recipient of several awards and accolades. Kanemaki’s sculptures are often touted as bizarre and strange. And that is how he intends them to be. His primary agenda is to “stimulate people living in this age to understand and appreciate the importance of being alive.”
If you look closely, there are four heads in this sculpture, all representing different phases of life - from birth to death.
Text By Priyanka Menon Photographs Courtesy Fuma Contemporary Tokyo Home Review September 2017
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Through this, he wants to push further and make people aware of their humanness and the transience of life. Wood carving doesn’t adhere to only one kind of procedure or method. The craft and science have been around since time immemorial. The materials and tools are also confined to just a few types. Kanemaki uses camphor wood and chisels out giant-sized, life-sized as well as miniature sculptures that question mortality and are reflective of multiple personalities and perspectives. While Kanemaki questions life and death, he understands and accepts that he may never get the answers he is looking for. One particular piece of his which is reflective of his learning is the multi-headed girl, titled TAYUTA. A close look at the different expressions on the multiple heads shows us the nonchalance we display towards the passage of time. And this is what Kanemaki wants to highlight - the ambivalence of that which is perceived to be mundane, but is really not. Another series, titled Memento Mori also brings Kanemaki’s search for answers to the fore. Memento Mori is Latin for ‘remember you’re going to die’. Kanemaki’s sculpture highlights how life and death reside within the same body and how it is only a matter of perspective that makes you choose either one. Kanemaki’s process of creation is fairly simple. He employs old Japanese methods when creating his pieces and in his own words, “merely pours time and questions” into the mix to create art. Before getting down to working with the block of wood, Kanemaki sketches the figure he wants to carve out either onto sheets of paper or he directly traces them onto the block of camphor wood. From here on begins the arduous task creating the final piece. Here, Kanemaki depicts how hollow time can be. The detailing on this sculpture is incredible and stark, forcing you to think and introspect.
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Emotions form an integral cycle in our life. We keep coming back to each. How desperately we cleave towards them is what Kanemaki tries to show here.
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He chisels forms and morphs the characters he wants to depict, usually two or more, onto life-sized blocks. He skillfully handcarves figurines in various positions and postures before painting them in a palette of colours that complement and highlight his intention behind creating the sculpture. Kanemaki says the “irregular shape that deviates from human form” adds another dimension - both philosophical and artistic - to the way the sculpture is perceived. “It could be you,” he says. And that is what makes his art so compelling and intriguing even though their morbidity is jarring at first glance. Kanemaki employs various glitches and abnormalities in his art. Right from multiple heads and metaphorical representation of body parts to varied expressions - each conveying an array of emotions that is quite commonplace, and yet when seen in such an absurd form, makes one think and on rare occasions, even confront their inner existential turmoil. An artist’s inspiration is subjective, almost personal at times. For Kanemaki, sometimes inspiration strikes when he is in the middle of completing the most mundane of tasks, driving around in the city, or even when he spends time with his son. As disturbing as his pieces may be, their relevance and importance cannot be discounted at any point, considering how they are forcing people to question life and come to terms with its transient nature. bunkyo-art@wind.ocn.ne.jp
Here we see the passage of time seen through the lens of age; the transformation of child to youth.
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DESIGNQUEST
By Namrata Jain
Accomplishing Aesthetics A one-stop solution for home accents, linens, lighting and dining ware, Home Artisan has a wide range of products for the contemporary home. From candleware, photo frames, lanterns and vases to bed sheets and cushions and a variety of lamps and chandeliers, the brand has all that you need to decorate or renovate!
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The core idea behind the brand is to design and craft home decor products that reflect global trends for a discerning audience that is tired of having to choose between overpriced home décor brands or poorly-curated collections at local stores. In the words of Namrata Jain, owner and CEO, Home Artisan, “Just as an artisan is guided by a singular passion - a relentless pursuit of mastery of his or her craft, so are we. Our mission is simple: to make everyone’s lives beautiful, one home at a time”.
Sabrina Lantern
The brand invests an unusual amount of time and effort in the creative process to study trends, design languages, colours and materials, so as to draw from a wide range of influences. The current collection is inspired primarily by three contemporary trends - Scandinavian and mid-century modern design, gold colour palettes and geometric shapes, and natural materials.
Conical Etched Glass Candle Holder
Augustine Stainless Steel Lantern
For Home Artisan, design-centricity is a key focus areas. Most of the products are designed in-house, but from time to time, the brand also partners with suppliers who share similar design aesthetic and sensibilities. Adequate care is taken to be very selective of the designs curated and the products created, facilitating simpler decision-making for the customer.
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French Tapestry ambient Cushion Covers
Dark Grey Floral Candles
Talking of the brand’s best selling products, Jain says, “Our collection of lanterns and candleholders are our most loved products. I think what makes them special is that we’ve managed to hit the sweet spot when it comes to both form and function.
Additionally, the brand is looking forward to enhancing its online presence and building out an offline presence as well, for customers who prefer a personalized and hands-on level of service.
On the design front, we combine different materials such as stainless steel, jute, and wood, with unique colours such as rose gold, white, and gold, to create something that’s simple yet stunning. And these products are not only great for decorating and setting up an ambience, they make great gifts as well”!
With an outright focus on offering amazing products, at wonderfully affordable prices and an amazing customer experience, Home Artisan is a brand to look out for! hello@homeartisan.in
Arya Nodric Lantern
The brand strives to create a distinct identity for itslef with its customers - to the extent that just by looking at one of our designs, one would instantly recognize it as a Home Artisan creation. Such is the level of consistency and perseverance Home Artisan is striving towards.
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Hotel Moments Budapest, inaugurated in March 2016 is situated at the lower end of the boutique-lined Andrássy út (a World Heritage site). The hotel sits advantageously with St Stephen’s Basilica and the Opera House, both a short stroll away.
Text By Natalie Pedder-Bajaj Photographs Courtesy Hotel Moments Budapest.
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THE PEARL OF THE DANUBE
The unique atmosphere of the lobby has been laid out like a personal drawing room where guests can repose under the high glass ceiling and old arches.
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Juxtaposed perfectly against the hotel’s 19th century features are some delightful oddities like the down lights made from chests of drawers.
The frescos date back to 1880 and real pride has been taken in the renovation of this former palace.
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The building dates back to 1880 and real pride has been taken in the renovation of this former palace. Antiquated frescoes in the glass-topped atrium lobby have been loyal to the character of that epoch, taking many months to paint. Designed by architect Mr Adolf Feszty, a famous Hungarian artist, the hotel boasts of 99 contemporary rooms, a wellness area, a restaurant and even a complimentary tea bar - the perfect mix of modern amenities blended with art-deco history. Juxtaposed perfectly against the hotel’s 19th century features are wellcontemplated present day design, including some delightful oddities like the down lights made from chests of drawers in the breakfast area. The unique atmosphere of the lobby has been laid out like a personal drawing room where guests can unwind and relax. Reposing under the amazingly high glass ceiling and old arches, the lobby is brightly peppered with informal furniture that you can sink into after a long day of sightseeing. Hotel Moments offers its guests beautifully decorated rooms in three different categories. But the spacious “Andrássy Suite” with its astounding view of the St. Stephen’s Basilica, is by far the most privileged. Sitting in the ‘cockpitlike’ private living area of the master bedroom, with the rooftops of the city forming a picturesque postcard view is breath-taking. These viewing windows run though the suite including the bedroom and bath, giving you the feeling of living in the sky. The living, dining and kitchen areas have charming wooden flooring laid-out in a Chevron pattern, while the straight lined modern furniture and leather dining chairs though extremely comfortable, are but accessories to the jaw-dropping panorama outside.
Bistro Fine has some quirky industrial design touches like the ceiling filled with a mix of doors and windows. Home Review September 2017
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An earthy palate runs through the master bedroom and connected sitting-area which is padded with a plush black and white patterned carpet that is also reflected in the sumptuous cushions. The bathrooms are sleek all-glass and shiny tile, but the pièce de résistance is the outdoor terrace complete with sun bed and dining table - the perfect place to eat, drink or just dream!
The Andrássy Suite has astounding views of the city from its ‘cockpit-like’ viewing windows.
The hotel’s restaurant, Bistro Fine is located partly on the sidewalk and has some lovely industrial design touches with elements signifying Andrassy Avenue. The bar counter represents a smaller version of the underground in Budapest, while the ceiling is filled with an eclectic mix of doors and windows that are typical Hungarian. Not only does the Bistro serve up delicious local food and wine, but the delightful al fresco patio overlooking the avenue is the place to people - watch with a glass of Tokaji in your hand. This chic boutique hotel managed by the Continental Group, is an excellent pick for holiday makers and business travellers alike. Offering a range of conveniences from spa services to conference rooms (they even have three work stations under a historical staircase) Hotel Moments, Budapest has something for everyone. hotel@hotelmoments.hu www.hotelmomentsbudapest.hu
The bathrooms are sleek all-glass and shiny tile, but the pièce de résistance is the outdoor terrace complete with sun bed and dining table - the perfect place to eat, drink or just dream!
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Monier Roofing, Part of BMI Group, is the largest roofing company worldwide, with offices in 33 countries, continental technical centres and over 130 manufacturing facilities worldwide. Monier, the market leader in premium roofing solutions, introduces Perspective - the new concrete roof tile for Indian consumers.
Perspective: Sleekness Has A New Name
Present in India since 1997, Monier Roofing (formerly known as Lafarge Roofing) offers a range of concrete roof tiles, glazed and matt finished imported clay roof tiles, fittings and roof components; specifically designed for the Indian roof market.
The unique R&D and product testing capabilities besides the development efforts of Monier has resulted in Perspective, the new concrete roof tile for the Indian consumer. The Perspective roof tile has an ultra-modern geometrical shape that is dimensionally consistent and lends a sleek new look to roofs. These elegant concrete tiles possess superior strength, smooth finish, low water absorption, meticulously finished with glossy coating that delay moss and fungi formation. It is manufactured in India and is available in stylish colours including Russet Brown, Silverstone Grey, Graphite, Fiery Red, Deep Brown and Dark Grey. The Perspective roofing tile comes with such technical specifications as a width and height of 330 mm x 420 mm, a minimum slope of 20°, 4.4 kg unit weight, batten space of 320 mm to 345 mm; three decompression chambers under the tile improves water-tightness at the tile overlapping area and a coverage of 0.90 tile / sq. ft. to 0.97 tile / sq. ft. Monier started its operations in India in the year 1997 and offers a range of concrete roof tiles, imported clay roof tiles in a wide range of colours and profiles, specially designed to enhance the modern looks of Indian homes. The global leader currently manufactures three roof tile profiles in India - Perspective, Elabana and Plano. Monier also offers a range of imported high quality clay roof tiles from Europe and Malaysia. Over the years Monier has sold close to 6 crore tiles in India. It also has Roof System Components that enhance the functional quotient of the roof like water- tightness, heat reduction, natural light, better ventilation, etc. to provide long term trouble free roof. With state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Bangalore and Nashik, the leading products from Monier have changed the architectural roofscape of India over the years. Monier Roofing Pvt. Ltd. Email: contact.india@monier.com Web: www.monier.in Tel: +91 90191 10303 Home Review September 2017
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The store has earthy Shahabad stone flooring and exudes a relaxed tropical vibe.
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Retail Therapy
Tropical Paradise Revisited Nicobar, the indigenous lifestyle brand that exudes the vibe of modern India, has just moved into a quaint bungalow at Bandra.
Text By Dhanishta Shah Photographs Courtesy Nicobar Design Studio
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The much-loved travel collection is hosted in the travellers’ room.
Named after its namesake island, Nicobar has already tasted success at its first store at Kala Ghoda. The move to Bandra continues the easy, relaxed and joyful vibe of the décor, that was evident in the Kala Ghoda outlet. The brand now occupies a proud space on the ground floor of the famed Patkar Bungalow. At 1200 square feet, it is quite a roomy area that does full justice to the tropical design expression that has become synonymous with the brand’s aesthetic.
“Built in the late 1920s, this colonial style heritage villa stands conspicuously alone in its modern surroundings at the junction between Turner and Linking Road. The outside of the bungalow retains its vintage character with sloping tin roof, grand archways and shuttered windows, while inside, expect to be welcomed by earthy Shahabad stone, warm timber, beautiful high ceilings and an eclectic mix of found furniture, all designed to lend character and add to the store’s coastal appeal,” explains Simran Lal, Co-founder & Creative Director, Nicobar Design Studio. The store is spread over seven rooms. The tropical ambience is central to all Nicobar stores, and this one is no exception. Hence, the design re-imagines whitewashed walls on holiday, colonial furniture of the old villas, large tropical palms (look out for the potted ones as you enter the store!) and exotic safaris.
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A statement wall has a tiger and the moon are hand painted on it.
Since Nicobar has a beautiful store at Kala Ghoda as well, it is natural to wonder how this one is different. What makes the Bandra store unique in terms of décor? “Nicobar Bandra abandons the conventional open plan retail space for a quainter and cosy home experience where one moves from chamber to chamber (or as we call it ‘from island to island’) as if moving through one’s own personal space,” says Lal. The entire store has the Shahabad stone flooring, except the menswear room which has a walnut wooden floor to distinguish it from the others.
The garments section looks like an expansive open wardrobe.
The bar-ware display in the special section for men supplies an apt finishing touch!
A statement wall immediately catches attention - a tiger and the moon are hand painted on the wall. These graphics have been developed by the Nicobar home design team. “We are obsessed with both tigers and the moon so this was a natural coming together of the two,” says Lal.
The wide-ranging arrays of baubles that are designed to fit every lifestyle, seamlessly occupy the varied spaces. The garments section looks like an expansive open wardrobe with custom-made fittings for hanging the latest designs. The ‘Home’ area makes use of wooden shelving and a center table to display neatly arranged tableware.
Each room is a small unit of discovery in itself, unravelling little elements of surprise. Indeed, there’s something for everyone in this restored Bandra home! You will find several spots to lean against and cosy corners to nestle into.
The much-loved travel collection is hosted in the travellers’ room. In keeping with the theme, here, the windows overlook lush palms, a library of books and a community table, where one can settle down for a bit of work or a chat! This is definitely a room for lingering around. Another noteworthy section is the menswear room. Put simply, this is a man’s cave. This is the room that hosts the signature hand-painted tiger and moon wall. The bar-ware displays and a styling area supply the apt finishing touch!
Nicobar introduces new collections month on month and each time there is a new collection, it is a cohesive capsule across categories. There are three product categories: Clothing, Home and Travel. Across all these, one will always find similar influences be it in terms of colour palate, concept and inspiration. Nicobar is a space one needs to visit not merely for shopping but to experience a beautiful amalgamation of contemporary Indian style and a global Indian spirit. It is like a refuge in the midst of the urban chaos…or to put it simply, a tropical paradise! www.nicobar.com
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Designed by Aangan architects, this charming farmhouse in Dumas, Surat, far away from the city’s chaos, is designed to bring in whiffs of fresh air from its ambient orchards. As its moniker ‘Nirant’ aptly suggests, this is a perfect place to discover serenity and peace.
In coastal Dumas, around twenty kilometres away from the heart of Surat city, there exists a quaint world. In this tranquil world is a farmhouse that was constructed way back in 1937. Surrounding the farmhouse is thick vegetation comprising of mango and chikoo trees, and beautiful orchards bearing other delicious fruits. The setting seems to present an Austenesque ethos customised for Indian sensibilities.
Text By Ramya Srinivasan Photographs Courtesy Tarak Shah
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OF AUSTENESQUE ETHOS
To retain the authenticity of the 1930s farmhouse, none of the trees have been cut; instead they have been neatly integrated into the construction. One can see them popping out of the roof in many places.
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“What originally began as an effort to renovate the existing structure soon turned into a project to extend the space with an additional unit,” explains principal architect, Vishal Shah. As the client set about using the farmhouse as a weekend retreat, there was an organic need for more space, to be able to spend more time here and to also socialise. And thus began the design and construction of Nirant.
There is a modern touch to the farmhouse, too! Beside the pool, tall metal doors lead into a spa area with steam and sauna rooms, and a small gym space.
“The clients are a lawyer couple in their forties with children in their teens. They prefer to socialise a lot, and use Nirant for parties and gatherings during weekends, or to even just come and watch a cricket match or a movie on TV,” says Shah. To provide the perfect platform to entertain guests and relatives, the living room opens up to the outside backyard. Here, an open court paved with concentric circles of Kota stones works as the party hub. When cleared of furniture, this makes for a dance floor, too. A gazebo here not only adds to the aesthetic charm, but also lends itself as a great spot to convene and have lazy laid-back conversations over a cuppa. “Due to Surat’s hot and humid weather, it was always important for us to design ample covered spaces. But we also wanted to take advantage of the natural breezes, and hence we went with a semi-covered gazebo,” explains Shah.
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To retain the old-world charm and heritage value of the previous building, it was decided to leave it undisturbed, and instead extend it with a new unit. The old and the new are connected by a metal bridge, and this partially covered common area makes for an ideal setting for relaxed meals. This space at the ground level leads into the new unit, welcomed by an expansive living room, attached to a kitchenette and bath areas. The first floor above houses two bedrooms with the old unit topped with a bedroom of its own.
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One of the challenges in designing this project was to carve out separate identities for the old and the new structures, and to still make them appear as one cohesive unit. Various elements in the new block have been inspired by the ‘heritage’ theme of the older counterpart. The wooden decking on the bridge and the engineered wood cladding on the exteriors along with a sloping roof without any concrete slab is a brilliant example of deliberately imparting an ancient appearance to the new part. “This gives a rustic look and also makes sure that the farmhouse does not stand out like a sore thumb amidst the landscape. We wanted to keep it easy on the eyes,” says Shah.
The open court in the backyard, paved with concentric circles of Kota stones, doubles up as a spacious party hub.
Louvered doors at the entrance of the living room are another facet inspired by the old-school coloured glass windows with wooden frames. These doors along with large glass pane windows have their functional value as well, along with maximum vision to the outdoors and a way for breezes to seamlessly flow inside. The interiors have a chic design, and the furnishings are in a vibrant mix of finishes, colours and styles from various eras. Colourful, elaborate floor rugs with intricate weaving patterns rest on top of terrazzo tiles lined in concentric squares with characteristic grey lines.
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There is a minimalistic approach to the interiors because the focus is to have a huge space that is set for leisure, and not for everyday use. The idea is to leave a lot of open and flexible space for people to even spread out a mat and relax on the floor. However, this minimalism is balanced by murals, colourful accessories and fabrics that see a dominance of floral patterns.
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There is a deliberate attempt to retain the ‘heritage’ theme - intricate patterned rugs, poster beds, armchairs and the sloping roof all come together to tell an ancient story.
Describing his favourite aspect of the farmhouse, principal architect Vishal Shah says, “The best thing about this place is the effortless connection between the indoors and the outdoors. The lush green lawn, paved party space, gazebo and dining area all come together to provide a feeling of freedom.” In the process, it lends a sense of abandon stripping out pretences and making you feel one with the surrounding nature. aangan.architect@gmail.com Home Review September 2017
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Starting by adding a bit of new to your home will go a long way.
EMBELLISH AND ENRICH The festival of light marks the beginning of a new year for some, but for all it means light, energy, positivity and happiness. Starting by adding a bit of new to your home will go a long way in how your home looks and how it will feel to you as a homemaker. A home renovation or up-gradation is no easy task and definitely not for the faint heart.
Smaller changes to furniture and furnishings come under the category of “re-decorating”.
Keeping in mind your budget limitations, space constraints and time lines, planning your renovation is something that has to be done with an achievable goal in mind and a practical dream to implement. Smaller changes to furniture and furnishings come under the category of “re-decorating” while larger civil work changes, plumbing disruptions and completely overhauling your home’s look and feel is called “renovating”. Practically, the best way to approach a redecoration is to start with a particular motive that can be driven by a particular style or era, a colour scheme or even a particular inspiration and move towards it. Haphazard choices must be avoided, but when sticking to one theme but introducing a few eclectic elements is totally acceptable.
Umpteen options exist today that will fit every purse and every taste.
While renovating your home, budget plays a driving factor following the necessity for renovation. Umpteen options exist today that will fit every purse and every taste so renovation is much simpler than what it used was, be it for your bathroom fixtures, kitchen utilities or your ceiling designs. So this Diwali make a change, take a chance and brighten up your home.
Text By Virupa Kantamneni
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RENOVATE & DECORATE Renovate your abodes as festive season hits town with our latest coverage on products and solutions across categories of lighting, paints, wall coverings, home decor and accessories.
80 Soak Up The Luxury
86 Dress It Up
92 Soak Up The Luxury
82 A Utilitarian Makeover
88 Bright And Eclectic
94 No Glue - No Screw
84 Confinement With Class
90 Green Thumb
96 Articulated Minimalism
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SOAK UP THE LUXURY Often, your home is judged based on your bathroom. Investing in good sanitary ware will go a long way be it in aesthetics or in functionality.
VITRA
ZEST SPACE VitrA Zest Space is a unique showering area with a stunning look. Its black Eloxal aluminum profile and elegant glaze are highlighted by LED lighting that uses chromotherapy to help balance your body’s physical, emotional, psychological and mental energy. www.vitra-india.com
DIAMOND SPAS SOAKING TUBS
DESIGN OWL BATHROOM IN A BOX
Deviating from purely utilitarian and functional satisfaction, the Japanese soaking tubs give you tranquility. Making sure your bath gives you every penny of luxury you have paid for. The unconventional soaking tubs from Diamond Spas feature tubs made out of copper and steel, giving your bathroom a very contemporary lift.
The latest innovation from Design Owl is ‘Bathroom in A Box’ - a ready to install designer bathroom that comes with the best products, detailed drawings in accordance to the bathroom dimensions and an easy to follow stepwise installation guide. Design Owl also provides expert advice online to help with its easy installation.
www.diamondspas.com
www.designowl.com
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NOKEN “MOOD BY NOKEN�
Energy efficiency and sustaining natural resources is of top priority. In this evolving age, digital faucets lend a much needed efficiency-hand to the world of utilities. It detect the necessity and adjusts the speed of water flow, as well as adjusting temperature that can be set before turning on the tap.
DURAVIT
The Starck 1 series is probably the most versatile component when it comes to bathroom renovation. Planning your storage to work with a pre-designed sink is quite a challenge especially with plumbing coordination playing a key role. These sinks from Duravit come with in-built storage that will cover all your needs. Aesthetically designed the models come in varying finishes that will complement pretty much any surface treatment you choose for your renovated bathroom.
www.noken.com
www.duravit.in
GROHE AQUASYMPHONY
AquaSymphony embodies ultimate relaxation. Being the perfect fusion between latest SPA technologies and digital innovations, it transforms the present concept of showering into the ultimate luxury SPA experience. AquaSymphony blends the most exclusive natural and man-made SPA environments into one holistic shower experience for all the senses. www.grohe.co.in Home Review September 2017
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A UTILITARIAN MAKEOVER To enjoy a good kitchen, make it look spanking new always but make sure it works always.
H&R JOHNSON NOBILIA LINE N
In partnership with Germany’s Nobilia, H&R Johnson offers high-end kitchens in India. The recently launched handle-less kitchens, Line N, comes in high quality lacquer or perfectly crafted matte fronts with laser-welded edges. Ergonomically shaped recessed handles made of anodized stainless steel allow comfortable access to doors, drawers and pull-outs. www.hrjohnsonindia.com
HAFELE HAILO CARGO-SOFT PULL OUT BIN
Hailo is a complete waste bin system that includes soft close covered runners for fixing to cabinets and door front. Automatic closure and soft close is enabled by the Smooth-Tec mechanism. Silver epoxy coated steel bin holder accompanies light grey plastic bins. With a total capacity of 25 litres, this is most suitable for under-sink applications.
FABER 3D HOOD
Faber introduces world’s first 3D Chimney with T2S2 technology using 3-way suction. Its unique filters on the sides of the hood extract any smoke that escapes the bottom vent, ensuring 15% better smoke and grease reduction in the kitchen. Available in black and steel options, 3D hoods come adapted to latest designs and finishes from Europe.
www.hafeleindia.com
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www.faberindia.com
HAECKER INDIA
The vast world of modular kitchens can be daunting. But when it comes to choosing the right kitchen, remember that practicality is of utmost importance. Stick to sleek no fuss surface treatment choices and angles that can be cleaned easily. One of the latest options available is the Concrete finish handless modular kitchens offered by Haecker India that will give your kitchen a very contemporary uplift while keeping your cleaning woes at bay.
ACRYSIL CARYSIL SWAN GRANITE SINK
www.haecker-india.com
Swan is a remarkable combination of beauty and performance. It has distinct spaces for preparation, clean-up, and wet and dry work. The back half of the platform curves, allowing more space in the sink basin, making it perfect to hold large kitchenware. The design also ensures that the dishes drying on the platform stay out of sight. Truly suited for a busy kitchen! www.acrysil.com
HETTICH PRO-DECOR HANDLES
Ranging from classic steel handles, this line gives you the option of finding what really suits your new kitchen - a good one at that. The Touch-In handle from the Pro-decor series combines purist, handless design merges to give you superb functionality with a casual slickness to it. www.hettich.com
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CONFINEMENT WITH CLASS The walls that enclose the space, the floor that contain the space and the ceiling that encapsulates the space, for these let’s think out of the box. Let’s live.
KLINDEX SUPER CONCRETE FLOOR SYSTEM
Super Concrete floor system: Slick and hassle-free, this flooring system has everything going for it. Be it a contemporary look or to uplift your traditional or eclectic redecoration, this polished concrete flooring with take care of all your aesthetic needs while keeping it virtually maintenance free. With a curing period of 2-3 weeks, time is the only thing that his flooring asks for - not even all your money! www.klindex.in
HUNTER DOUGLAS NATURA NEO
This wooden false ceiling gives you the option of including a contemporary organic element to your ceiling. The Natura Neo uses linear-spaced wood slats for ceilings and wall applications that gives you easy access to your services while using FSC certified wood as its base. www.hunterdouglasarchitecural.com
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ARMSTRONG SOUNDSCAPES
When designing our acoustically sensitive spaces in your home, introducing a few such elements will make a world of a difference. Soundscapes Acoustical Clouds are designer acoustic panels that are pre-formed into various shapes. They retrofit to to most ceiling systems in minutes and are ideal for renovation projects with limitations. www.armstrongceilings.com
JOHNSON
Engineered Marble and Quartz: Often, for a conventional mindset marble is the preferred choice of flooring and rightfully so given its versatility in appearance. But given its pricing, high maintenance and lesser workability the vitrified tile competition zoomed past this conventional material. Now the nice folks at Johnson Marble Quartz have what is called “engineered� marble and this option gives you the choice of using a flooring or counter top material which looks exactly like conventional marble but with the added perks of low maintenance, high workability and a lot of colour options.
FUNDERMAX MAX EXTERIOR
www.johnsonmarblequartz.in
Choosing the right material when renovating your exterior however small it may be, the exterior panels from Fundermax cater to your wall cladding needs, rain screen and balcony applications. Made from extremely durable material, these panels will not compromise on consistency while giving your home a lifestyle statement and protecting it from the natural elements. www.fundermax.at
ASIAN PAINTS NILAYA SABYASACHI FOR NILAYA
Sabyasachi designer wallpaper collections are as rich and layered like the vast and varied theatre that is India. Add to that a sublime eclecticism, an original eye and a design instinct that is in a class by itself. www.nilaya.asianpaints.com
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DRESS IT UP Selecting the right furniture and furnishing will directly reflect on your personality and taste. If you are looking to make a comfortable statement, then have a look at the products recommended by us.
BENTCHAIR KIPLING CHAIR
Styled after an iconic Harvey Probers Design, this over half circle chairs is a masterpiece of mid-century design and craftsmanship. The back is done in classic Singapore cane providing airy comfort and elegance. The seat is covered in an abstract embroidered velvet and the frame is constructed out of kiln dried Rosewood. www.bentchair.com
KALAKAARIHAATH HANDCRAFTED COFFEE
Handcrafted Coffee, is quite literally a side coffee table handcrafted by the finest craftsmen of Rajasthan. Designed with ergonomic sensitivity, this furniture piece accommodates your favourite read accompanying the perfect cup of coffee. www.kalakaarihaath.com
DESIGN OWL HANDMADE NATURAL WOOL OVIS RUG
A sheep’s story indeed! This rug has individual sheep with individual textures. The flatwoven base and raised sheep give the rug an interesting multi dimension that is sure to draw your guests’ attention. Suitable for youngsters or even for young at heart who love the creativity of a quirky design. www.designowl.com
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ZYNNA
Zynna has launched the exquisite fabric and astonishing lavender wallpaper range. The new range of contemporary lavender fabrics and wallpapers are befitting to give your abode an aristocratic semblance for the monsoon season. Shades of lavender are a perfect backdrop when paired with gold and the collection has a distinctive variety of shades to choose from along with the wallpapers to make your walls look splendid. www.zynna.in
U LIKE FABRICS FLORID COLLECTION
Florid collection from U Like Fabrics redefines tradition with a contemporary stoke. Highlighting all-season flavor, it revolves around an ethnic feel that casts a bold and deep effect in its design. It masterfully displays the contrasting upshot with geometric stripe and abstract patterns that blends well with plain, free-flowing textures. www.ulikefabrics.com
TUNI TALES OCEANIC TEXTURES
These sorbet coloured quilts made in pure cotton are perfect for your bedroom. Inspired by the blues of the seas, these quilts can be mixed and matched with pastel hued cushion covers.The size makes it perfect to use in the living area or to curl up in in the lounge or patio. www.tuniinteriors.com
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BRIGHT AND ECLECTIC Let your inner personality shine with the accessories you choose for your redecoration. From contemporary to downright conventional, see what you can experiment with.
AJJI THE KIKU CHANDELIER
Kiku Lamp takes a mighty form in a giant, atomic- like structure to illuminate the space to the next level. It enlarges itself and engulfs the space with its multiple nuclei like form uisng over a hundred bulbs that come together to light up the space in all possible directions. The chandelier provides an infinite number of possibilities as you play with multiple arms to lose yourself in a wonderland of lights. www.ajji.in
THE WHITETEAK COMPANY LIVING THE DREAM TABLE LAMP
CuroCarte is a pioneer in curating and designing luxury products made by hand that are a result of seamless collaboration between their designers and craftsmen from all over the world. Their Spain Collection revolves around the theme ‘Bring art to life’.
Penthouse living takes an upward swing with this beauty poised to take center stage in your daily life as well as swish soirees! A streamlined design is intercepted with crystals in a crescent shape that leaves you deeply intrigued with the simplicity and complexity of this artwork inspired by nature in true abundance. A beige fabric shade in a rectangle shape provides the finished look to this aesthetic beauty.
www.curocarte.com
www.whiteteak.com
CUROCARTE SPAIN COLLECTION
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DESIGN OWL MILANO METAL AND GLASS CHANDELIER
Low-maintenance and the ability to adapt to different spatial themes is a quality few products have. Shaped like a faceted jewel piece, this chandelier brings contemporary style to a room and adds added dimension to the light from within. The brass metal frame is finished in nickel and the glass is given a smoked finish to add that vintage look and feel.
STUDIO COPPRE COPPER POD
www.designowl.com
The beautiful Copper Pod from Studio Coppre is perfect for a windy evening running late into the night. It is made out of copper, with a clear lacquer coat. It lights up and highlights the skilfully rendered beaten work of the Tambat artisan and his craft. www.coppre.in
THE BRIGHTER SIDE AURA ETCHED TABLE LAMP
The Brighter Side Aura etched table lamp gives soft ambient light. It can be used as a single unit over a table or multiple units to give dramatic effect. The intricate pattern on the surface creates beautiful ambience. The lamp is made of iron and high quality CE wire for suspension. www.thebrighterside.co.in Home Review September 2017
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GREEN THUMB Marrying your taste and standards when refurbishing your outdoors is what will set your home apart. Quirk it up or tone it down, our products will let you decide which way you want to lean.
CCHAJED GARDEN FAUX VERTICAL GARDEN
The relief a “green wall� provides to an otherwise static and confined space is remarkable. For those of you who are looking for that relief but have restrictions of space and budget, the faux vertical gardens are you solution. They come in a variety of colours and types so you get to pick what your vertical garden looks like permanently - without any of the maintenance hassles! www.cchajedgarden.com
SOMANY CERAMICS DURASTONE
MY BAGEECHA ARCTIC FOREST TERRANIUM KIT
Refurbishing your outdoors requires a few main criteria to be satisfied and one of them is durable flooring options that will go the distance. The stone paver tiles from Somany promise just that. Flaunting the natural stone-tile look, they come in attractive designs and colours. Durastone is ideal for outdoor floor tiles or parking tiles.
The Arctic Forest Terrarium Kit takes you to a magical snowy forest! The colorful plants with the white pebbles are a classic combination in themselves! Use your artistic skills to turn this DIY Kit into the terrarium you dreamt of! Make it a centre of attraction in your home and watch your guests go green with envy. Living in urban flats is no longer an excuse. Go Green.
www.somanyceramics.com
www.mybageecha.com
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NOTION OUTDOOR WOODEN FLOORING
The exquisite collection of Outdoor Wooden Flooring, by Notion is sure to let you infuse one of the key trends of contemporary outdoor flooring while capturing the beauty of sumptuous floor surfaces. Making a compelling fashion statement while raising the style of your exterior spaces this Outdoor Wooden Flooring collection comprising of the Harwood flooring as well as Deck tiles can bring life and add character to your outdoor areas.
FERROUS CRAFT WICKER GARDEN FURNITURE
www.notion.net.in
Focussing on the dying world of handmade art, Trove India specializes and takes pride in its hand painted products. Most products are customized and commissioned based on the client but what stands out is the wall art comprising of multiple hand painted plates in traditional indian motifs. These plates are perfect to add class to those blank and newly renovated walls. www.facebook.com/troveindia
EARTHLY CREATIONS GARDEN ACCESSORIES
Come along to Earthly Creations and get mesmerising cute little garden accessories for the show. The pots are designed using terracotta and resin to create a buzz with kitchen gardening techniques and accessories. The pots are hand - sculpted by around 40 potter families and are available at economical prices. www.earthlycreations.in Home Review September 2017
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Ayush Kasliwal
SOAK UP THE LUXURY
The handicrafts of India survived through the bleak period of invasion of modernization, just barely. Thanks to the new generation’s conscious tussle to safeguard what little has been left behind of the glorious crafts, slowly but steadily the skilled craftsmen of India are being given their due. One such dying art is the art of blue pottery. Famous for its intricate designs and bright blue colour over stark white, the blue pottery of Jaipur has Turko-Persian roots. Due to the fragile process of low baking temperatures and being almost semi transparent to provide the perfect canvas for intricate motif decoration, blue pottery is restricted to smaller decorative objects such as coasters, small vases, small tiles and tableware. Entering this dying craft into fair trade can be credited to the two young entrepreneurs Ankit Sharma and Rohit Khandelwal from Blue Decor. Home Review had the opportunity to ask these young men a few questions on their aims and aspirations to bring this craft out into the open.
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What is the genesis of the brand Blue Decor? When I was perusing my MBA, the idea of Blue Décor Came into my mind and we started Blue Décor in 2015. The main reason of selecting Blue Pottery is because this traditional art is on the verge of dying.
Blue Pottery should get its past glory back again. We aspire the acknowledgement of this art in every corner of the world. What is your main mantra and aim for Blue Decor? Blue DĂŠcor is all about showing the world the blue shades of pottery. Our aim is to shrink the gap between the admirer and the art work What helped you decide that Blue Decor will make it in the big retail world? Our main strength is all the artisans who work for us and helping us preserve this art.
How long does the manufacturing process take? Making Blue Pottery is a time consuming process. It depends on weather condition. Moreover, it is a completely hand-made process which takes nearly twenty to thirty days to complete a single piece. Is it possible to mass produce such a skilled craft? We can customize products according to the demand of the customer. Initially, we create a sample for the customer. Thereafter, on the approval for the same, we go ahead with mass production. bluedecorindia@gmail.com Home Review September 2017
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NO GLUE - NO SCREW
Everyone looks for exclusivity. In the world of growing trends, product designers are aiming towards creating products that would let you have your piece of exclusivity without killing your budget. Enter LiGHTFiSH, a company founded by designer Samvit Blass native of the art nucleus of the south - Auroville in Pondicherry. Staying in touch with his client base’s thought process and their expectations is what he uses as his basis for designing as he puts it, “As a designer one must be open to all design opinions before one can form one’s own. Consumers today expect more from a product. The question a designer should ask is not ‘how do you feel about the product’ but rather ‘how does the product make you feel about yourself? Do the values of the product reinforce the values of the user? This shift in focus helped me to dig deeper into the emotional connection the user has to the product.” Speaking to Samvit, the responses to these few questions itself told me one thing passion driven.
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When and how did the idea of LiGHTFiSH come about? Starting my own company before the age of 30 was my childhood dream. After 10 years’ experience in the US, China and India, I returned to Auroville and started
LiGHT-FiSH with the help of Rishi, my younger brother. I love to understand, invent and most of all, to create. I have been engaged in the business of designing sustainable products for more than ten years. The products are a result of a defined approach towards design.
How does the process of creation work in LiGHT-FiSH? Having the design team and the production team working together using the latest in prototyping tools gives us the ability to quickly work through problems and come out with original, beautifully made and innovative products. A lot of the principals I apply to my work I owe to Auroville and its vision. How long does sourcing/manufacturing the products take? Our design philosophy is to use sustainable and up-cycled material and to minimize waste. Our products are locally made in our own facility. In exchange for this natural resource, LiGHT-FiSH provides financial support year round to help maintain the forest and keep it protected. Process of customising products. At LiGHT-FiSH we’ve come up with creative ways to make products at a small scale without a large assembly line. Wherever possible we follow a philosophy of ‘No Glue-No Screw’ to design beautiful products. Having the tools to work hands on with these materials has allowed me to experiment, improvise and acquire a better understanding of their varied uses. This has helped me greatly to find innovating solutions and developing customised products.
Depending to the type of product and the materials required for it sourcing and manufacturing can take from a week upto 3 months. When you mention sustainable approach, what exactly do you do that gives back directly to the environment? We recycle material as much as possible, such a bottles, and use wood from naturally fallen trees from a forest called Kamataru, North of Auroville. Our designs are made to last and are energy efficient. The fallen trees in certain sections of the forest are cut into logs and seasoned before being sent to our workshop and turned into lights.
Finally what in your opinion is your mantra for LiGHT-FiSH? We use sustainable and up-cycled material and to minimize waste. Our products are locally made in our own facility. We recycle material as much as possible. It is important to us to keep things clean and simple, to think of lighting as a design element and not just as a utilitarian need. The best way to get in touch with your own personal taste is to do things yourself as much as possible, let your intuition guide you.
www.light-fish.com
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ARTICULATED MINIMALISM In this world of ever evolving home decor, minimalism is the front runner for today’s lifestyle.
The industrial revolution gave us a very prominent influence of modernization but what it did quietly in the background was inspire designers and home owners to lean towards a very rustic, unfinished and minimalistic approach to home and office decor. The lofts of New York stand out as prime inspiration for this new growing trend. Dominated by exposed high ceilings and floor to ceiling windows, the proposition of getting inspired by the undressed concrete walls and simple flooring appeals to this current contemporary generation. Living Spaces Keeping in mind the need to declutter and have a low maintenance upkeep, the prospect of exposed walls and floors is quite refreshing. Today many tiling companies have concrete and wood look-alike tiles that are fast selling and fit most budgets.
Colour punctuates the monotony
Kitchen Remember those heavy wooden cupboard doors and shelves so dark and deep that finding anything is virtually impossible? Well, lucky for us those days are long gone. Investing in a good sleek kitchen is common these days. Stainless steel and Engineered Marble counter tops have replaced the conventional granite ones upto a large extent. LED-lit shelves and lacquered doors ensure your time spent in the kitchen is efficient and the clean up session after is hassle-free. Furniture Light weight organic furniture and accessories keep to the sidelines of this theme. Luckily for us the options now are plenty. With product designers and furniture designers churning out amazing exclusivity. Keeping in mind the practical comfort of a piece of furniture is important and the extent of its wear and tear are all defining factors when choosing the right pieces so you must ensure that the swanky contemporary appeal does not let you get carried away. Small attempts to make a change
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Furnishings Staying within tones of grey and white can sometimes be too pale for the conventional taste. Introducing colour and textures in fabrics to dress your windows and furniture will give your spaces a multidimensional look and the option of upgrading them gives you the allowance to let the inner art lover in you to shine! The Outdoors However small your outdoor space is, be it a balcony, a deck, a courtyard or a big terrace having your own small “living patch” makes a world of a difference. The trend of introducing a green living wall with live plants and herbs gives you a multi-use sustainable approach to decorating your outdoor space.
Lively and rustic
Wooden flooring for the decks can be high in maintenance and cost you a whole lot more than the new wooden vitrified tile options. These come in long sizes that look like genuine Parquet floor, but without the fuss of installation and maintenance. Sticking to native species will keep your outdoors green always and the plants may even take care of themselves while taking care of you. Go quirky on the outdoor furniture and accessories. Build a terracotta zoo if you’d like!
Sleek to the top
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An inter-disciplinary industrial design studio, working across architecture, furniture, product design, lighting, motorcycle design, automotive racing, craft and even jewellery design, Saif Faisal Design Workshop synthesizes design as craft with technology.
Bidriware from Qaiser Series are crafted by the process of selective oxidation.
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The Essentialist TEXT BY ANINDITA GANGULY
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Blub Candle Holder has soft and clean curves of solid wood and metal dish. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
As a design firm, the main focus of the studio has been on design consultation to different manufacturers. The selfinitiated designs that were made into prototypes, were acknowledged and people got really interested in buying them. Initially, manufacturing began on a small scale.
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Eventually things really changed when Saif Faisal, Owner, Saif Faisal Design Workshop, pursued Bidriware after an enlightening conversation with Patricia Urquiola. The studio developed some interesting and innovative techniques in the almost stagnant 700 year old craft to create accessories, jewellery and a series of tables - 'Qaiser series'. Saif Faisal is an 'Essentialist'; with his focus on beautiful, sensitive, thoughtful and meaningful design with sustainable aesthetics; design that doesn't follow any fads or fashions. In his words, “I would like to surprise myself from time to time exploring some new dimension. Working in different typologies and scales keeps things interesting and adventurous. I'm quite intrigued by anything that could be interesting and creates a curiosity, be it a necessity, an interesting process, a beautiful material or a social concern. I have vested interest in philosophy, cultural anthropology and sociology, which plays a huge role in my understanding of a project beyond the corporeal aspects�.
Alhazen LED Task Lamp has an aluminium bracket and brushed clear LED acrylic tube.
Saif always had a deep admiration and fascination for Japanese and Scandinavian design sensibilities and Italian passion, paired with the frustration and dissatisfaction with the local “design", which inspired him to pursue design in a meaningful and poetic way. Currently, the brand is extensively engaging with self-manufacturing its pieces whilst handling small scale batch production, besides looking at fullfledged mass production. The team of Saif Faisal Design Workshop has been working on several designs they wish to develop and put in production and also some projects in collaboration with international manufacturers.
Blub Vide Poche is a soft and minimal versatile bowl.
Hemi Candle Holder is a remarkably elegant addition for any space.
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Recently, the brand has launched a product with ground-breaking home ware company, Othr from US and couple of others are in development. These remarkable products are 3D printed and made in New York. Another recent innovation is a collection with the Danish Brand, Bolia. Additionally, the team is working on a series of kitchenware for a new brand from the US and a wrist watch for a brand from UK. The most admired and best-selling products from the brand are its lights, especially the Poise lamp and the Counterpoise lamp. These lights are interactive, playful and poetic. Moreover, the uniquely crafted Bidriware pieces are also extremely popular. The Nour Mirror has a minimal soft shape and a mesmerising appeal.
The Fuse Casting is reminiscent of the fractals in nature, like a shoreline.
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The way in which Saif Faisal Design Studio approaches design is unusual when compared to popular stuff around which puts this brand in a unique place. According to Saif, "Good design is something that is not just functional and addresses a practical need, but one that goes beyond the physical and material, it is poetic. Design has the potential to shape us as a culture, so it is a social responsibility".
Saif Faisal Design Workshop. #202, 6th Cross, J.H.B.C.S Layout, J.P Nagar Post. Near Kadrenahalli Cross, Bangalore - 560111, Karnataka, India. shop@saif-faisal.com +91 7829820809
BLURRED BOUNDARIES
Designed by C.F.Moller, one of Scandinavia’s leading architectural firms with 90 years of award winning work behind it, Villa Rypen is a symphony composed of nature and raw minimalism. With its quirky shape and modular scheme, it stands out for its one-of-a-kind design.
Text By Ramya Srinivasan Photographs Courtesy Julian Weyer
The porch is the connector that merges the house with the bordering forests; the overhang acts as a shade and provides a cover for rains. Home Review September 2017
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Aarhus, Denmark, is the European culture capital for 2017. For a year long, the city will be in the limelight showcasing its prime attraction, the Old Town, along with many coveted art museums. While Copenhagen is the capital, Aarhus is the second largest city in Denmark, and is often referred to as one of the happiest cities on earth. On the quiet forest edge of this charming city lies Villa Rypen. The first thing one observes about the house is its asymmetrical shape, angled, much like a parallelogram. Julian Weyer, one of the partners in C.F.Moller acknowledges that this house is built on a “unique plot”. He explains, “It’s a rather narrow plot (158 square metre), and not entirely levelled and so it just wasn’t possible to fit the house into this plot in a traditional way.”
Villa Rypen in Aarhus, Denmark, is designed by C.F.Moller, which was been named one of the top 10 most innovative companies in architecture in 2015.
As is often the case, the key challenge turned into an inspiration. Here, the design creates a sense of wrapping around everything – the building does not look like it’s planted in a plot, but something that merges with its ambience, reaching out effortlessly to the abutting forest. Weyer explains, “The building and the terraces are lifted off the ground to create a beautiful ensemble. The shape encompasses everything around, and even extends into the landscape.” Another distinctive feature of the villa is its openness; the design invites the forest in, and the house stretches its terraces to reach out to the forest’s tall trees and to the garden. Large window sections in a serrated design idiom ensure an inflow of light from several directions, and the view of the forest provides an organic backdrop to the living space in the house.
Large terraces, access to the outdoors and a modular design form the crux of the design of Villa Rypen.
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There is also a sizeable porch that brings a poetic sensibility to the residence, elevated by its proximity to nature. Weyer describes, “The idea was to create a space that connects to the forest; the porch not just opens to the forest but includes it completely. The house is at a slightly higher ground level, so you get a beautiful view of the forest from here. Sitting there, you’re in a space that the house and the forest have built together.”
The living and kitchen spaces are positioned perfectly with access to a south-east facing terrace towards the garden, and a north-west facing terrace towards the forest.
While it is refreshing to have this openness, it is also necessary to ensure the privacy of its residents. Huge glass windows render a brilliant view, but are offset with wooden walls. Weyer explains this clever execution, “If you look obliquely from the neighbouring plots, then these walls restrict the view. The parallelogram shape is part of the concept, so there is no straight view from outside; the way in which the outside of the house envelops and overshoots the glass provides privacy.�
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In continuity with the unconventional nature of design choices, the inside layout of the house has a stark structure that demonstrates the concept of modularity flawlessly. Centred on an airy living and kitchen space, the house has a flexible layout that can be configured in any way the client chooses to. Currently, it is built to be a three bedroom setting, but this can just be changed easily.
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Weyer says, “We wanted to keep to a simple, basic structure with ‘interchangeability’ being a key feature. Just by adding a sliding door, for example, the purpose of a room can be easily changed.” This can be quite shocking at first sight. For, when design has come to mean the expression of the individual, here in Rypen, a lot is unsaid and undefined. “The clients are a middle-aged couple, who wanted a house that can adapt to their current lifestyle, but would also be a place where they can continue to stay as they age,” shares Weyer. Individuality is essential, but it could often create a sense of rigidity as the needs of the residents evolve. And this is something that the C.F.Moller team has managed to evade in this design. Simplicity and clarity have been the underlying themes in many C.F.Moller projects, winning them acclaim for several international projects such as the University Campus in Aarhus, the National Gallery in Copenhagen, the Darwin Centre at the Museum of Natural History in London, the2012 Olympics’ Athletes Village in London and many others.
Ground Floor Plan
In Villa Rypen, too, this unpretentiousness comes through. As Weyer explains, “Doing private residences can be challenging as it’s very personal. However, we resort to simple ways for doing things.” This has led to the house possessing a timeless quality, ready to evolve with time, adapt to different needs and perhaps, even different residents. jw@cfmoller.com
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The Skyrail at Kuranda offers a unique aerial view of the many shades of green and types of trees found in the region’s tropical rainforest.
Australia's Green Edge TEXT AND PHOTOS BY KUNAL BHATIA AND SHUVAJIT PAYNE kunal@kunalbhatia.net www.kunalbhatia.net This is the second of a two-part series on Australia’s unique geological formations. Look back at the August issue of Home Review for part-one, featuring the redlandscapes of the Australian Outback. In a stark contrast to the arid sprawl of central Australia is Queensland’s tropical strip. Stretching along the Pacific Ocean, it is home to a wealth of ecological treasures including the UNESCO World Heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest.
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The latter is home to some of the oldest continuously surviving rainforests on earth, which predate the Amazon forest by millions of years and boast of flora and fauna not found anywhere else on the planet. The isolation of the continent allowed the forests to be undisturbed over the centuries, leading to some unique formations such as the 500 year old Cathedral Fig Tree in the Atherton Tableland region. It’s a prime example of a sapling taking birth on the branches of a host tree only to eventually surpass and kill its host. The diversity of tree cover is however best appreciated above. This is possible at the forest near Kuranda, thanks to a Skyrail that offers sweeping aerial views along a lengthy ropeway stretching from the mountains to the coastline.
The forests are also home to a variety of water bodies including dozens of rivers and waterfalls. Many of these are of mythological importance to the native tribes that were the traditional owners of these lands and inhabited the forests. Amongst such sites is the Babinda Boulders - home to a legend involving the lost love of a young woman from the local Yidinji tribe. For further insight into the ways of life of the Aboriginal people, the Tjapukai Cultural Park in Cairns preserves and showcases their rich culture and traditions through performances involving music and dance, exhibitions of their arts and crafts along with a chance to interact with members of the community.
Top and Bottom: The roots of the cathedral fig tree drop down from its highest branches and spread across a staggering 39 metres in circumference. The rainforests of Queensland extend all the way to the coastline and meet another World Heritage Site - the Great Barrier Reef.
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A portion of the Skyrail glides across the sweeping Barron River. The Millaa Millaa Falls in the Atherton Tableland region derive their name from a forest vine that was a source of seasonal food for the local Mamu Aboriginal people. A gurgling creek flows in between granite rocks at the Babinda Boulders, part of the many water systems found in the rainforest.
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Paronella Park is a vintage amusement park from the 1930s that had been abandoned and taken over by the forest. Reopened to the public, its ruined structures and gardens make for interesting explorations. Artefacts and performances at the Tjapukai Cultural Park offer an insight into the life of the native Djabugay people.
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DESIGN DESTINATION
DUB WHERE Located in the province of Leinster on the east coast, Dublin is the capital and largest city of Ireland. It sits at the mouth of the River Liffey that divides it into two. Bordered by a low mountain range towards the south, it is surrounded by flat farmland in the north and west.
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LIN WHEN
WHY
The best time to visit Dublin is in the summer when temperatures are warm and festivals fill the streets. While June to August experiences a cool summer and commands the best time to visit, September is warm and sunny. The months from November to February are cold but dry. May sees rain and sun.
A small capital with a huge reputation, Dublin’s mix of heritage and hedonism will not disappoint. Known for its cobbled streets and classic pubs, travellers can expect to experience the traditional alongside the contemporary.
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BOUTIQUE BEAUTY Located in Dublin’s nightclub district, the Dean Hotel spells hipster luxury at its finest. Giving the boutique hotel scene of Dublin a much needed kick, it mixes urban chic with retro vibes and a rock-n-roll spirit to perfection. The result is a sassy abode with loads of surprising features, like mirrored ceilings, geometric floors, neon lights and street art. The hotel offers a taste of vintage inspired delights. The 52 bedroom accommodation with 2 suites, The Devlin and The James invests heavily in emerging Irish artists. It boasts of a rotisserie, a function room called ‘The Blue Room’ and The Loft - a two bedroom penthouse with a huge living space for luxury seekers. Spread across floors of Georgian and contemporary architecture, the history of Harcourt Street enters through its Georgian doorways that help establish a unique frontage for the hotel.
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A limited palette of materials and colours has been combined in various ways to create interest. Struck by ambient lighting as you enter, you witness a lobby illuminated by the downstairs bar’s radian golden glow from one side and the reception’s cool neon glare which reads, ‘I Fell In Love Here’ from the other. Its café and restaurant are equally photogenic. The rooftop bar is decked out with swings and plush booths that offset the very best of modern Irish interiors.
DRAMATISING THE DOCKLANDS The Grand Canal Theatre is a powerful cultural presence expressed in dynamic volumes, sculpted to project a fluid and transparent public dialogue as it adds drama to the Dublin docklands. This composition creates a dynamic urban gathering space cum icon mirroring the joy and drama symbolic of Dublin itself. The 2000 seat theatre is an architectural landmark with three prominent entrances. It comprises mainly of three stages - the stage of the theatre, the stage of the piazza and the stage of the multiple level theatre lobby above the piazza. The theatre forms the main faรงade of a large public piazza that has a five star hotel and residences on one side and an office building on the other. The piazza often converts into a stage for civic gatherings with the dramatic theatre elevation as the backdrop offering platforms for viewing. Its rooftop terrace offers 360 degree views of the Dublin Harbour.
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THE HOME STORY As simple as its name the store ‘Article - items for the home’ flaunts a simplistic interior in its rawest form. Located in Powerscourt Townhouse Centre in the heart of Dublin’s boutique shopping centre, it resides in Lord Powerscourt’s former dressing room with its original plaster work ceiling dating from 1780. It is the perfect backdrop to showcase the beautifully edited selection of items for the home. Simple white casement windows read out ‘Article’ in a blue coloured unassuming stencil font as they attract passers-by to glance at the display inside. The windows itself are used as quirky display shelves. Housing everything from the practical to the whimsical, artefacts adding colour to the plain white interiors are centred on geometrically simple, wooden shelves and tables.
LITERARY DUBLIN Founded in 1592, The Trinity College is Ireland’s oldest university. The compact design of the college is based on its main buildings looking inwards arranged in large quadrangles. The college grounds witness works ranging from older architecture to modern buildings. The western side of the college is older and houses the Chapel and The Examination Hall, The Graduates Memorial Building, The Museum and The Rubrics spread across five squares. An art gallery and theatre are also located here which host national and international exhibitions and performances. Externally, The Examination Hall and Chapel display a classical temple front. The chapel is elaborate in its detailing with three large round headed windows; the interiors of The Hall are lit by semi-circular windows set into the ceiling. Complete with wooden arches, railings, columns and balustrades, the Library is the largest and oldest in Ireland.
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Text By Kanupriya Pachisia
GREEN PROJECT
The junction between the public living spaces and the green turf of the courtyard is marked by decked terraces.
SMALL ON FOOTPRINT, BIG ON DESIGN
Armed with expert craftsmanship, unrestrained creativity and a commitment to the best sustainable building practices, Surfside Projects designs homes that enable clients to engage with the outside as much as the inside.
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Nine-foot tall sliding glass walls and continuous clerestory glazing allow for the curved profile to be experienced indoors.
“My residential designs aren’t stock standard, nor are they conservative,” says director Steve Hoiles. “I care about context and my homes are always respectful of their surrounds.” An ardent believer in the notion that architecture can positively impact the way we live, he takes on only one project at a time and devotes his entire time to it. Since the inception of his firm 14 years ago, his efforts have centred on the idea that sustainability is the only logical solution for new buildings. Each of the homes he has designed is certified by California Green Point Rated, a third party, unbiased rating system. Further, he completed one of the first platinum rated LEED homes on North America’s West Coast in the year 2010.
Floor Plan
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Flexible living spaces and unhindered outdoor accessibility form the soul of the design.
Located in Encinitas, California, Avocado Acres House is a 2800 sq ft residence that is the outcome of collaboration between Surfside Projects and architect Lloyd Russell.
In plan, three pavilions generate a U-shaped layout with a central courtyard. Flexible living spaces and unhindered outdoor accessibility form the soul of the design.
Completed in 2016, the construction of the coastal infill project was executed by Alliance Green Builders, a fact that bears further testimony to the design team’s environmental objectives. While the project takes its aesthetic cues from LA’s famed Case Study Houses, its essence lies in addressing the conditions that plague our planet today.
“It’s a healthy home perfect for a modern family,” says Hoiles. While the first pavilion is occupied by the living, dining, kitchen and garage, the second pavilion is where the threshold for the private enclosures begins. A master bedroom suite with a luxurious bathroom and walk-in closet occupy the third pavilion.
By incorporating sustainable materials, energy efficiencies and environmental sensibilities, the house attempts to minimise its carbon footprint and give back more than it consumes.
A bold sloping roof - one which displays a dynamic intermingling of rectilinear and curvilinear geometries - caps the single storey structure from above. An inwardlooking scheme ensures privacy from the street, and creates an interior that is in constant engagement with the outdoors. Thus, the house is lent a grand sort of scale and seamlessness of space, despite its small footprint. In response to the pitched roofs of neighbouring houses, the street elevation of Avocado Acres House reveals stark straight lines and an angular profile. What appears from the outside to be a rectangular roof plan is ultimately exposed as something much different. Inside, a circle of vast proportions intersects the rectangular roof headlong.
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The interior palette juxtaposes muscular concrete walls with natural wood tones.
Since the inception of his firm 14 years ago, Steve Hoiles’ efforts have centred on the idea that sustainability is the only logical solution for new buildings.
The trace of a semicircular arc is left behind, one that hovers over the courtyard. Ninefoot tall sliding glass walls and continuous clerestory glazing allow for the curved profile to be experienced indoors. “Despite the dramatic expression of the roof, it’s the clerestory windows that define the overall scheme. They amplify the internal spatial volume and elegantly allow another visual connection with the outside,” says Hoiles. The expansive glazing brings in abundant natural light while the clerestory windows create a stack effect. Thus, energy loads are minimal for long periods of the day.
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The junction between the public living spaces and the green turf of the courtyard is marked by decked terraces. The interior palette juxtaposes muscular concrete walls with natural wood tones that clad the vaulted ceiling, flooring and cabinetry. The decision to select organically harvested wood over tree trunks from virgin forests adds to the sustainability quotient and builds the case for the green building certification.
An inward-looking scheme ensures privacy from the street, and creates an interior that is in constant engagement with the outdoors.
“When Lloyd Russell took my original design concept and presented a curvilinear roof, it was an instant decision to press the go button,” says Hoiles. Though he was impressed with how well the unique shape complemented the rest of the aesthetics, articulating the geometry of the roof and detailing out its construction was not an easy task. “The roof ended up generating some mental gymnastics during both design and construction phases. Curved details seem to inherently create special hurdles.”
With a design that is rooted in the architecture of the past, yet focuses on addressing the environmental concerns of the 21st century, a California Green Point Rated certification becomes a given. Further, a passion for mid-century modernism, and a design mantra of fun and functionality form the core of Hoiles’ practice. “Modernist architectural principles are timeless after all, so why not incorporate them into everything I do?” he questions playfully.
steve@surfsideprojects.com
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FAKRO INSULATING WINDOWS
Insulation refers to an energy savings measure, which provides resistance to heat flow. Naturally, heat flows from a warmer to a cooler space. By insulating a house, one can reduce the heat loss in buildings in cold weather or climate, and reduce the heat surplus in warmer weather or climate. Insulating a house has several benefits such as energy savings and therefore cost savings and increased comfort. There are several types of insulation against heat loss in cold climates, each with its own technical characteristics and financial costs and benefits. Insulation measures are generally one of the most cost effective energy savings measures.
Text Compiled By Mala Bajaj
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Thus, insulation limits the need for heating or cooling the house. Heat losses or heat surpluses arise because of differences between the indoor and outdoor air temperature. Heat, normally flows from a warmer to a cooler space, and the temperatures will converge to an equilibrium temperature, a physical phenomenon based on mechanisms like transmission (the heat flow through materials) and ventilation (heat flow by air).
Insulation aims at reducing the speed of this convergence of temperature in order to decrease the need for heating or cooling and thus a lower dependence on the use of energy. Fakro roof windows are designed not only to provide a focal point for any room whether you use them individually or in combinations, but also promote saving of energy. Their stylish appearance is matched by the highest standard of manufacturing and finishing which means one can rest assured they will go on looking good apart from accruing savings for years to come. Fakro windows offer the perfect combination of style, sustainability, security and long life.
To achieve such high performance involves ongoing refinement and improvement to every roof window that is designed by Fakro. What really sets Fakro windows apart is their low level of heat loss. Unlike some manufacturers who provide U-values just for glazing units, Fakro provides information for the whole window. When comparing their performance with other products you will see how their non-vented, quadruple glazed FTT U8 Thermo, with a U-value of 0.58 W/ m2K, leads the market. Their standard FTP-V centre pivot windows also offer a level of performance which competing windows invariably fail to match.
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The FTT window with innovative structure ensures excellent thermal insulation performance and large energy savings. The FTT U8 Thermo window featuring Uw = 0.58 W/m2K is the most energyefficient roof window with a single glazing unit available in the market. It already significantly exceeds the energy-efficiency requirements for roof windows which will become effective from 2021. The FTT U8 Thermo complies with passive construction requirements, which is confirmed by the Passive House certificate.
Application of comprehensive solution ensures a fulfilling of the energy-efficient function of the window which in turn reduces heat loss as well as bills for heating the building. The FTT U8 Thermo window is equipped with a glazing unit consisting of four toughened panes featuring increased resistance. This improves safety of use in the attic even during heavy rain or hail. Therefore, these windows come with a lifetime warranty against hail. www.fakro.com
Triple chamber glazing unit U8 with Ug = 0.3 W/m2K is set in a specially designed sash frame, which offers wider wooden profiles in comparison with standard windows. The window is equipped with five seals. Such a structure minimises thermal bridging and provides improved insulation.
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The FTT U8 Thermo window is supplied and installed with EHV-AT Thermo flashing, which enables window insulation above the roof surface. Flexible insulating material is glued to the inside of the flashing which adheres tightly to the window frame forming thermally insulated frame. As standard, the window is equipped with XDK insulation flashing kit, which enables fast and proper installation of thermal insulation, air permeable membranes and air tight membranes around the window.
HELLA JOn6ERIUS
Hella Jongerius and her team bring in unexpected dashes of colour, texture and context to everyday pieces, making them stand out in a crowd of product designs.
Text By Chryselle D’Silva Dias Photographs Courtesy The Designer Home HomeReview ReviewSeptember September2017 2017
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At first glance, Berlin-based designer Hella Jongerius’ website itself is a reflection of the products from her studio. The look is mostly traditional but there’s a twist. The website has a topsy-turvy menu just like her products that have an unexpected, unfinished edge.
B-set series
Born in 1963 in The Netherlands, Hella founded the Jongeriuslab Studio in 1993 where products are created for the studio’s banner and also for major clients such as the United Nations, the airline KLM and design house Vitra among others. Hella’s earliest designs are full of gorgeous porcelain pieces, a result of her collaboration with Royal Tichelaar Makkum. The Big White Pot and the Red White Vase (1997) stands out in Toyota Red; the choice of colour was also a statement about the toxicity of the earlier existing paint, now replaced by industrial spray paint. The Seven Pots series (1997), the clay-textured Extended Jugs (1997) and the B-set series (1997), an “imperfect” set of tableware, all follow similar lines and principles.
Red White Vase
Items in the B-set series are fired at a high temperature which causes each element to be slightly deformed. This series was the first porcelain to be produced by Royal Tichelaar Makkum, who until then worked with only earthenware and stoneware. Hella continued with the industrial theme with Repeat (2002), “an upholstery textile with an unusually long cycle of repetition, introducing random order and the opportunity to create one-offs within a family of furniture items. The pattern refers to silk ties in the archives of the Swiss weaving mill where the fabric is produced.” She has created several designs for textiles, especially rugs, since then.
Repeat
The studio has diversified into many products including furniture. One of her earlier designs is also one of her popular ones. The Polder Sofa (2005) for Vitra is inspired by the typical Dutch ‘polder’ landscape which includes land reclaimed by means of using long horizontal dykes and intersecting canals. Polder Sofa
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Polder Compact
The long sofa has unusual proportions but looks extremely comfortable and is perhaps wide enough to double up as a bed. Ten years after the Polder Sofa was created, Vitra has introduced the Polder Compact (2015) which brings new colour, shape and materials to the older version. Textiles for the upholstery were designed and created by Jongeriuslab. Also taking inspiration from nature is the Frog Table (2009) which explores the relationship between the user and their products. The table has a prominent 3D frog figure which can be viewed as playful (if you like the amphibian). Either way, this is not a piece of furniture that can be ignored or overlooked.
Frog Table
In 2009, Jongeriuslab was commissioned to remodel the North Delegates Lounge at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Hella designed two new furniture designs for the lounge - the UN Lounge Chair and the Sphere Table. With legs of dark brown wood and steel and “UN blue” fabric with leather patches on the armrests, the UN Lounge Chair was made for informal discussions where furniture could be moved and reassembled without trouble.
North Delegates Lounge
The Sphere Table has a large half-sphere of acrylic glass (also called the “Bubble”). The sphere can be adjusted on either side of the table this making it a versatile design. The Bubble gives the user a semblance of privacy in an otherwise open design. The UN Lounge also featured a Knots and Beads Curtain featuring traditional Dutch fishing knots and handmade beads with all their imperfections thus bringing a slice of the Netherlands to New York. In 2014, the studio designed the East River chair for the UN Lounge “to facilitate conversations in a casual atmosphere”.
Sphere Table
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The East River chair is a cheerful looking, sturdy armchair with practical colours and upholstery. The strap handle on the rear of the backrest also makes it easy to move around. More recently, the colourful Tile Table (2017) has garnered attention. The wooden table has a hand-glazed ceramic top in fresh and cheery colours. This attention to colour is the result of an extensive colour research in ceramics and it shows up in her other work as well. In 2006, Hella experimented with colours for the B-Set resulting in the ‘Coloured B-Set’. In 2010, she made 300 vases for her ‘Coloured Vases’ series. Each series had a range of colours, “an investigation into the perception of colours that optically merge”. All colours were based on old mineral recipes and the intensity of the hues is reminiscent of old paintings.
Tile Table
From vases to rugs to interiors, Jongeriuslab has created beautiful, useful designs for everyday living. The unexpected touches like colour, shape or texture only serve to enhance the user’s experience - much like the upside-down menu of her website which will bring a quick smile to your face before you click and turn things the right way again. www.jongeriuslab.com
Coloured Vases
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Mr. Dilip Kumbhat, National President, Indian Society of Lighting Engineers
the smart city electrification concepts in India through seminars and product display is organised by the Indian Society of Lighting Engineers (ISLE), with event management executed by i ads & events.
MARCHING AHEAD IN LIGHT YEARS WITH K-LITE K-Lite introduces efficient and cost-effective LED bollards and gears up for Light India International 2018. K-Lite has launched efficient and costeffective LED bollards with rotationally symmetrical illumination for ground surfaces. The photometric design of these luminaires is based on LED integrated with K-Lite’s precision reflector module.
On another note, a major lighting exhibition under the banner Light India International 2018 (Lii 2018) is to be held in Mumbai. The exhibition will be held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre during 19-21 January 2018. This ‘mega event’ which is configured to address
According to Dilip Kumbhat, President, ISLE, Lii 2018 will cover all segments of lighting. The event aims to not only highlight the latest, but also present the futuristic trends in all segments of lighting. The theme of the event is LED & SOLAR- A Sustainable Development; and Lii 2018 will mark the participation of prominent frontrunners in the field. These speakers will share their expertise during the technical seminars and introduce their latest products in the market. www.klite.in www.isleind.org
Consistent implementation of new technological developments combined with the highest technical and structural quality have resulted in these state of art luminaires. These luminaires are characterised by their high luminous efficiency, extremely long service life and the uniformity of the degree of illuminance. These luminaires are available in Ø100 and Ø166, three different heights to suit the installation site. Their sturdy construction makes them especially suitable for areas in which considerable robustness is required to ensure vandal proof service. They are ideal for the illumination of footpaths, entrance areas, driveway, private and public areas. Home Review September 2017
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Design Jalaram Timber Store, Mumbai Considered to be one of the city’s largest wood marts, Jalaram in Prabhadevi, Mumbai provides a great customer experience. For over 40 years, architects, interior designers and proud homeowners have trusted the brand for high quality products and superior service. Offering a wide range of products in decorative veneers, woods, plywood, solid surfaces and floorings, Jalaram stands apart in quality and sheer variety of products. Designed by the versatile, Minnie Bhatt, the timber store follows the science of Vaastu while keeping the brand’s legacy and contemporary aesthetic intact. The experiential space has been designed in a manner that ensures a patron see their vast range of veneers on display. They have a separate section where the live tree veneers, measuring 10-12 ft. in height have been displayed and also has a section to showcase the wooden flooring retailed by the brand. The display here is visually simple, giving visitors an idea of the entire flooring range in a glance. The Director Mr Suman Shah’s leather and solid wood office in the same premise reflects his personality and yet continues to be in sync with the aesthetic of the rest of the space. minnie@minniebhatt.com
Text Compiled By Anindita Ganguly
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Intelligent design need not be restricted to mammoth-sized spaces. Sometimes, even a small idea can lead to stunningly brilliant interior themes.
Mixology Design Mixology spotlights innovative design in various domains such as showrooms, bars, clinics, spas and much more.
Enrich Salon, Mumbai The Enrich brand owns the largest chain of salons in the country. DCA Architects led by Amit Aurora and Rahul Bansal with Neha Singhal as the design team have built a continuous space encompassing all required areas. The hair-cutting section is placed in open sight to the pedicure, manicure and hair spa zones that are semi private and housed next to the windows. The windows open to the outside and a conscious attempt has been made to bring in a lot of greenery into the salon. Also corroborating the continuity of space, the private rooms have been placed separately to provide a tranquil and serene environment - relaxed and away from the world. Task lighting and mood lighting are enabled for all services. The lighting, music and fragrance are harmonized to evoke sensory pleasures. Every space has been treated individually to create a visually appealing experience incorporating elements that are soothing to the eye. The articulate core values have been incorporated through an honest use of materials that enhance visual appeal. dcaarch@dcaarch.com
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Raheja Exotica Sorento, Mumbai With state of art amenities ‘Raheja Exotica - The Ocean City’ is well connected to the mainland. The serene expanse of the Madh Island is mapped and connected to Versova by ferry, along with 25 minutes of drive through greens by road from Mindspace, Malad (W). Equipped with 37 amenities, in 5 demarcated branded Zones to provide a holistic lifestyle, The Ocean City promises consistent extravagances in all aspects. For a lifetime experience and to retire into the lap of luxury, the twin towers of Raheja Exotica Sorento create extravagance with hi-rise above 36 storeys into the sky. The towers with 376 apartments are spacious perfectly styled apartments with a spectacular view of the calm and peaceful Arabian Sea.
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Home Review March 2017
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Home Review March 2017
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