Home review january 2017

Picture This : Glacier Express

vol 16 issue 01

January 2017

Design Destination : Dubrovnik

total pages 136

My Space : Morphogenesis

RS 100 HOME-REVIEW.COM

M:ofa studio’s blast from the past The Cube House Yakusha Design Studio

A VILLA IN THE AIR Dipen Gada’s clever design Scheme

incredible india Products and Ideas trending in india

Photo: Cyrus Dalal

d

ipen Gada has long been crafting inimitable dwellings for his uber clientele across the country. This time, for a realtor in his hometown of Vadodara, he reimagines a set of interconnected high-rise apartments into a swish elevated villa.

Peppered with an eclectic collection of artwork, the architect weaves an aesthetic that is familial, rather than being austere and controlled. The penthouse celebrates its large spaces and volumes with a clever program and an ensemble of collectibles. The resulting atmosphere is relaxed and unpretentious; enveloping its inhabitants in a space they are delighted to call home.

Nestled in the busy precinct of Khan Market in Delhi is an unusual gastropub. This blast from the past is reminiscent of an abandoned underground tunnel that has been repurposed. Steel girders support two large brick lined barrel vaults, while large openings allow for light to stream in and bounce off the tactile exposed brick walls. Stocked up on plenty of charm and whimsy, this pub designed by Manish Gulati draws inspiration from its ilk located in the British Empire.

Adding more appeal to the dÊcor is a carpet of white and grey terrazzo tiles, with an assortment of music and art collectibles creating a display for Irish nostalgia. Manish Gulati and his team at M:OFA Studios revel in leaving a profound impression with their work, and this restobar certainly doesn’t disappoint.

Anish Bajaj, Editor anish@marvelinfomedia.com

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emails + feedback New Goals for Home Decor

Eco-friendly Residence

I congratulate Home Review for the wonderful feature on the concept of making everyday objects beautiful. The amazing designer products from Rayden Design Studio marked with the unique blend of art, design and technology gave me new goals of redecorating my home space.

I was delighted to read about the designing of the eco-friendly residential space by De Earth in Calicut. The representation of culture, context and nature-friendliness compelled me to ponder how these can be subtly juxtaposed to the advantage of a beautifully designed house.

By Email Ayesha Pushkar

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

6 Home Review January 2017

By Email Naina Desai

Infusion Of Vaastu In Design

All about Redesigning

The amazing finesse with which Khosla Associates have rendered a contextual home design for the house on Jubilee Hill left me mesmerized. I am particularly amazed by the accomplishment of the arduous task of infusing vaastu in the designing and planning, while keeping it all an entirely ethereal.

The amazing transformation of an old restaurant into an entirely restructured, redecorated and refurnished space called Gustoso, by DCOOP Architects is simply stunning. I was awe-struck with the concept of multiplicity in design, and I feel the need to redesign my cafeteria along similar lines.

By Email Piyush Agarwal

By Email S. Mukherjee

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Morphogenesis Founded in 1996, by architect Manit and Sonali Rastogi, the firm had set out to ‘build a global discourse on contemporary Indian architecture’, and ever since, the vision has evolved and developed in a collaborative of 130 people

20

In the salubrious environs of Panchgani, HS Desiigns have designed a functional bungalow with a contemporary aesthetic, and added touches of whimsy for good measure

Cover Story Four apartments were combined to create a sprawling three level penthouse in Vadodara by Dipen Gada. His clever design has further nailed the villa-like ambience of this home

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Conceptualised around the charm of vintage Irish pubs, The Chatter House in Delhi is not so much a ‘gastropub’ as a time capsule, buried sometime in the late 1900’s and dug open by M:OFA Studios in 2016

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january

Glacier Express takes you on a eight hour journey to appreciate the marvellous landscapes of the Swiss Alps

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57 EGO Designs manage to attain the right balance between its own desire for experimental creativity and its client’s aspiration for a homely and soothing living experience

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INCREDIBLE INDIA

Highlighting the products and ideas that are trending in the country

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

88 100

105

DUBROVNIK

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A DESIGN DESTINATION

Cube House in Ukraine embodies an unadulterated design with a simplicity that integrates the whole house with its surrounding nature

product

designer

Emerging designer-duo Amandine Chhor and Aïssa Logerot are committed to creating timeless and elegant designs with a focus on using rejuvenating traditional crafts and methods

january

110 Focused on tranquility and communing with nature the Ion hotel situated in Selfoss, Iceland has an appropriately peaceful setting, made up of a definitive and unique landscape

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115

THE MARKETPLACE

Landscapes

GREEN PROJECT

The Research and Development Center for Adobe Systems in Noida designed by SBWA Architects meets the needs of the present by looking at the past, without compromising on the needs of the future

124 Erasing the boundary between the inside and outside and making small spaces feel expansive, comes quite naturally to Los Angeles based renowned landscape designer, Scott Shrader

10 Home Review January 2017

Get your hands on the latest products to hit the market

134

130 With a warm mélange of great products and beautiful art, a visit to BARO is nothing short of an invitation to hone your own décor style

Kanupriya Pachisia Interior Design Consultant Kanupriya Pachisia is a practicing interior design consultant in Kolkata since the last seven years. Her philosophy resonates that a room should start a conversation before people start conversing.

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

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Chryselle D’Silva Dias Freelance Writer Chryselle D’Silva Dias is a freelance writer and blogger currently based in Goa. She writes about places, people, interiors, books and green issues. Her work has been published in national and international publications including TIME, Marie Claire and The Guardian. Visit her at www.chryselle.net.

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Dipen Gada A Villa In The Air, Page 26.

DGA, an architectural and interior design firm is headed by founder Dipen Gada.

The firm boasts a versatile body of work ranging from architecture, interior, landscape and product design. Dipen Gada has made his presence felt through innovative and timeless designs that strive to maintain a balance between aesthetics and functionality.

M:OFA Studios Gastropub, Page 42.

Headed by Principal architect Manish Gulati, M:OFA since its commencement has grown from a boutique architectural design firm to a comprehensive institution. Here architecture and design have gone beyond passion to an elaborate conglomeration of innovative minds and efficient systems. M:OFA is based out of New Delhi and is doing projects across India.

This issue has a total of 136 pages comprising of a 4 page cover and 132 inside pages.

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

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

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

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

14 Home Review January 2017

Ego Designs Loft-y Aspirations, Page 57.

Ego Designs was founded in early 2007 by partner designers Chirag Doshi and Sneha Doshi. Starting with a few small jobs and slowly learning their way around, the Studio has now completed several beautiful and noteworthy residential, office, retail and hospitality projects.

PAST & FUTURE

E V E N T S 10 DEC

AkzoNobel’s Colour Of The Year 2017, Mumbai

AkzoNobel, a leading global paints and coatings’ company and a major producer of specialty chemicals, as well as the makers of Dulux paints in India, declared ‘Denim Drift’ as the Colour of the Year for 2017. As a part of the 14th edition of AkzoNobel’s annual global study, Farhan Akhtar and Shraddha Kapoor, brand ambassadors of Dulux in India unveiled the colour trend – ‘Denim Drift’ and its overriding trend: ‘Life in a New Light’.

Talking about the colour, Farhan Akhtar said, “The Colour of the Year 2017, ‘Denim Drift’, is an essential part of our everyday palette. When teamed with rich shades it will bring your walls to life and exude energy. With lighter tones it will bring a cool, calming and airy feel.”

Rajiv Rajgopal, Director, Decorative Paints, AkzoNobel South Asia Cluster said, “Dulux has been delivering essential colours to consumers in India through its range of innovative and best-in-class interior and exterior paint products.

‘Denim Drift’ will be available via the Dulux range of interior and exterior paints, so that consumers can make it an essential part of their lives in 2017. The Colour of the Year 2017 and the complementing colour palette featuring a spectrum of blues and tones is a truly accessible paint palette that can be easily translated into architecture and interior decorating.” www.akzonobel.com/in/

15 DEC

Tulips opens its store in Defence Colony, New Delhi 16 Home Review January 2017

Tulips Ambbience Pvt Ltd, a leading home furnishings brand recently opened its 5000 sq.ft. store in New Delhi. The brand has opened its 3rd store after Pune and Bangalore at Defence Colony, New Delhi which is built in an architecturally modified standalone space of about 5000 sq. ft spread over two levels. The brand’s vision was to create a premium aspirational space built on the tenements of collaborative curated design, customization and craftsmanship.

The store environment design at the Delhi store, distinctly different from the current clean opulent western look at Bangalore and Pune, has been conceptualized in a contemporary design language of the traditional luxury of Indian master craftsmanship in the use of forms, textures, materials, fine embellishments and presentation.

In the 25 plus years since then, the brand has grown in reputation and strength offering bespoke design, exceptional tailoring, and quality workmanship. The clear differentiator of Tulips is its commitment to providing design consultancy, crafting luxury soft furnishings coupled with turnkey solutions to convert houses into ‘Homes’ with passion and ‘hand-made’ values. www.tulipsindia.com

TO 16Krishen 31 DECKhanna @Saffronart, Mumbai

Following the launch of its state-of-the-art gallery space at The Claridges in New Delhi, Saffronart exhibited works by modernist Krishen Khanna at its gallery in Mumbai. The exhibition was held from December 16- 31st December 2016. One of India’s leading and last surviving modernists, Krishen Khanna was born in 1925.

His work focuses on the human figure, specifically those who are overlooked or ignored in society. Twenty-four new monochromatic works by the modernist were exhibited at Saffronart Mumbai The works displayed featured the modernist’s renewed vigour to the themes that he visited throughout his career.

Saffronart is India’s leading international auction house conducting live and online auctions of modern and contemporary Indian fine art, antiquities, design and jewellery. www.saffronart.com

16 TO 22 JAN

Toronto Design Offsite Festival, Toronto

The Toronto Design Offsite Festival (TO DO) is the largest design festival in Canada, with over 100 events and exhibitions taking place across the city of Toronto from January 16-22, 2017. The festival transforms Toronto into a hub of creativity by taking design out of the studio and into the urban sphere, bringing people together to celebrate contemporary design. Providing opportunities for emerging talent, the festival engages the community with exceptional and accessible public programming.

Presented by Keilhauer, this not-for-profit festival attracts the international community to Toronto for one design-filled week of discovery every January. The 2017 festival will feature over 100 exhibitions and events taking place across the city. Over 80% of the events in the festival are free and all are open to the public in January 2016, TO DO had direct participation from 400+ designers and artists, 99,000+ visitors, 58+ million press impressions, 66+ million brand impressions and launched its annual Symposium on design. www.todesignoffsite.com

PAST & FUTURE

E V E N T S 21 29 JAN TO

and colours for ceramic tiles, in which Spain is a world leader in innovation and technology.

Brafa Art Fair, Brussels

The Brafa Art Fair, commenced in 1956, is one of the world’s leading European art fairs. One of the oldest and most prestigious art fairs, the fair is well-known for high quality fine art, antiques, modern and contemporary art and design it offers.

The fair is known for its welcoming atmosphere, eclecticism and elegance. Brafa is an exceptional showcase of rare pieces dating from the Bronze Age to the present day, covering some 5000 years of history. The fair attracts major art collectors, new buyers, and art lovers curious to see what is on the market. The year 2017 will mark the 62nd edition of the fair which will be attended by 58, 000 visitors from across the world.

Brafa’s exhibitor selection process is rigorous, and all objects are verified by an international committee of experts before the fair opens its doors to the public, enabling visitors to buy them with confidence. This year, the fair will bring together 132 galleries and original art dealers from 16 countries, including 12 new names, figures that remain consistent with the previous edition. www.brafa.art

The upcoming edition of the fair is set to take place from 20th to 24th February 2017 at Feria Valencia and will be showcasing Spain’s other leading industry sector – bathrooms, which is a bigger section every year – as well as complementary sectors such as natural stone, raw materials, roof tiles and bricks, materials and tools for laying and installing tiles, and machinery used in the ceramic tile industry.

CEVISAMA promises to be a must attend event for distributors, property developers, architects and interior designers. The festival covers 100.000 Sq. Mt. of exhibition area with more than 145 exhibiting countries present at the fair.

From its inception in 1999, the Festival has grown in stature and popularity, attracting visitors and participants from other parts of the country, and the world. The Festival is organised by the Kala Ghoda Association. The festival covers a kaleidoscope of events ranging from dance, music, theatre, literature, food, street stalls, cinema, workshops, visual arts, urban design, architecture and heritage walks in store.

The Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is an annual nine-day long festival commencing on the first Saturday of February and closing on the second Sunday of February in the Kala Ghoda area of South Mumbai. The festival is a community celebration of the arts within one of the most beautiful and historic precincts of Mumbai, The Kala Ghoda Art District.

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10 MAR

The iF Design Award, Munich

The Festival has grown exponentially, and is hugely successful, drawing over 150,000 people from all over the city. KGAF 2016 hosted over 600 events across 12 days. Funds raised from the festival go towards the restoration and upkeep of the area. Several heritage buildings and institutions in the area have benefited from this. www.kalaghodaassociation.com

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CEVISAMA, Valencia

4 TO 12 FEB

Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, Mumbai

www.cevisama.feriavalencia.com/en/

CEVISAMA has established itself as the foremost event for Spain’s ceramic tile industry. Of all the trade fairs that take place in Spain, CEVISAMA is one of the most widely celebrated international events of the country.

Every year, CEVISAMA shows the world the potential the ceramic tile industry and its associated industries have to offer, with the latter including leading edge sectors such as frits, glazes

Introduced in 1954, iF Design Award is an annually conferred design label conferred by the iF International Forum Design. Every year the iF Design Award attracts more than 2,000 product entries from around 37 nations, which are judged by renowned experts, with the best of them receiving an iF seal of outstanding design quality The iF DESIGN AWARD has a reputation as an internationally recognized sign of design excellence since its founding in 1953.

For a designer, winning an iF award can launch a career or take it to the next level. For a company, it can be the key to breaking into a new market – or getting valuable media attention and respect.

Judged by a panel of over sixty renowned experts in design, industry and architecture, the iF DESIGN AWARD is an event, a unique marketing instrument, and much more. The award includes several categories like lighting, transportation, packaging, architecture, service design and more. www.ifworlddesignguide.com

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Try it out today.

The 20 year journey of Morphogenesis reflects a trajectory that has established sustainable design as the governing principle and not as a tagline. Founded in 1996, by architect Manit and Sonali Rastogi, the firm had set out to ‘build a global discourse on contemporary Indian architecture’, and ever since, the vision has evolved and developed in a collaborative of 130 people.

Morphogenesis does not believe in just overlaying of energy-saving practices or limiting their design to just equipmentcentric methods - as is seen in Jaipur’s Pearl Academy, where they have implemented traditional passive techniques.

The practice has received global recognition for their efforts to promote all-inclusive sustainable design, and has won several prestigious awards.

To commemorate their 20 years of pathbreaking practice, Images Publishing Australia is publishing a monograph of the firm’s works, under their Master Architect Series, titled Morphogenesis: The Indian Perspective, The Global Context.

Photo credits Morphogenesis

In this interview, Manit and Sonali share with us snippets of this remarkable journey, discuss future milestones and their ambition to relentlessly work towards achieving them.

This earnest passion for their work resonates with what Zaha Hadid had once famously said, “I will never give myself the luxury of thinking ‘I’ve made it.’ I’m not the same as I was 20 years ago, but I always set the bar higher.”

Interview By Shweta Salvi

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Morphogenesis has successfully completed a 20 year journey in architectural practice. Tell us about the evolution, graph, and the future milestones that you hope to achieve.

We started Morphogenesis in 1996 as a two-person practice working out of a garage, with no certainty of how the future would unravel for us, yet with complete clarity of purpose - to contribute to the definition of and to the building of a global discourse on contemporary Indian architecture.

This has elicited varied architectural responses from us, which sit within the continuum of the history of the region as an investigation into sustainability through three pillars - passive design, resource optimisation and contextual identity.

It has been a fruitful, rewarding 20 years and Morphogenesis is now a collaborative of 130 people with our work spread across South Asia and Africa, the global recognition of our work cementing our faith in our vision. Today, Morphogenesis sees itself as an institution in perpetuity - a living, thriving ecosystem, a repository of data, information, knowledge and wisdom.

With two ingenious architects at the helm of the firm, how do the brainstorming sessions play out and finally reflect in the work?

We share a strong working relationship with a shared vision for the firm and its ethos and values. Our working strengths are quite complementary to the other’s which makes for a solid team.

Today, Morphogenesis sees itself as an institution in perpetuity - a living, thriving ecosystem, a repository of data, information, knowledge and wisdom.

Photo credits Morphogenesis

Photo credits Andre Fanthome

We have always looked to the processes in nature - being responsive to context, maximum efficiency with minimum waste, closed loop - to define our work and organizational structure. At Morphogenesis, we feel most strongly about sustainability - sustainability not understood as purely energy, but environmental, social, cultural and financial sustainability.

On project level, we brainstorm together to initiate a concept collectively with the design team. Manit works to define the passive design strategy, setting out goals and metrics to be achieved. Sonali is the details person, who carries that through into the actual design, ensuring the smooth working of the operations in delivering projects on time and to quality.

As far as differences of opinion go, it’s not unlike dealing with any other creative, thinking individual.

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Both of you are actively involved in academia and teaching. How has that helped your practice?

The Indian architectural educational system comprises of 350 schools of architecture; but the curriculum of schools, the methodology, and the pedagogy of teaching is not suitable to the idea of sustainability being at the core of India’s modernity.

It creates architects who are in some sense divorced from the process of how a building is put together, because the nature of our buildings has completely changed in the last 20 years.

Morphogenesis has worked as a consultant to a school of architecture where we have contributed to rewriting the curriculum, to bring sustainability to the heart of the programme and not as a separate subject.

It is integral to all the subjects being taught; the underlying glue that connects structure and MEP, lighting and landscape, etc.

Within our practice, we use design challenges as research opportunities to explore, invent and record results for future use and refinement. ‘Learning’ is Morphogenesis’ strongest value, and each Morphogenesis member learns and contributes to learning in equal measure.

We strongly believe that practice must solve ‘real’ problems that can feed back into academia rather than purely the other way round. That is how we position our practice and our work as the bridge between academia and research.

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Photo credits Morphogenesis

‘Learning’ is Morphogenesis’ strongest value, and each Morphogenesis member learns and contributes to learning in equal measure.

What are the fundamental parameters of a holistic sustainable project? What common mistakes do designers make while conceptualising?

Today, developments across India are being designed with a layer of sustainability or ‘green’ superimposed. There needs to be a conscious attempt to step away from this overlay system of green points and instead incorporate passive approaches to design, right from conceptual and planning stages, to be truly sustainable.

Morphogenesis’ approach to a project is to first estimate the energy needs of the building and subsequently question those energy needs. Passive design techniques are employed to create a microclimate, which leads to a typically 10 degree Celsius drop in the perceptible temperature on site.

Following this, the structure is passively designed for natural ventilation, appropriate thermal massing, and an optimised envelope which attempts to reduce heat loads by 50% or more by various means; including optimising WWR (wall to window ratios), etc. and an envelope load less than 1 watt/ sqft.

The reduced demand is then serviced through efficient equipment and systems like sensors and actuators, heat recovery systems, etc. Where possible, we try and supplement with renewable energy means. Every subsequent project takes Morphogenesis closer to our goal of designing net zero projects.

A judicious effort for detailing is distinctly visible in your work. How does the choice of materials, construction techniques and their application finally take shape on the drawing board?

India has a wealth of master craftsmen, who are the knowledge bearers of the tradition of building with limited and local resource, and it is that architecture, that has caught people’s imagination worldwide and has been India’s ‘Identity’.

With the projects that we undertake at the firm we consciously invest efforts in using traditional methods and materials while working closely with many crafts-based industries in India that are at risk of dying out. In the last 20 years we have locally engaged with traditional craftsmen and artisans to re-energise and re-interprete local materials in several projects

by Morphogenesis.

We look at rooting our design solutions in the local, physical, and geographical character. Our aim is to work towards generating pedagogical techniques that address ideas of contextually and culturally sustainable design that is specific to and applicable within the broader Asian context.

Are traditional methods easily substitutable vis-a-vis our modern materials and techniques? Can we creatively apply these traditional methods that would allow us to use them more efficiently in an urban context?

Furthermore, traditionally inspired low-cost methods of roof insulation were employed to cut down heat absorption, such as inverted matkas (earthen pots) bought from local markets. These traditional techniques ensured that the contextual identity of the region has an intimate relationship with architectural identity of the built form.

Any current global architectural practice that inspires you… and why?

We would rather pick a country that we are inspired by, rather than a specific architect, and that is Japan.

Or the fashion sensibilities of Issey Miyake or Junya Watanabe whose garments are almost architectural in their construct and material technology. Crucially, this highdesign sensibility is not limited to an elite set of product portfolios, it’s all pervasive. A common vein in all the design that emerges from Japan an unmistakable ‘Brand Japan’, something we crucially need to develop collectively here.

Your pick of heritage structure that displays idiosyncratic construction techniques, and has made an impression on you.

In the recent times we have been doing a lot of work in Gujarat, including designing the world’s largest office building for Surat Diamond Bourse. Each visit peels a new layer of architectural discovery.

Photo credits Morphogenesis

Photo credits Andre Fanthome

Morphogenesis’ design approach embraces both tradition and modernity simultaneously, attempting to infuse our architecture with the wisdom of a rich and ancient heritage that has embraced sustainability and diversity in environment, resource and materiality, yet being technologically up-to-date and relevant in today’s context.

Our works often borrow from traditional passive methods of building such as in the Pearl Academy, where the architecture is a confluence of modern adaptations of traditional Indo-Islamic architectural elements and passive-cooling strategies commonly used in Rajasthan’s desert climate, such as self-shading courtyards, water bodies, baolis (stepwell) and jaalis (fretted or perforated screens) to negotiate the large differential between internal and external temperatures.

It’s difficult to think of another place where the culture, philosophy, religion and lifestyle of the people permeates through and finds such deep expression in design and architecture. The design fundamentals of simplicity and minimalism, integrated with cutting-edge technology and material innovation is manifested in the works of architects like Toyo Ito, Shigeru Ban, Tadao Ando and others.

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Photo credits Morphogenesis

Morphogenesis believes that by actively engaging and connecting together all these creative people across various industries, holistic solutions to the multifaceted problems in both the architectural and social realms, can be achieved.

These collection spaces form vantage points which frame the haunting beauty of the city below, whilst being environmentally sensitive to the region, and contextually contribute to the region’s identity. The fort truly celebrates the hierarchy of movement within space.

This process is generating a new collective vision and new perspectives that in turn, are enabling the emergence of a design and urbanism discourse in the contemporary Asian paradigm that is invested in bridging two cultures: the local with the global and reinforcing the idea of ‘An architecture of almost somewhere’.

A structure that has recaptured Sonali’s attention is the Adalaj stepwell, a stunning example of Indo-Islamic fusion architecture; still functional and in pristine condition.

Given that we liberally borrow from the philosophy of courtyards and step wells in our passive design strategies, visiting the Adalaj after 25 years only reinstated our conviction to further push the envelope on sustainable design.

We believe that design should be an emergent product of the process and is greater than the individual architect.

Today’s architecture needs to be a product of the collective, wherein the organisation acts only as a synaptic glue connecting individuals to create a collective genius.

Starting at the educational grassroots level; students, practitioners, architects, designers, urban designers, master planners, environmentalists and various government agencies everyone needs to understand the importance of sustainable development and contribute towards it.

Could you name one building which will always be a landmark structure in architecture for you?

Mehrangarh fort would definitely top the list for us when it comes to landmark structures.

This stunning, fortified structure sits on a perpendicular cliff, 400 ft above the sky line of Jodhpur. This red sandstone structure is planned with multilevel courtyards that are liberally scattered across the form. While most fortified structures are introverted in nature, the Mehrangarh fort looks at bringing in the stunning external views.

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Photo credits Andre Fanthome

Is there a way to effectively regulate the system to incorporate sustainability in urban planning, thus broadening the overall impact?

When not working, we would find you doing…

Tell us something about your various initiatives and ventures.

Apart from all our CSR work like Anganwadi, Amarnath and a Cancer Day Care Centre, Morphogenesis also attempts to give back to society with its outreach event series called ‘Manthan’ to be proactive in efforts to rediscover the potential of craftsmanship and to develop a platform for discourse.

Here, cross-pollination of ideas takes place with creative professionals at the philosophical level, to enable new emergent potential for design and craft.

Architecture is not just a Profession; it is a Way of Life! The commitment required is paramount as there is a tremendous responsibility to one-self, the profession and community at large. There is no clear distinction between our living, working, holidaying, etc. We feel fortunate to be continuously working towards something that we feel so strongly about. We find ourselves unable to disconnect from observing design as it exists in our everyday lives. media@morphogenesis.org

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A VILLA IN THE AIR 26 Home Review January 2017

Four apartments were combined to create a sprawling three level penthouse in Vadodara by Dipen Gada. His clever design has further nailed the villa-like ambience of this home. A collection of art adds its own cachet to the design.

When your client is the developer of the building itself, it’s quite clear that modifications can be made at the time of construction, on the architect’s advice. “This client came to us before the structure was complete, so we were able to combine four apartments to create this penthouse for him,” says Dipen Gada.

Spread over three levels of 3,500 sq ft each with the terrace on the top floor, the living room enjoys a double height ceiling, creating an explosion of space.

Text By Devyani Jayakar Photographs Tejas Shah

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The front door sets the tone for the customisation of the details in the home.

Two brass plates with a patina finish run diagonally across the Sheesam wood of the door, the handle being created as part of the design at the casting stage.

The small foyer has a mirror on one wall to give the illusion of more space.

An asymmetrical bench provides seating for two, its curves drawing a second glance.

As one steps inside, a dramatic sculpture

by Ashit Das from his Parchai series makes an eloquent statement. “When we bought this, we were unsure of where we would be placing it, but later, everything just fell into place,� says Dipen. A vertical glass alongside, with a female figure etched on it alludes towards the eternal male-female equation. A narrow strip of open space beyond the glass windows is a token gesture towards recalling a garden.

The dining table has mother of pearl inlay, with seven pendants suspended from the ceiling above. This fixture combines the function of illumination along with the curling stems of money plants in glass holders, containing water. The painting on the wall adjacent to the dining table is by Heeral Trivedi, while nine ceramic pieces

by Vinod Daroz on the burnt granite wall behind the sofa, create an understated geometry.

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“An interesting staircase is another design aspect that we enjoy paying attention to,” says Dipen. The wall alongside the cantilevered staircase has human figures scaling the C-shaped niche, symbolic of an upward journey, overcoming challenges and achieving progress. “Designed by us, they were fabricated in fibre and finished to look like concrete,” says Dipen. Their presence makes an intriguing statement, instantly attracting attention.

All the spaces on the lower floor are connected to private terraces with semi covered sit-outs which have concrete and M.S. pergolas clad with wood. “The client enjoys a comfortable balance between built-up area and green space,” says Dipen. The parents’ room has an age-appropriate aesthetic. Above the headboard of the bed, a small 12 in x 12 in painting has a large silk mount with mangoes on it. This floor houses two bedrooms, a pooja area, a kitchen with store and utility as well as a dining area.

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“The kitchen in white, is an airy, bright, functional space, its size permitting the luxury of an island. All its cabinets were fabricated on site,” says Dipen.

The staircase leads to a wide corridor which becomes the perfect backdrop to display the spectacular Arunanshu Chowdhury paintings. There are lavish bedrooms, with large dressing and toilet areas, each with a distinct identity of its own. A home theatre and meditation area are part of the facilities.

The daughter’s suite in blue is located on the second level. It is defined by a fun aesthetic. A black and white portrait on the wall behind the bed clearly proclaims her right of ownership. The adjoining room, separated by sliding doors which can provide privacy to the sleeping area, is a meeting place for the friends of this student of architecture, so that they can study together.

The double height living room is

an expansive

space,

c olour palette imparting a restful

quietude.

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A drawing board supports their academic activity, while capacious ‘pockets’ on the sides of the sofa provide practical hold-alls for stationery. Two chairs upholstered in blue denim, add a young vibe to the space. The en suite bath is also in blue, a wall behind the wash basin hiding the shower and WC from immediate view.

The top floor houses the terrace, its 3,500 sq ft space accommodating a home theatre, ensures that part of the space can be used for entertainment even if it rains.

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Service platforms at the rear end of terrace facilitate the frequent parties hosted by the owners. The lounge area opens up to lush green garden with a water body. The opento-sky area houses a white gazebo, the limestone on its walls imparts a pale green colour, which is almost pistachio. Hexagonal white flooring in china glass covers part of the floor. ‘This is a particularly attractive space on a full moon night,’ says Dipen, indicating his partiality to the terrace.

dipen317@gmail.com www.dipengada.com

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The Inside Track Now on Apple and Android

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

Apple users can download Magzter from the App Store.

Android users can download Magzter from Android Market.

Try it out today.

* Limited Period Offer

In the salubrious environs of Panchgani, HS Desiigns have designed a functional bungalow with a contemporary aesthetic, and added touches of whimsy for good measure.

Text By Devyani Jayakar Photographs Ravi Kanade

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COLONIAL YET CONTEMPORARY

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When the client’s brief specified “Low on maintenance and very functional,” Hitesh Shahanand, Malay Shah and Rakesh Adivarekar of HS Desiigns took it very seriously. So much so, that they’ve used an exterior paint for the walls inside the bungalow and tiles meant for exterior cladding, for the flooring.

“This client was clear about his requirements and didn’t change his mind about anything throughout the process,” says Hitesh. “Since he planned on visiting Panchgani just for two or three days at a time, he didn’t want to spend a couple of days out of it, cleaning up the place, as the hill station is notorious for the moisture which seeps into the interiors during the torrential monsoons.”

The pop of red and blue in the leather juxtaposed with the botanical, cartological and ornithological prints on the fabric is at once colonial as well as Indian.

“Initially, we wanted to use kota stone for the flooring, but gave up the idea because of the variation in the shade of the stone.

This wasn’t in sync with the planned aesthetic,” says Rakesh. “So15mm thick Simpolo tiles with a textured, non-skid surface met our requirement.” There is no marble flooring in the entire home.

The low-maintenance material palette starts from the gate itself, which is in a cement sheet whose appearance simulates wood but resists wear and tear from constant exposure to the elements. The compound wall is low, permitting view of the surroundings.

Within, the living room has carved wooden sofas with leather and fabric upholstery, bridging the gap between tradition and modernity.The pop of red and blue in the leather juxtaposed with the botanical, cartological and ornithological prints on the fabric is at once colonial as well as Indian, while the earthy tones in the geometrical pattern on the dhurrie play no small part in adding to the colour palette. A slatted wooden bench provides casual seating and doubles as a side board when required.

Two tall vertical units flank the tall breakfast table, the mirror behind their Duco painted jaali creating an illusion of transparency.

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The dining room is a long narrow space with a double height ceiling, its flooring is in an interlocking tile in cobalt and ochre providing the appearance of china mosaic. At the periphery of the room, a border of kota-finish tile demarcates the space. Snug against the wall, a console in a cheerful canary yellow attracts attention; the wall above it is scattered with round medallions in different sizes bearing floral motifs in POP and painted in Mediterranean blues and aquas.

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Light floods in from the floor-to-ceiling windows on one side of the room, which also provide a sweeping view of the garden.

“The centre glass is fixed, while the two sides can be opened,” says Malay. Downlights run the length of the room on both sides of the dining table, while up-lights at the two ends set the upper part of the room aglow after sunset. Above, the curlicues of the chandelier are matched by the ceiling medallion which has an intricate pattern in metal and MDF with a concrete finish.

The open plan kitchen has a dado created from the same tiles as the flooring. Two tall vertical units flank the tall breakfast table, the mirror behind their Duco painted jaali creating an illusion of transparency. This decorative feature conceals their function of storage and utility.

Also on the ground floor, the guest bedroom has a single wardrobe, adequate for the needs of visitors in transit, its porcelain handles recalling an old world charm. The wall behind the headboard has a metal installation with a mock verdigris finish. The attached bath has a ceiling in interlocking wood plastic composite board, to withstand warping from moisture while providing the look of wood. The inverted cone of the pendant light is hand painted, adding a bespoke touch.

}

The staircase behind the dining room has risers in handmade tiles, their colours reflecting the blues and yellows in the dining room. The treads are in wood finish tiles, while the railing is in teak and toughened glass. The wall at the top of staircase has a giant oval mirror in a wooden frame, simulating the smaller hand-held version of yesteryears, used at the dressing table of a lady.

The living room on the first floor has Duco painted sofas which appear to stand on impossibly fragile carved legs. “Barely visible, sturdy legs behind the carved ones do the actual work of supporting the sofas,” discloses Hitesh.

The colourful dhurrie on the floor echoes the colours of the one on the lower floor.

In the master bedroom, a patch of yellow Jaisalmer on the floor beneath the bed creates a carpet-like effect, also adding a shot of colour to the space. The wall opposite has three round ‘sliced logs’ in different sizes. Created from a synthetic material, their niches are used to display artefacts. The attached master shower has an outdoor feel. In the son’s bedroom, the bed rests on a similar ‘carpet’ of Jaisalmer.

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On the second floor, another living room fits snugly under the sloping roof, utilising the height at the centre.

With terracotta and printed tiles on the floor and a wooden ceiling, it has a distinctly country aesthetic.

On the second floor, another living room fits snugly under the sloping roof, utilising the height at the centre. With terracotta and printed tiles on the floor and a wooden ceiling, it has a distinctly country aesthetic.

All the furniture in the home has been customised, with the doors to the rooms having a long wooden handle with carving at the lower end, creating a uniformity which runs through the house.

Sitting at the crossroads between colonial and contemporary, this home adapts comfortably to the requirements of a hill station in tropical India. HS Desiigns’ goal is to discover the intrinsic potential in every project, questioning the obvious, exploring the surroundings and cultural heritage.

This while looking for harmony between sustainability and innovation. studio@hsdesiigns.com www.hsdesiigns.com studio@hsdesiigns.com

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DOUGLAS-FIR: A HAPPY SUBSTITUTE FOR TEAK Know the top advantages of having yellow cedar for your doors and windows.

Despite having occupied a special place in the culture and history of tropical regions, because of superior aesthetics, versatility and exceptional durability, teak is fast moving out of reach of the average consumer because of its price and unsteady supply.

Douglas-fir is a popular Canadian Wood species comparable to teak in terms of visual appeal, multi-utility and strength, suitable for any structural or interior design project. It is also popular for solid wood furniture, wooden doors and windows, interior design and carving projects. Here are seven reasons to give Douglas-fir a serious thought for your next project: Extraordinary Strength To Weight Ratio: With an exceptional tensile strength and being light-weight and compressive, it is perfect for modern construction technologies like post and beam construction and glu-laminated beams.

It is available in large sizes preferable for structural applications.

Beauty & Versatility: It offers a range of stain and finishing options that can complement and support any design vision. The wood can be shaped and planned very well to achieve complex, innovative outcomes.

Perfect For Carvings: For any kind of intricate carving applications, it presents the perfect canvas. Its superior workability enables artists to successfully translate designs into beautifully carved wood pieces.

Great Nail And Screw Holding Capacity: When used in any project, including solid wood doors and windows, Douglas-fir joinery exhibits great longevity due to its superior nail and screw holding capacity, glue-ability and resistance to splitting.

Economy: It is cost effective and allows flexibility to tailor the cost budget by choosing a lower grade and finger joining to achieve a clear length.

Standard Grades And Sizes: Unlike teak, Douglas-fir lumber is available in standardized grades and sizes. Wood for structural use is kiln dried in state-of-the-art mills in B.C., Canada to an average of 19% moisture content. While lumber for interior applications such as doors, windows, furniture, flooring may be dried to moisture content closer to 10% which can be more suited to India’s varied climatic conditions and regions.

Certified And Responsibly Sourced: Canada is the world leader in sustainable forest management. It is certified by PEFC or FSC, giving consumers the assurance that it has been legally and responsibly sourced.

Douglas-fir is an equally good or even better alternative to enhance the value of your project on many counts. www.canadianwood.in Home Review January 2017

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Three black riveted steel girders supporting two brick lined barrel vaults are responsible for conjuring up the olden day imagery.

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GASTROPUB

Conceptualised around the charm of vintage Irish pubs, The Chatter House in Delhi is not so much a ‘gastropub’ as a time capsule, buried sometime in the late 1900’s and dug open by M:OFA Studios in 2016.

Let’s take a look at a bit of pub history to set the buzz right. When David Eyre and Mike Belben took over The Eagle Pub in Clerkenwell, London in 1991, what they inadvertently ended up doing was redefining the function of the quintessential British pub to extend beyond intoxicating beverages into the domain of gastronomy.

Text By Ar. Priti Kalra Photographs Niveditaa Gupta

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The Chatter House chain set out right from its inception to encapsulate the definition of a ‘gastropub’ into its brand image, ambience, service and menu.

Thus, the term ‘gastropub’ came into existence and the term ‘pub grub’ expanded from cold, uninviting ploughman’s lunch to include more wholesome British food items – steak, fish and chips, roast chicken…the works. The Chatter House chain set out during its inception to encapsulate this definition of a ‘gastropub’ into its brand image, ambience, service and menu.

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An understated extension of the first outlet at Nehru Place, this chapter is nestled amidst a gallimaufry of designer boutiques and upmarket cafes in the posh alleyways of Khan Market. A matte finished steel door leads customers into a narrow shadowy stairwell. Here, a sleek black steel railing mounted on exposed brick faces a stark white expanse of a wall dotted with posters of bygone artists. The stairwell eases the eyes into the transition between the bustling exteriors and the tranquil interiors.

The topmost tread of the staircase opens out onto the lower bar level. Upon entering this space, almost immediately the mind journeys toward a parallel dimension where an old underground British railway tunnel seems to be beaming with renewed luminescence at having found purpose once again. Three black riveted steel girders supporting two brick lined barrel vaults are responsible for conjuring up the olden day imagery. Two massive circular glass openings define the junction between the vaults and the external wall of the building.

Two oversized square windows outdo themselves as they transform into a glazed sky-lit canopy that sits fixedly overhead.

Lending physical form and metaphorical life to the phrase “the light at the end of the tunnel,” the windows bring natural light into the space. While a good amount of this illumination is absorbed by the exposed brick wall surfaces, a reasonable quantity is reflected back, creating a diffusely lit interior.

On roaming along further to the upper bar level, one is suddenly snatched out of the demurely lit reticent decor of the lower bar level and thrown into a space that is flooded with sunlight. Two oversized square windows outdo themselves as they transform into a glazed sky-lit canopy that sits fixedly overhead.

Artificial lighting manifests itself in the form of wrought iron fixtures fitted with Edison bulbs evocative of the ones used by “railway tunnel mechanics during the locomotive era of Britain,” in the words of principal architect Manish Gulati. Designed by the in-house team, the seating boasts of “tanned antique leather upholstery and dark wood high back paneling reminiscent of the Irish bars and pubs in and around Dublin.”

Designed by the in-house team, the seating boasts of “tanned antique leather upholstery and dark wood high back paneling reminiscent of the Irish bars and pubs in and around Dublin.”

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Here, a sleek black steel railing mounted on exposed brick faces a stark white expanse of a wall dotted with posters of artists from a bygone era.

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A mesmerising pattern of white and grey terrazzo tiles uninterruptedly carpets the floor. An assortment of music and art collectibles forms a display of Irish nostalgia along the walls “leaving a profound impression on the customers without being overtly in the face.” A bar counter inspired from the Art Deco movement, an antique grand piano and extensive oak wood paneling create a “warm appeasing ambience and set the Irish pub vibe”.

The mood board palette comprises the kilnfired red of the exposed brick, the jet black of the structural steel members, the white and grey of the terrazzo flooring, and the various browns of the furniture.

Based in Delhi, the design team began its practice in 2002. However, it was only in 2007 that Manifestation of Fluid Architecture (M:OFA Studios Pvt. Ltd.) was formalised, when the architects realised what they stand for and the contribution they wished to make. To approach every project in the field of architecture, interiors and urbanism with a holistic approach is not only the vision of the company as a whole, but also the vision of each of its employees.

An assortment of music and art collectibles forms a display of Irish nostalgia along the walls “leaving a profound impression on the customers without being overtly in the face.”

This approach comprises exhaustive research, case studies, analysis, reports as well as discussions on functionality, technology, sustainability and innovative concepts.

Throughout its lifecycle, every project undergoes multiple layers of planning, design and finally realisation.

“At M:OFA, we treat a piece of architecture as a living organism that changes, adapts itself and responds to every change around it. The architectural organism is a store house of energy, a place where energy resources are conserved and recycled with an eye toward self-sustenance,” says Gulati.

media@mofastudio.com

The mood board palette comprises the kiln-fired red of the exposed brick, the jet black of the structural steel members, the white and grey of the terrazzo flooring, and the various browns of the furniture.

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The Glacier Express travels through 91 tunnels and as many as 291 bridges, over its 290km journey.

Glacier Express TEXT AND PHOTOS BY KUNAL BHATIA kunal@kunalbhatia.net www.kunalbhatia.net Running along one of the most scenic routes of Switzerland, the Glacier Express connects the Alpine towns of Zermatt and St Moritz. Contrary to its name, the train runs at a rather leisurely pace. Taking eight hours to cover a distance of just under three hundred kilometres - it’s a journey that’s undertaken not so much to get from one end to the other, but to appreciate the marvellous landscapes of the Swiss Alps.

At the highest point along its route, the tracks run 2033 m above sea level and the miles of craggy peaks on either side are covered in a white blanket.

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As the train descends down the Oberalp Pass, remote mountain villages slowly come into view. Many of the houses in this region are built using traditional timber-framing techniques and are topped by pitched roofs that prevent accumulation of snow. Another characteristic of these mountainous settlements are the many church-spires that pierce through the townscapes and dominate the surroundings.

As the Glacier Express winds its way through the Domleschg Valley, it passes countless castles that were built in this region to control the strategic mountain passes that cut across the Alps. Further along the route is the Landwasser Viaduct, an engineering marvel and part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Rhaetian Railway.

The Viaduct was built back in 1902 and its sturdy limestone arches let the Glacier Express run a staggering 20-storeys above the valley level.

Just as the evening sets in, the train pulls into St Moritz, its final terminus stop and a famed ski-resort since the late 19th century. The town is acknowledged as the birthplace of winter Alpine tourism and has long attracted visitors from across the world.

It’s no wonder then that St Moritz boasts of a smattering of modern architecture, including projects by Oscar Niemeyer and Norman Foster.

Top and Bottom: Remote, snow-covered landscapes of the Oberalp Pass; In winter, the entire village of Falera is covered by a layer of snow.

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Chur, a stop along the Glacier Express’ route, is Switzerland’s oldest city and has been continuously inhabited for over 5000 years; St Moritz rings around a lake in the centre of town; A traditional house in Falera, constructed with a mixture of stone masonry and timber.

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The colours along Glacier Express’ route vary drastically with each season: burnt oranges and flaming yellows in autumn; lush green and deep blues in summer; and a stark cover of white in winter.

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Presenting a range of furniture from Prasad, a co-operative that emerged from the desire to mesmerize combining elegance with innovation and honouring natural raw wood.

The brand is striving to bring nature to your home in a sustainable manner.

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FURNISHING SUSTAINABILTY TEXT BY ANINDITA GANGULY

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Prasad is a co-operative located in Bone Pukur Danga in Shantiniketan 'the abode of peace'. The idea behind the brand is to render a solemn touch of nature to homes. They attempt to revive the old traditional skills in order to restore ecological balance and dignify the use of natural raw wood in the process.

Currently, the brand manufactures chairs, tables, coffee tables, benches, vases and hangers. However, since working with wood entails the procurement of materials from the market, they are considering an expansion with the development of new ideas like doors, windows and beds as well.

Talking about the inception of the brand, Pepe Zalba, the founder, says it began with him sharing his aesthetic sense and sensibility towards wood with his friends - Raju Ghosh, Shanku Bagdi and Lackiram Maddi which eventually went on to them designing the products together.

Articulating on the design inspiration behind the products, Pepe Zalba says, “Basically we take a look at the wood, still as a log, and start questioning ourselves how we can we turn it into something appropriate for daily use while respecting it at the same time.

We reflect on how its shape and size allows us to execute the task with the minimum intervention on the wood while maximising its qualities.�

The work begins with the initial effort of sourcing full trees and cutting them. They research and try to employ techniques that were used during prehistoric times with materials as natural as possible.

Solid Black Siris Wood Bench with barnished iron has a linseed oil and bee wax finish.

The wood is adequately treated either with fire to increase the quality and with linseed oils and bee wax to preserve them.

A chair that accumulates sustainability and adds elegance to your living room.

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The brand is community-based and highly regards local expertise as local craftsmen are the only suppliers. They are also committed to retaining the pieces neat and simple and minimising the use of nails and screws. The products are beautiful, detachable and easily transported. The brand pledges to ensure that the wood they use finds its way back to the ecosystem by engaging in reforestation activities in the area.

Pepe Zalba admits that the response to the products has been quite affirmative so far. People get surprised by the kind of furniture they come up with because of the rustic yet sophisticated feel that they generate. Interestingly, people from all walks of life have a very similar reaction to their products.

Their first piece was sold to a professor of a university from Canada who had come to visit Santiniketan for a conference. Moreover, their products have also found a place amongst the possessions of few famous designers too.

Prasad prasadfurniturestudi@ gmail.com +91 9800164092

Chair of 2 solid pieces of Siris Desmantable with adjustable head rest.

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LOFT-Y ASPIRATIONS

For the renovation of her 4 BHK residence, Jyotika Shah handed the team of Ego Designs a bit of an unnerving canvas, replete with skewed lines and walls that were far from being perpendicular.

The designers started from scratch after disrobing the space completely.

Text By Ar. Priti Kalra Photographs Courtesy Darshit Ringwala

Indigo sofas and steel framed tables add to the look, while dĂŠcor elements like tripod lamps and cushions in an ethnic theme further accentuate it.

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Located in Sukhsagar Apartments in Navrangpura, Ahmedabad, the 1300 sq ft flat sits on the 9th floor of an ageing building. As far as the layout was concerned, the client was clear about her spatial requirements. Always eager to put their own spin on spaces, the designers were delighted to institute the civil changes. Both parties were on the same page with regard to the aesthetics.

Says one of the principal designers, Chirag Doshi, “She wanted us to experiment and be creative - make it look different - but also keep in mind that a family was going to reside there.”

}

Seizing the free hand that had been given to them, the designers adopted a semiindustrial eclectic loft style for the interiors of the common area - the entrance foyer, the living area, the dining area and the puja room. As such, textural play became integral to the scheme. A continuous wooden ceiling over the common spaces reinforces the industrial look. A brick wall forms the backdrop to the living area, while the dining area finds its focus in a wall of mini handmade ceramic tiles.

The blues, reds and yellows of the tiles offer a visually appealing textural contrast to the kiln fired surface.

Concrete finish tiles surrounded by bands of wooden skirting form the selected choice of flooring. In the balcony, a ceiling of wooden rafters hovers above whitewashed wooden wall paneling dotted with greenery.

Because it is undoubtedly the highlight of the house, the most central location was bestowed upon the brick wall. In keeping with the loft style interiors, track lighting was installed in the ceiling. Indigo sofas and steel framed tables add to the look, while décor elements like tripod lamps and cushions in an ethnic theme further accentuate it.

The wooden ceiling sits just below the true ceiling and appears to float above the network of beams, seamlessly throughout the common area.

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Overall, the furniture selection could be called minimalist, employing predominantly blacks, whites and wooden textures. In order to increase the visual depth of the space, storage units in the common area have been restricted to a height of 3’. “The glass walls of the puja room also help to increase the feel of depth in the space,” says Chirag.

}

A common conundrum associated with renovation projects is that the existing structure of the building always presents the designers with the question of how it can be incorporated aesthetically into the scheme. In this residence, RCC beams divide the different segments of the common area. Thus, a massive beam running the entire length of the living area separates it from the dining area.

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Secondary beams notionally demarcate the components of the common area further. One solution to this would have been to drop the wooden ceiling down to the soffit of the beam. Interestingly, though, the designers took the path less travelled by revealing the beams, rather than concealing them. The wooden ceiling sits just below the true ceiling and appears to float above the network of beams seamlessly throughout the common area.

By doing this, they have managed to retain the original volume of the space.

“For the bedrooms, we decided to continue some elements from the common area, but restrain ourselves with regard to the industrial look,” says Chirag. Thus, the flooring, skirting and wooden doors meander their way into the sleeping quarters. However, the statement that the textured walls make is limited to the confines of the common area. Of the four bedrooms, two have been treated as master suites, one as a children’s bedroom and one as a guest room.

The glass walls of the puja room also help to increase the feel of depth in the space.

}

}

The children’s bedroom is connected internally to the master bedroom for easy access. The interiors of the bedrooms are quaint and minimal. The guest room doubles up as a TV room. The designers have changed the flooring and lighting scheme in this room, in order to separate it aesthetically from the others.

“Lastly, the small lobby leading to the bedrooms has been highlighted with a family collage,” says Chirag.

Chirag and Sneha Doshi founded Ego Designs in Ahmedabad in early 2007, soon after the completion of his post graduation. With no past experience in the field, the duo took it upon themselves to learn the tricks of the trade the hard way. A few small jobs later, Ego Designs found itself armed with the right amount of learning experience to take on larger projects. Appreciation and a validation for their efforts came in 2013 when leading magazines began showing interest in featuring their work. Today, the studio has completed several noteworthy residential, retail, office and hospitality projects.

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When a studio manages to attain the right balance between its own desire for experimental creativity and its client’s aspiration for a homely and soothing living experience, a respected work of art can truly be achieved. At the Navrangpura residence, the design team’s success undeniably speaks of this equilibrium. egodes@gmail.com

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incredible India A SEASONED KITCHEN Page

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YOUR PERSONAL HUB

A new door of opportunity has opened in India for massive design interventions. While national manufacturing companies in several sectors are targeting global markets and becoming formidable global competitors, the design industry has also emerged as a winner in the race. Designers and companies across the country have come a long way in creating a separate identity for themselves, placing the entire industry on the forefront of global recognition.

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The design industry in India is characterized by various small to medium sized ‘innovative’ firms and large conglomerates that offer multiple specialties and serve as a one-stopshop for design needs. The design industry today comprises an important chunk of the Indian economy. In fact a few Indian design companies are internationalizing their operations by opening offices in other countries and tying up with design companies abroad. A large number of sanitary and kitchen brands have entered India and step foot outside, changing the content of the local markets.

BATHROOM DYNAMICS Page

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LIVING ROOM LUXE Page

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KEEPING IT OUTDOORS Page

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brands that created buzz in 2016

With a keen and discerning eye, design entrepreneurs are tapping local art and presenting it in a fashion pertaining to relevant mindsets and times. This has established a new platform to showcase our talent across the world. New dimensions of bedroom and living room design are gaining momentum as a whole new range of furniture design takes birth. The outdoor product catalogue has also grown by leaps and boundaries as newer technologies and innovations invade the markets.

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As we take you on board a design journey inspired by and accessible in India, we guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised.

Read about companies trending and what design connoisseurs have to say about emerging trends and new products.

BREAKING ALL BOUNDARIES! Page

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TAKING CENTERSTAGE! Page

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A SEASONED KITCHEN Today the kitchen is being seasoned with a plethora of options that makes it a space that has something for everyone.

With the arrival of new products and technologies, the heat is definitely building.

ELICA STAR - ISLAND HOOD The new Elica Hood is ideal in size for an island kitchen. It mixes mirrored polished steel and glass pieces to enclose a cylinder with great extraction power and lighting technology.

A concealed sensor detects the kind of cooking being executed and calibrates the level of aspiration needed.

Controlled by a remote control it can easily be disassembled and cleaned in the dishwasher.

AXOR AXOR MONTREUX KITCHEN FAUCETS Axor Montreux is an iconic collection that stylistically reflects on the time of scientific and cultural change. The single lever kitchen mixer comes with an ergonomic lever handle. One of its versions has a pull out spout that allows maximum operability around the sink. It additionally features two spray types for washing and rinsing.

Both mixers are rotatable. www.axor-design.com

www.elicaindia.com

DUPONT KITCH’T - COMPACT KITCHEN All in one, the ‘Kitch’T’ tucks everything underneath eliminating overhead components. Starting with a table, it unfolds into a compact kitchen and is made to fit the width and length of one Corian board that forms the worktop.

Handles are absent and the doors are finished in water resistant solid red oak. Inbuilt with electrical sockets, it is easily connected to water and electrical supplies.

SIEMENS DOMINO TEPPENYAKI HOB

www.dupont.co.in

The ‘Domino Teppenyaki Hob’ by Siemens is a glass ceramic cooktop that makes cooking fun. It heats up faster than the conventional steel hob and is much easier to clean. One can adjust the temperature of the individual cooking zones precisely. This is ensured by 17 power panels. Its high speed cooking zones are optimized for fast cooking. www.siemens-home.bsh-group.com

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DORNBRACHT INDIA PVT. LTD. UNIVERSAL KITCHEN ZONE The ‘Universal Kitchen Zone’ from Dornbracht is a much needed solution for small kitchens. It demonstrates separation and optimal functionality in a kitchen where it is hard to separate your work processes completely.

Featuring a deep multifunctional and a shallow food preparation basin, it comes equipped with a liquid dispenser and a pop-up waste. A cutting board fits seamlessly over it to allow simultaneous activities. www.dornbracht.com

BLUM ORGA-LINE DRAWER ACCESSORIES ‘Orga-Line’ accessories make many kitchen tasks easier.

Whether in the drawer or on the counter, everything is close at hand with knife holders, spice trays and plate holders. Once done, you can store these accessories neatly back in the drawer.

It also helps to keep the counter clear for prepping and cooking. www.blum.com./in

HACKER 5082 SYSTEMAT/SYSTEMATART

METRIKA HANDLESS KITCHENS The ‘Handless Kitchens’ from Metrika read harmony embedded in daily simplicity. The opening of doors, drawers and trundles is conducted handlessly by means of a simple inner rail, of natural or lacquered aluminum fitted to the structure of the module. Available in veneer, lacquer or laminate finish, it can be customized further via complimentary modules, glass panels, lighting and coloured film.

‘Hacker 5082’ kitchen systems reach for the skies. It is right at home with kitchens that want to achieve more.

Available in brushed surfaces, veneered in sherry wild oak, its stylish design sensibility portrays a clarity that culminates in the open. Abundant with white open shelving systems it is ideal for a large kitchen. www.haecker-india.com

www.metrika.in

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YOUR PERSONAL HUB The bedroom is one such room that truly reflects your taste and personal style. With more and more options, it is becoming easier for people to build their comfortable and personal hub.

FLOS BON JOUR TABLE LAMP

INHABIT THE MITRA COLLECTION Inhabit launches its new collection that brings to the forefront a set of bed side tables that endeavour to play with convention.

Decorative trunks in vintage and modern designs go a long way in gracing your bedroom style. Handcrafted in leather, embellished with metal accessories and equipped with drawers they serve as a good storage solution beside your bed head. www.inhabit.in

The ‘Bon Jour’ table lamp designed by Philippe Starck is a portrayal of timeless elegance and dematerialization. Its body seems ethereal, pure and almost immaterial. Its naked transparent base can be customized with interchangeable finishings and materials, expressing personal taste. While its colourful options work for a child or teenager’s room, the white and chrome are perfect for your guest bedrooms. www.flos.com

ALSORG THE BEDROOM COLLECTION Alsorg launches its latest ‘Bedroom Collection’ which is designed to offer the very best in choice and luxury. The entire collection is crafted out of solid American Walnut wood. While the beds come clad in suede with high backs and fluted high gloss frames, its side tables in matt lacquer, flank brass handles, black nickel chrome legs and handless details. www.alsorg.com

ESSENTIA ENVIRONMENTS THE UBERLUXE EXPERIENCE Essentia Environments introduces its new collection - The Uberluxe Experience that beautifully and innovatively integrates elements in a luxurious and truly cosmopolitan lifestyle, through its furniture. The brand’s beds are one of a kind. Some are fully upholstered and come with matching side tables, while others have a side platform extension synonymous to modern design. www.essentiaenvironments.com

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NOLTE HOME STUDIO THE HORIZONT COLLECTION The secret to a Nolte bedroom is that everything is close at hand. Its Horizont Collection displays fronts available with either 2,4 or 7 lattice bars in chrome or wood finish, with a choice of panels in 4 glass and 7 wood finishes. It also houses accessible deep storage, concealed locking sections, custom rails and drawers, slide out trays, racks and convenient wardrobe lighting. www.homestudioindia.com

RED BLUE AND YELLOW THE CONCORDE BED Red Blue and Yellow, deliver cutting edge furniture that is decidedly modern, using the finest of Indian craftsmen and traditional wood working techniques. The Concorde Bed manufactured in solid Burma Teak wood is painstakingly crafted and finished to redefine upscale luxury living. Its striking curved contours and matching side tables leave a lasting impression. www.redblueyellow.in

HANDS THE URBANE COLLECTION

BOMBAY ATELIER THE HANDI MAN ‘The Handi Man’ are quirky side tables derived from the classic ‘Handi’ pot used across India. They are the perfect tool to add that pop of whimsy to your child or teenagers room. They are made in a variety of materials including brass, copper and terracotta. Its wireframe structure creates a lightweight frame that supports a removable solid teak top finished naturally.

‘The Urbane Collection’ from Hands is all about sophisticated, elegant and understated design. Its carpets feature contemporary patterns in a fascinating repeat mode and are hand knotted in botanical silk and wool.

These intricately woven carpets with precise lines display beautiful perfection and make a statement when spread out on your bedroom floor. www.hands-carpets.com

www.bombayatelier.com

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BATHROOM DYNAMICS At first glimpse the bathroom comes across as the dullest room in the house - tributary to its functional and prosaic means, but the arrival of a whole new range of products has totally revamped its image.

KOHLER MARRAKESH BASIN

GRAFF AMETIS - BASIN MIXER Ametis from Graff is a wall-mounted mixer and a symbol of fusion between the universe above and the oceans below. It is a futuristic ode to high design in the bathroom. Drawing inspiration from the density and movement of water and Japanese text produced by a single brush gesture, it comes equipped with LED lights that change colour with the water temperature.

The ceramic washbasin by Kohler, ‘Marrakesh’ was named after the city and is the focal point in any bathroom. It displays an abstract floral pattern inspired by the work of local artists.

The pattern on the extended surfaces on either side that serves as a shelf comes from mosaics rediscovered in a Moroccan courtyard. It comes in an under-mount system of fit-out. www.kohler.co.in

www.graff-faucets.com

DURAVIT INDIA PVT. LTD. CAPE COD FURNITURE COLLECTION This new bathroom furniture collection designed by Philippe Starck, derives its name from the Cape Cod coast. The characteristic feature of the furniture collection is the perfect fusion of material and design. Manufactured in solid natural wood, each item is one of a its kind. Available in chrome and high white gloss finish, it provides ample storage as it poses as a center piece in your bathroom.

VITRA JUNO SERIES

www.duravit.in

The Juno Collection from Vitra offers a lavish bathroom interior ambience, created with original Swarovski crystal joysticks and faucet rings enhanced with fine details. Its simple form and function is enhanced incredibly with PVD coatings that makes it corrosion and scratch resistant. Available in gold and chrome shades it adds texture, depth and a unique identity to your bathroom. www.vitra-india.com

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MUKUL GOYAL KOI NI COLLECTION Mukul Goyal’s products draw inspiration from everyday life and are a blend of traditional materials with contemporary expression. His Koi Ni collection is yet another simple story, narrated with a twist. It boasts of a range of bathroom accessories like the ‘Relaxed Toothbrush Holder’, ‘Relaxed Soap Dispenser’ and ‘Hang-On Wall Hook’ whose style quotient is dependent on figurines in different postures. www.mukulgoyal.com

HINDUSTAN SANITARYWARE INDUSTRIES LTD. THE RIMLESS WC COLLECTION Recently launched ‘Hindware Rimless WC’ ensures efficiency in cleaning and maintenance. Recommended by the IAMPH it safeguards hygiene standards providing a 100% clean and bacteria free environment. Its product line consists of Element, Enigma and Lara. Its superior swirling motion flush minimizes water usage. It comes with a concealed trap. www.hindwarehomes.com

GROHE ALLURE BRILLIANT SERIES

SPACETALE DESIGNS SPROUT TO CLOUD COLLECTION ‘Sprout to Cloud’ from Spacetale Designs includes a range of products that celebrate nature. It draws inspiration from a germinating seed and its journey into a full grown tree. The collection includes a mirror with light and shelf in the form of a cloud. A revolving hanger storage unit resembles a tree trunk.

A perfect solution to perk up your child’s bathroom.

Crisp planes, intriguing angles and cut out details illustrate the absolute precision with which the ‘Allure Brilliant’ series has been crafted. It seeks to explore the pure, linear appeal of minimalist architecture.

Its portfolio consists of faucets, showers, fittings and spouts. A range of accessories including frosted lead crystal beakers and soap dishes completes this collection. www.grohe.com/in

www.spacetaledesigns.com

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LIVING ROOM LUXE As style becomes more of a personal choice than an industrial parameter, an extension of this is viewed in the living rooms as it houses elements that revamp the image of a ‘Living Room’.

GREAT EASTERN HOME ORIENTAL GLORY

BEYOND DESIGNS THE EVERGREEN COLLECTION Whether you’re collapsing into them at the end of the day or catching up on them over cups of tea, sofas take center stage in your living rooms. This collection from Beyond Designs combines quality craftsmanship with distinctive design. Running a gamut of shapes and silhouettes from mid-century cool to sleek contemporary, they merge into your ambience simply and effortlessly.

Cabinets have always been an integral part of living rooms.

Great Eastern Home presents its exclusives range of classical Chinese antique cabinets which add rustic flavour and traditional charm through aesthetics and elegance.

Made with highest quality Burma Teak, they are durable as well as symbols of exquisite craftsmanship. The Oriental Glory collection is sure to introduce chic opulent living. www.thegreateasternhome. com

www.beyonddesigns.in

ELEMENTTO LIFESTYLES PVT. LTD. THE GLACIAL WINTER COLLECTION The Glacial Winter Collection by Elementto brings an innovative range of wallpapers that reflect the natural effects of silk, velvet, stone and metal.

Delivering a blend of sophistication and design to your living room walls, they accentuate the space and give it a complete look. Durable in nature, these wallpapers come in a wide range of textures, colours and designs.

SPACE TALE DESIGNS DARK DIAMOND COLLECTION

www.elementto.in

The Dark Diamond Collection from Space Tale Designs has been designed taking inspiration from junk jewellery. The ‘let modern’ design style in solid mahogany gives the furniture a very classy look, while the low V.O.C level PU finishing makes the collection health friendly.

www.spacetaledesigns.com

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ESSENTIA ENVIRONMENTS THE URBAN COLLECTION Broad strokes, angled backs, chesterfield details and streamlined curves spell out this eye catching collection from Essentia Environments. A perfect example of modern upscale furniture, the tufted seats exuberate classic charm. Hand crafted and well-fitted upholstery with fine finished framework creates an urban vibe wherever these sofas are placed. www.essentiaenvironments.com

DESIGN GANDHI THE AQUARIUS TABLE The ‘Aquarius’ by Design Gandhi is a perfect prop to add some eclectic-modernism to your living space. Inspired by the idea of aspiring calmness through stillness, it imparts delicacy and subtlety just like the aqua. Made of mild steel, solid wood and brass rods that are powder coated or polished, it comes with a clear, brass, solid wood or back painted glass top. www.designgandhi.com

ZYNNA SUMPTUOUS VELVET

OTTIMO DISEGNI LLP THE SOFA COLLECTION The Sofa Collection talks comfort through its modular and ground raised designs. Including velvet and linen upholstery in the freshest of hues like dark brown, emerald green and different shades of grey it exudes flawless craftsmanship. Available in two, three and the L shaped five seater module it consists of a solid wood frame, seat suspensions, flared arms, elastic webbing and designer pillows.

Zynna introduces the indulgent velvet fabric for your living spaces that catches the light in the room, giving your curtains and furniture multiple tonal changes.

Velvet, a hard wearing fabric looks incredible as it lends individualism and sophistication.

Built on eye catching colours, this collection is designed keeping the winters in mind as it works its way in nurturing a warm and cozy environment. www.zynna.in

www.ottimodesegni.com

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KEEPING IT OUTDOORS Beyond their visual impact and practical application, outdoor products extend the enjoyment of outdoor living on both ends.

Today we have a host of products that allow you to custom build your backyard dreams.

WISMA ATRIA THE OUTDOOR COLLECTION Interior Designer Nomita Kohli of Wisma Atria Interiors has launched an impressive outdoor collection that consists of notable furniture and lights. While the furniture is carved out of superior quality resin, its resin lights are paired with metal.

Sofa sets, armchairs and stools come upholstered in white or printed fabric.

Lights flaunt exquisite cut work accentuating the rustic modern look they exuberate.

NOW! - HULSTA MOON BIRDY Now! by Hulsta has introduced the ‘Moon Birdy’ that is a light, an object of art and a seat - all in one. Sturdy enough to survive extreme weather conditions, you can also add a bit of colour by fitting out a whole flock of them with coloured bulbs.

Made of robust polythene, it can endure 100 kgs of weight. www.hulsta.com

www.wismaatria.in

ALEX DAVIS STUDIO THE CHAMPA TREE Artist and designer, Alex Davis uses stainless steel to create contemporary pieces of modern design. While stainless steel is known for its shiny, sturdy quality, Alex makes the metal appear softer. His installation named, ‘The Champa Tree’ is sure to make a statement in your farmhouse or garden.

The knobby yet slender branches of the tree reflect impeccable craftsmanship and irreverent luxury. www.alexdavisstudio.com

IDUS ILLUMINATED PLANTERS The magnificent collection of ‘Illuminated Planters’ launched by Idus is fit to create a beautiful and panoramic view for your front porch, patio, entryways or any other outdoor space. Fitted with energy saving lamps, the designer pots add a contemporary accent to your space as they highlight the plants and emit a soft glow. www.idus.in

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FENNYG BOUNCE SPLINT CHAIRS Launched by the design creation studio, FennyG, the Bounce Splint Chair was borne by reinventing and simplifying every aspect of seating. Lean, light and pro-responsive the chairs are minimal. It is not only great fun to sit on but also ventilates and supports your body, making it comfortable for long use. The elasticity of the silicone makes it easy to get out too. www.fennyg.com

BOMBAY ATELIER THE CROW CHAIR The Crow Chair by Bombay Atelier is generated from the anatomy of a crow. The framework looks dramatic and graphic assuming the formation of a crow’s legs. Well curated angles lent proportion and strength to the upper frame that eventually give way to a softer element - the seat cushion. Made of powder coated mild steel, the Crow Chair is available in the black and grey shades of a crow. www.bombayatelier.com

THE RETYREMENT PLAN THE PHULKARI OTTOMAN

TRESORIE THE CYCLE PLANTER Tresorie’s outdoor collection, launched this season drives you towards a natural, unstructured feel. Its ‘Cycle Planter’ particularly catches your attention amidst other noteworthy counterparts. Made of solid wood and metal, ‘The Cycle Planter’ can completely transform the look of your balcony or garden.

The planter amalgamates classic design on natural hues exuding freshness, opulence and serenity.

The Phulkari Ottoman is moulded out of waste materials that are not considered beautiful in the traditional sense.

A dusty well used tyre is used by giving it a design detail.

The tyres are washed and sanitized before use.

The ropes are made of recycled tailoring waste and plastic wrapper waste. All in all, it’s a cohesive invention of durable and impressive design. www.facebook.com/ TheRetyrementPlan/

www.facebook.com/tresorieindia/

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brands that created buzz in 2016 Using their exceptional work as a medium, these companies taught us that once you ‘got’ pop you could never see a sign the same way again and once you ‘thought’ pop you could never see India the same way again!

PLAY CLAN The Graphic Folk Himanshu Dogra’s Delhi-based Play Clan is a fashion, graphic art and design set-up that retails assorted curios. Calling themselves the ‘graphic folk’, the young enthusiastic kid on the block tells us, “Hand drawn with artisan workmanship our products transform simple observations and unforgettable experiences into memorable possessions”.

Each product from Play Clan reiterates the saying that, ‘Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time’. While one gets transported visually to India’s rich lineage, you also find yourself correlating with the contemporary depiction of traditional folklore. The company’s trademark lies in its hand drawn, hand printed and hand crafted decoction of merchandise.

This Kitsch giant also introduced playful spiritualism to its young audience with their collection ‘Oh So Osho’ - a range of fun, eclectic and odd designs, inspired by the popular spiritual teacher - Osho.

Reinventing mythology in quirky shades, their collection of wall art are befittingly dramatic. While arty translations of mythological figures and historical empires are simple statement makers, their minimalistic style of design, outlined by sharp and solid colours are compelling conversation starters.

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DESI JUGAAD Re load your space

Co-founders Kritika Gattani and Ishita Gupta, a fashion merchandiser and research analyst respectively, pride themselves with ‘Desi Jugaad’ – a team venture which everyone can relate to. Reaching out to its local Delhiites with its name, Desi Jugaad is a furniture and home décor label, creating admirable pieces from everyday objects that would otherwise find solace in your garbage. The concept furniture store designs quirky, artistic products drawing inspiration from daily life by innovatively transforming existing furniture into funky, up-cycled masterpieces. As the girls put it, “We do not fix the old or broken - but start over and turn items into something better”.

The name ‘Jugaad’ quintessentially means ‘frugal innovation’. From car tyres to bicycle wheels, camera tripod stands to rolling pins, industrial plumbing pipes to driftwood, Kritika and Ishita’s girl power reigns supreme when it comes to thinking out of the box.

Alive with an eco-friendly soul, their products are fun spirited and engaging. As they say, “Old is the new New”. Kritika and Ishita are without doubt painting the town red or let’s say Desi with their twin imagination!

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GOMAADS Quirky Concrete Circling Delhi, is yet another interesting product design studio based in Noida called the GOMAADS. Sculpting lifestyle products in concrete, the trio behind the brand Gopendra Singh, Malavika Singh Gupta and Aditi Sharma tells us, “This is neither the temporary plastic nor the permanent metal. This is art in concrete”.

The team explains, “Concrete is a composite material. It derives its name from ‘con’ meaning together and ‘crescere’ meaning to grow. It is an artificial product that grows naturally. Its changing behaviour makes it unique and yours”.

Who thought concrete could be quirky? But a first look at their table clocks will definitely change your image of the dull base. The twisted stands play tunes of time in concrete in a bold and playful manner. Their t-lights are an expression of fluid light housed in solid concrete that glows with personalised art. From handcrafted paper weights that look like stones from the river beds to fun shaped magnets that counter the gravity of concrete, their products cover a whole spectrum in vivid shades of grey. Enlightening this spectrum further are their concrete lights that radiate a perfect ambience.

“Round is the new square”, their idea stands glued to walls as their circular tiles create customized art installations for any surface.

With an insane energy that backs them as a driving force their products are turning the tides and flooding the quirky markets with a concrete wave.

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THE PURPLE TURTLES An Inviting Address

The center of India’s hi-tech industry, Bangalore is also known for its store - The Purple Turtles. The Purple Turtles opened their eyes in 2009 and have ever since given the country an out-of-the-ordinary decorative lighting destination. Bridging the gap with good design that fitted in contemporary Indian homes was the main reason the store crawled to surface. Today, The Purple Turtles range has extended beyond lighting to unique and interesting furniture and home accents.

Radheesh Shetty’s pet project began in collaboration with lighting designer Jenny Pinto. Radheesh shares, “We custom-make the designs and shape of the lights for our clients, Earlier lights were essentially made of glass but now people are open to materials like paper, steel, banana fibre, wood and even stone”. The ‘Hand Pump Table’ made of iron and wood, ‘The Embroidery Poufs’, ‘Sheet Metal Magazine Holders’ and ‘Iron Buckets’ that pose as planters are just a few charming pieces from the lot.

Their ‘Bird Installation’ in banana paper and perforated brass sheets has travellers looking up in awe at the Mumbai Airport. The Purple Turtles is more than just a store. It is an art gallery – a platform for domestic designers to showcase their talent.

Delivering compelling experiences, personalised to individual needs, The Purple Turtles is a one stop shop for the individuals who have fun on their minds!

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KULTURE SHOP Walking Into Kulture Community Mumbai’s Kulture Shop located in the city’s ‘queen of the suburbs’ is dedicated to serving the cause of graphic art.

Founded by Arjun, Jas Charanjiva, Rajeev Sathe and Anand, the studio curates and retails prints of 15 graphic artists.

Conversations matter a lot at the Kulture Shop as the team tells us, “We wanted to create a community of graphic artists and get them talking to each other and to the people who buy their work”. People are encouraged to walk in and discuss the graphic art on display. This according to them was an unusual tactic but it certainly got people talking about them and their work!

Once a month the studio turns into a gallery showcasing work pertaining to the theme of the month.

With themes like ‘Welcome to the Future’ and ‘Street Art’ they are churning up a new twisted, kitsch atmosphere for people to experience and enjoy. It is clear that for the Kulture Community - art is life! Their ‘Kids Collection’ inspires the little artists with a range of vibrant art spanning across illustrations, patterns, typography and more. The team believes that “cities and designers have a long history of shaping and influencing each other”.

Be the sprawling metropolises or places steeped in ancient history - every city has its unique voice. From cushion covers, to art prints, to stationery, this Bandra studio has influenced sophisticated to feel sauve and traditional to feel modern.

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BREAKING BOUNDARIES !

As we close the door on 2016 let’s take a look at what the design industry experts have to say about new products flocking the markets and how our Indian products are competing against their international counterparts.

Asutosh Shah Managing Director, Duravit India

What is the latest product launched by Duravit in the wellness category? How well do you think is it coping against its international counterpart?

India has a growing lifestyle consumer base due to its healthy economic development and the demographic trend of a growing young, welleducated population. Thanks to changes in lifestyle in different cities across the country, the Indian market more and more demands design brands like Duravit. When developing new products, Duravit is focusing on good design, intelligently used technology and on top quality requirements.

This results in premium, smart bathrooms that enhance the quality of life of their users on a lasting basis.

With the Cape Cod bath tub made from Durasolid, a cast mineral material, Designer Philippe Starck recognised the potential of the new material and was inspired to create a completely new shape. The flexibility of the material gave him the freedom to create a three-dimensional, sculpture-like bath: the design is characteristic of Philippe Starck and based on the archaic form of an oval tub. The sides of the bath open up like a tulip at the top to create a completely unique effect. A gently shaped headrest that can also be used to put down bathroom accessories, adds the finishing touch. The optional air-whirl system is integrated successfully: air is supplied via tiny, almost invisible holes in the base of the bath that are a harmonious part of the design. The unique design from Philippe Starck and the new, innovative material and technology that enhances the comfort is a strong package that enhances the daily wellness in the bathroom.

Pure understatement for those, that want to relax in style.

Indian design is setting newer and larger boundaries. Can you talk about your latest design model in the ceramic segment and why it stands apart from those available across these boundaries?

To meet the highest design requirements in the bathroom, Duravit has developed an innovative method; it involves connecting the ceramic furniture washbasin to the surface of the vanity unit to create a perfect whole. This completely new look produces an exceptionally-sleek washing area.

In the new “c-bonded� version, as Duravit calls this new technology, the furniture washbasin is connected almost seamlessly to the vanity unit in a complex process. Thanks to the accurate and precise-fitting connecting technology, ceramic and furniture merge to form a single unit.

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The material thickness of the washbasin is hidden from view and reduced to the precise rim that at the transition between the cool, smooth ceramic and the natural structure of the wood, feels uniquely pleasant to touch. However, the “c-bonded” solution does not just look and feel impressive: DuraCeram®, the patented special ceramic that actually makes this precision and moulding possible, is particularly wear-resistant.

Biswa Chakrabarti Vice President, Brand and Channel Management Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Limited

Your anti - dust fans are a breakthrough product in the fields on innovation and technology. How has this product taken to the Indian markets?

Bringing consumer centric innovations to the market is one of the pillars of our strategic vision. The anti-dust fan addresses one of the key concerns of the Indian household i.e. easy cleaning and maintenance of fans. In mid-2016, we also launched the Avancer e-sense, India’s first temperature sensing remote controlled ceiling fan.

The Anti Dust fans have been launched 2 months ago and are available at most of the electrical outlets across the country. Market response to the product has been good since it has been designed based on consumers’ insight. Consumers are appreciating the three core features or benefits of this product - ‘Attracts 50% less dust than regular Fan’, and ensures ‘Hassle free cleaning’ leading to good response for this product.

The bulb holders you developed for GM Modular Pvt. Ltd. are a revolution in design for a regular mundane object. How do you compare its design sensibilities to its international counterparts?

The design of the bulb holder had remained the same with very minor modifications over the last 100 years. The design of the bulb holders for GM Modular has become the new standard for the industry and has fetched a lot of recognition to the brand worldwide.

The bulb holders aimed at a combination of 3 elements: functionality - appropriate use of material/technology (quality) - expressiveness (semiotic relevance and aesthetic originality). It has been a best seller in the trade since 2004 and has been adopted by all brands. It has been exhibited at G20 Best Design, Seoul \ Korea 2010 - an exhibition of good design products from 14 countries.

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Sandip Paul Product Designer, Paul Studio

Your product, Mr. Chair is yet another statement making piece. Could you tell us more about it?

Mr. Chair is a curious four legged piece of ‘active’ electrostatic furniture for kids. This is an attempt to trigger ‘curiosity’ in children.

The chair is available in three colours depicting mainly three attributes - the imagination of a painter, the curiosity of a scientist and the enigma of a magician. Thus their names Mr. Painter, Mr. Scientist and Mr. Magician.

The chair is based on the principle of electrostatics. When shaken, the balls rub against the inner surfaces of the chair and generate electrostatic energy. When one wriggles on the chair, the same energy is created on the outer surfaces. This attracts oppositely charged balls towards the surface.

The balls move with the movement of the body.

The whole action lasts for about 30 minutes but I have never seen a kid who sits still for more than a few minutes!

Local art in modern day India is what drives Anantaya. The way you portray the work of local artisans has created a buzz not only within India, but has also garnered a fair share of admirers across the globe. What according to you is the main reason behind this?

Perhaps it is the way that we pair it down to the bare yet sensual form through honest materiality and uncompromising integrity - a spiritual connect. People are connected to their roots and seek deeper meanings. AnanTaya is committed to reviving ancient wisdom and uphold integrity and innovation through passionate practices.

Name one product you launched that you think made a statement in 2016.

What according to you kept it at the top of current design trends?

Three remarkable products from us are Karwa Lamp, Shiva Jug and Kalam Tables. The Karwa is a light and also a piece of art.

It is futuristic - integrating LED lighting, textile traditions and parsi embroidery. Our Shiva Jug inspired by Shiva, has been recently awarded the UNESCO Seal of Excellence 2016. An elegant copper tray has been paired with copper glasses that offset their round bases to hug the Shiva Jug. Another UNESCO Seal of Excellence 2016 winner is our set of Kalam Tables. The Kalam Table Maharaja has a Bhishti watering the path while the Maharaja and his advisor look on. The hand turned, food-safe, mango wood tray with detachable iron legs can be used separately.

Geetanjali Kasliwal Managing Director, Anantaya Decor

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TAKING CENTERSTAGE !

Looking at the year ahead, we turned to some designers and companies to find out what they think about emerging trends and latest designs. Read on for a sneak peek at the future of these trends and designs.

Saurabh Mittal, Director, Ivanka Lumiere

They say 2016 has been the year of modern metallics. How has metal influenced lighting design in terms of a new material accentuating the form and shape of lights in the year to come?

Metallics are so on-trend for home decor. A touch of gold or copper in a room instantly adds a touch of class. The soft metallic lights would be a gorgeous accent to any space. Gold, copper, bronze and rose gold are the major highlights for the 2016 metallic trends. Metal and geometry are best linked to create beauty, refinement and elegance. These metallic suspension lamps are best designed to give fantastic look with complex shadows.

What according to you has dictated lighting design in 2016 and surfaced as an emerging trend?

Choosing new lighting fixtures for your home can be both fun and overwhelming at the same time.

There are so many choices, from design decisions to the many bulb options. A big design trend for 2016 was cluster of differently shaped bulbs.

Apart from big multi-tier chandeliers, people opted for simple and easy designs. Cluster of different bulbs is a huge ongoing trend. Following this, another trendsetters are the rope lights from the industrial collection. The beauty of Industrial is that it’s timeless, neutral, simple and natural.

Your latest line of wallpapers are quite bold and eye catching. What do you consider the point of highlight in this incredible collection? Did you ever feel hesitant to launch such an offbeat subject considering that its clientele could be limited?

One of the perennial highlights of the collection is printed textured wall coverings. They are an ideal vehicle for dressing your walls with subtle profiles of woven fabric, stone, plaster or concrete plus many more effects that come in a wide colour palette and designs to suit all areas of the house.

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Krsna Mehta, Design Director, India Circus

I was not hesitant about launching the collection because your choice of wallpaper depends on the story you want to tell about your room.

You can opt for anything from nature to kitsch, to geometry, to pop, to textured backgrounds inspired by the rich tapestry of diverse streams like Buddhist, Mughal, Malwa, Deccan, Tanjore, British and Modern besides landscapes and folk art with many of them having sub-streams. Bowing to modern Indian sensibilities and evolving tastes, India Circus has wallpapers that cater to modern as well as contemporary homes. People today are open to experimentation and out of the box decor ideas and products.

Creating luxury products that are rooted in Indian culture with a contemporary flair has always been Anantaya’s forte.

Could you tell us a little about your latest designs that are shaping your furniture collection?

Our latest designs are inspired by the timeless traditions of craft and a distinctly modern Indian visual language. The use of rich artisanal materials coupled with bare contemporary shapes and forms are the hallmark of our latest collections. For example, the Gallop Benches are inspired by the classic claw legs, interpreted as horse legs that have been playfully transported into a bench. Brass finish legs and rich velvet have been coupled together to create a rich and unique Indian piece of furniture. The Aero Chair uses saddle grade leather onto reinforced fibres shells. While the light shape and cross weave refers to the bullock carts, the mid-flight poise of the seat makes the chair look light and about to take off.

Geetanjali Kasliwal Managing Director, Anantaya

Geetanjali Kasliwal Managing Director, Anantaya

The recent interest in shapely designs is a continuation of the 70s inspired trend that has been turning heads. Bharat Floorings has left its mark on multiple floors by introducing visual interest to a space via groovy geometrics. Could you tell us about your latest collection of floor coverings in this segment that took 2016 in its sway and still looks promising for the current year?

Inspired by the elemental properties of geometry, DashDashDot is a whimsical collection of tiles constructed from lines (dashes) and circles (dots). The beauty of this collection lies in its immense versatility. The spirit of this collection is that of delight - as it tempts the user to construct, compose, turn and play.

The collection comprises a kit of parts - 4 basic tile units that can be composed in infinite ways to create a huge variety of textures and patterns, from simple to complex. Each tile unit can be used individually in a repeat pattern, or in any combination with one or all of the other tile designs. The outcome - an even textured tonality, or eclectic compositions that are bespoke and one of a kind. From graphic bold black and white, to nuanced tones of dusty pinks, purples and greys, to Mediterranean hues of aquas and ochres, the collection lends itself to being interpreted in a wide palette of colors and moods - perfect for floor applications, to accent walls; a funky, statement powder room to a sprawling tropical verandah.

Firdaus Variava, Vice Chairman, Bharat Floorings and Tiles

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Design Assagao, Goa Boasting a rich cultural heritage of India’s leading tourist paradise is Assagao, a quintessential Goan village set amidst coconut trees and dense greenery.

Designed exclusively by Raya Shankhwalker Architects, this 6230 sq.ft luxury villa is curated exclusively for the firm’s newly launched design and built initiative-Vivara Homes which intends to capture your attention with its lush green landscape and contemporary interiors matched with eclectic pieces.

The villa plot is cocooned by green paddy fields and resonates with the sounds of nature.

The material palette is all natural and the house is designed to have a casual ease synonymous with Goan living. The walls are all white and pop colour accents have been introduced in the furnishings and artwork.

Overall, the project seamlessly encompasses architecture, interior and landscape design. www.rsagoa.in

Text Compiled By Sneha Lukka

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

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

Gemini Group, Mumbai Staying true to its motto of ‘making sense out of a space’, this 3300 sq.ft spacious office designed by Anish Motwani Associates.

Curated for construction firm Gemini Developers in Mumbai, the area is split up into two separate spaces which is visually divided due to different types of flooring used.

The space for the business Centre features a combination of varied seating and cabin arrangements which can be customized as per individual preferences and it is mainly rented out to start up businesses. Whereas, the area of the construction business section has three cabins conceptualized in different design and form and is meant for the inhouse team.

However, what is striking about the project is that all of the three directors’ cabins are designed differently. The first cabin is designed in an ethnic indo-British look with veneer on the walls, the second one in a modern way with glass all around, while the third one is a mix and match of both.

Overall, the whole concept enumerates a youthful and energetic vibe, while also giving the space a professional look and appeal. www.anishkmotwani.in

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Family Tree Restaurant, Mumbai While designing this space, it seems that architect Minnie Bhatt took the name ‘Family Tree’ quite seriously as the design concept perfectly captures the essence of a casual and fun family dining restaurant.

Resonating the idea of being a perfect place for a family to hang out, the area has been demarcated in an outdoor and an indoor seating style, each being unique. The outdoor area has a wall installation of tree branches, appearing to be emerging from the stucco plastered walls with cane backs and teak wood chairs, whereas the quirky illustration work done at the back of chairs in the indoor area makes the place a visual delight. For example, the chair representing a little girl has pastel upholstery whereas one with the illustration of a father has masculine stripes.

Apart from the cutesy photo frames spread all over the walls, the colour palette of the space is a fresh white,with shades of tan and brown, complemented by the mixed colours of green and blue which give the space a fun vibe. www.minniebhatt.com

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LIEBHERR LAUNCHES ITS FIRST EXPERIENCE CENTRE IN MUMBAI Patrons in Mumbai can rejoice as leading equipment manufacturer Liebherr offers a first-hand experience of its branded appliances.

Liebherr, one of the largest and leading construction machine manufacturers, marked its presence in India in the 1980s.

Since then, the brand has been a frontrunner in providing world-class appliances, refrigerators and other cooling appliances.

Liebherr has further strengthened its presence in the Indian market with the launch of its first experience centre in Mumbai.

A first of its kind, the showroom houses cooling appliances built on Liebherr’s world-class standards with a key focus on innovation, allowing customers to get a first-hand experience of the integrated high-end features intrinsic to the brand’s appliances. The centre showcases cooling and freezing combinations of products, side-by-side appliances, built-in appliances as well as wine cabinets.

“The inert characteristics and unique demand of the Indian market offers a huge potential for the cooling appliances’ industry not merely for the present, but also in the future”, said Guenther Sproll, International Head of Marketing, Liebherr Group.

He further added saying, “Industry research tells us that the market for such products in India is slated to grow at the rate of 11.4 percent by 2025. This, coupled with higher disposable incomes and changing consumer preferences, makes India an extremely relevant market for us. With our first ever experience store in Mumbai, we are excited to bring in a revolution not just in terms of refrigeration, but also in the way such high-end products are bought and sold.”

Liebherr has further strengthened its presence in the Indian market with the launch of its first experience centre in Mumbai.

Articulating his views on the launch of its first ever Experience Centre, Radhakrishna Somayaji, Chief Sales Officer, Liebherr Appliances India Pvt. Ltd. said, “The launch of our first ever Experience Centre in Mumbai is a reflection of our unwavering commitment to deliver customer satisfaction with our unique array of innovative products. We are implementing a selective sales strategy in India based on the foundations of definite market research, and the new store is a stepping stone towards developing a strong pan-India dealer network. We are extremely optimistic and excited to offer our premium cooling solutions to Indian customers.”

With over 130 offices in more than 50 countries, the Liebherr group is all set to invest Rs. 500 crore for setting up a production plant in Aurangabad. With the objective of producing high-end refrigeration appliances tailored to suit the Indian market, the company looks ahead to manufacturing 500,000 cooling appliances each year from 2018.

The showroom gives you a first-hand experience of the integrated high-end features intrinsic to the brand’s appliances

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True to its moniker, the Cube House in Ukraine takes its inspiration from a simple geometric shape. In doing so, it embodies an unadulterated design with a simplicity that integrates the whole house with its surrounding nature.

When an artist creates a work for herself, the art elevates to an astounding level.

All inessentials and pretentiousness are stripped off, and only the core beauty and functionality stays. These facts are clearly evident in the Cube House, a home that Victoriya Yakusha designed for her own family.

“I tried to make it simple and functional,” says Yakusha. “We lived in Kyiv centre then, and children had nowhere to play: no playgrounds, dirty parks, gas-polluted air. With the wellbeing of our children uppermost in our minds, we decided to build our home in the pine forest with maximum use of natural materials.”

Text By Ramya Srinivasan Photographs Courtesy Yakusha Design Studio

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The Cube House

The Cube House is a stylish and contemporary dream residence built by Victoriya Yakushain in Kyiv, Ukraine.

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The objective was to create a warm family space with special emphasis on aerated areas for the two children. And, there was certainly no shortage of open areas as the project was located amidst the tall, stately pines in the Kyiv region.

The idea of using the cube architecture was to preserve and even take advantage of the available natural landscape. The cube concept helped save the beauty of the pine forest and also let the family enjoy the breath-taking scenery from close quarters.

Another benefit of using the cubic shape is optimal space utilisation, which was essential in this case - the plot area is 700 sq m and the floor space is just 200 sq m. The family needed a two-car garage inside the house, another factor that made the optimal use of space crucial to the architecture.

Optical illusion plays its part in making the house larger than it is. To keep unity with nature, one of the walls in the double-height living room is made of glass. This fact helps fill up the house with daylight and also allows the family to enjoy the beauty of the pine trees present outside the window.

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Extensive use of glass, and unity in the living and dining areas create the optical illusion of large spaces.

The layout of the house again focused on the functional need and personalities of the family members. On the ground floor is the huge garage, a spacious living room that is combined into a single unit with the dining area and the kitchen. “I really desired the feeling of airiness,� reiterates Yakusha. No wonder then that that height of the living room is a good 5.5 metres.

On the second floor is the private zone, where the main bedroom and the two children’s rooms are located. The main bedroom has a subtle and calm graphite decorative cover on the walls harmonising seamlessly with the oak floor.

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“The house is designed in such a way that I can talk with the children who are playing on the second floor. Plus the first floor leads right to the veranda. Everything is about a seamless communication within the house which functions as one single body,” explains Yakusha.

The teenage girl’s room is an epitome of versatility and is designed with ample attention to detail. A stylish, multifunctional room with two beds, a work desk and a comfortable bright sofa, it is resplendent in a natural green, white and oak-wood palette. Irrespective of the activity that needs to be done, whether it is stretching out to get some homework done, sleep, or hangout with friends, the room is flexible enough to do it with ease and style.

Clever separation of spaces with a built-in oak panelled podium and cheerful colours lead you to the boy’s room.

The other room is for the boy, but can accommodate two children just like the girl’s. At the time of designing the house, Yakusha was pregnant with the third baby. “We didn’t know whether we were expecting a boy or a girl, and we had only two children rooms. So we re-planned the rooms in such a way that a new dweller could take any of them,” says Yakusha.

So, the idea was to keep the design flexible and make it fun for a toddler or a teen. The pristine white walls in the boy’s room are decorated with funky blue and red drawings. A work desk is placed over the oak-floored podium that hides two pull-out beds. The podium creates a neat partition for fun and work spaces.

Calm and subtle shades are the choice for the master bedroom, a place to unwind after a long day.

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The girl’s room comes with more roominess. Here the sleeping areas have been elevated, and the addition of a comfy couch facilitates endless banter with friends.

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In keeping with the ethos of the design studio, the Cube House is made of natural and eco-friendly materials such as wood, wool and linen. This philosophy is consistent with Yakusha’s other creations as well. Here, in the serene forests of Kyiv, this adds to the charming ambience of her dream family home. yakushadesign.adm@gmail.com

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VC Shield Keeps Pace With The Evolving Tile Market Somany Ceramics hopes to accomplish new heights with the innovative VC Shield tiles.

Somany has introduced its patented revolutionary Veil Craft Shield Hard Coat technology to combat a key issue like glaze abrasion; it balances true functionality with brilliant aesthetics and also gives the floor a lifelong durability.

The technology provides a protective layer on the tile shielding it from weathering, wear and tear as well as stains and scratches retaining freshness and novelty of the tile for a considerably long time.

This technology, first implemented by Somany,has outperformed PEI Grade V tiles, which itself is a worldwide benchmark for high abrasion. VC tiles are ideal for high traffic areas such as shopping malls, airports, hospitals, offices, etc.

VC Shield renders a specially treated coating that protects each tile against abrasion, scratches and stain ensuring timeless elegance. The VC tile can take up to 50,000 revolutions which makes it practically abrasion-proof and the most durable tile to exist in the Indian market.

Besides being abrasion resistant, the tiles are also stain impervious. Stain is caused because of micro pore hole on the top of the tile surface. VC Shield Hard Coat technology uses nano-polishing on the top of the tile surface accumulates the micro pore holes reducing the effect of stain.

The tiles are made using superior quality terracotta instead of marble or granite, thus reducing the effect of radiations.

The glaze of the tiles remains the same over the years.

VC Shield technology provides a protective layer on the tile shielding it from weathering, wear and tear as well as stains and scratches.

VC Shield Hard Coat technology uses nano-polishing on the top of the tile surface accumulates the micro pore holes reducing the effect of stain.

The tiles are available in various sizes, colours, textures and designs which are suitable for all surfaces especially floors to cater to the taste and preference of the contemporary and the conventional individuals. The tiles are manufactured from the brand’s newly built state-of-theart plant in Kassar, Haryana, which has a marvelous production capacity of 3 million square metres. Somany Ceramics has received The American Ceramic Society’s (AcerS) Corporate Technical Achievement Award 2014 for the development of VC Shield floor tiles. Somany aims to scale new heights in innovation in design and excellence in performance and durability with VC Shield tiles.

The tiles are available in various sizes, colors, textures and designs.

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Photo Courtesy: ARM Architects

Elizabeth Quay, Perth

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AN ARCHITECTURE OF CONFRONTATIONS Text By Ar Apurva Bose Dutta Photographs Ar Apurva Bose Dutta, ARM Architects

Bengaluru-based architectural journalist, Architect Apurva Bose Dutta, who recently represented the Indian Delegation at the International Media Visit of Architectural Writers at Melbourne, writes about “architecture that confronts�, a realisation that dawned upon her on her meeting with the award-winning ARM Architects of Australia.

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Photo Courtesy: ARM Architects

Photo Courtesy: ARM Architects

Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne

Geelong Library & Heritage Centre, Gellong, Victoria

It robustly validated that Australia, a confluence of disparate architectural styles is all for architects who pursue the unconventional way and “dare” to experiment. Known for their “daring, controversial designs and their architectural outspokenness”, ARM Architecture was established by Late Stephen Ashton, Howard Raggatt and Ian McDougall in 1988, and has been one of the most influential architectural offices in Australia in these three decades.

Instrumental in shaping the idea of public architecture throughout Australia, ARM challenges design thinking with its out-of-the-box solutions. One look at the Melbourne CBD, and you know that most of the major buildings are a product of ARM. Working on diverse typologies of buildings with distinct designs solutions that don’t hold a common thread, the firm’s designs inherit a language that compels onlookers to stop and look at their building designs.

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Photo Courtesy: Ar Apurva Bose Dutta

“Architecture is a curious craft”, the famous words of Professor Christopher Charles Benninger has stayed with me right from my architecture schooling days! Architecture can calm you, relax you, make you at ease; but it can also shock and stimulate you and question and challenge your ideas. Recently, the award-winning architecture, urban and interior design practice, ARM Architects based out of Melbourne and Perth, were honoured with the 2016 Architecture Gold Medal, Australia’s highest award by the Australian Institute of Architects.

Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne

Examples include the Barak building, an apartment building of civic significance due to its imprint of William Barak, the last leader of the aboriginal tribe of Australia, on its front facade; the Melbourne Recital Centre with its flamboyant facades and halls imagined as musical objects; Geelong Library & Heritage Centre with an apparently eroded sphere and a front façade; the RMIT Storey hall and Green Brain indulging in its green colour palette and the renovated Hamer Hall at the Southbank arts precinct exulting in its vibrancy. Other such mind-boggling designs include Perth Arena, a sporting facility at Perth, Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, Wanangkura Stadium at South Hedland and the Arts West Building at the University of Melbourne.

The firm is exemplary for great team work with a lot of “heads” in place, but all the while making every project a combined effort of the office and not relegating success to individuals. Behind every design solution, especially for public buildings, there exists a deep research into history, culture and identity to gain inspirations to infuse a narrative into the building itself. However, are the “shock values” in the buildings’ design of the firm relevant, which evidently oppose buildings that are “ordinary” and “boring”?

Quiz ARM on their bold, edgy and provocative designs and Mark Raggatt, director of the firm calmly replies, “Our architecture is driven by ideas, and its purpose remains to construct a cultural identity through the story we narrate through our buildings”. Seemingly, the firm is not afraid to use an extravagant splash of colours, as you realise in the Barak Building.

While the front façade has been skilfully conceptualised with Barack’s face profile to offer a special view from the Melbourne’s Swanston Street Axis, the rear façade, is an atypical melange of colours. Or the National Museum of Australia in Canberra acclaimed as one of ARM’s most controversial buildings, which seemingly is the only building that brings a lot of energy in the otherwise calm and quiet Canberra. In this context, however, the reconfigured Shrine of Remembrance built on an artificial hill, is perhaps a departure from the above designs and one that moves you with the emotional connect it generates through the sunken courts and “Galleries of Remembrances”.

Photo Courtesy: Ar Apurva Bose Dutta

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RMIT Storey Hall & Green Brain, Melbourne

ARM’s buildings have been successful in attracting huge influx of people, which could indicate the influence of architecture in people’s lives. The firm has recently released its voluminous monograph, a good 1300 pages’ book resembling a bible and forthrightly seeking to talk about ideas in architecture and not buildings alone.

There have been much deliberations on the identity of Australian Architecture.

While some architects in the country are still trying to find out an answer, as are the onlookers, would it be safe to say that the architecture of ARM is defining Australian Architecture? It is time to ponder and to start looking for answers!

While the Storey Hall (1995) houses RMIT’s contemporary educational, exhibition and conference purposes, the Green Brain (2010) is the extension of its facilities in its neighbouring corner building. Both seem to connect to each other through the striking green façade.

Photo Courtesy: Ar Apurva Bose Dutta

Titled, “Mongrel Rapture - The Architecture of Ashton Raggatt McDougall”, that suitably defines the firm, the monograph specifies how for ARM it is important to “talk” about architecture, instead of relying on the idea that architecture speaks for itself. Now, that’s a contradiction for those who have always believed and have been taught that buildings or architecture should speak for themselves. Clearly, ARM is a firm which thinks unconventionally!

ARM’s many heads are thinkers in themselves - architects who not only create, but occasionally voice their thoughts at academic, public and media discourses, driving forward an architectural culture.

The firm has interesting projects in the pipeline including the renovation of the main concert hall of the Sydney Opera House, and the on-going work on Elizabeth Quay masterplan, and National Museum of Australia.

THE STOREY HALL & GREEN BRAIN, RMIT UNIVERSITY, MELBOURNE These two additions to the campus of RMIT University could well be symbolic of the abstractness, the materiality, the shock value and the colour infusion that ARM brings to its projects.

The Barak building, Melbourne

The Storey Hall’s façade depicts a cavelike entrance inspired from an amethyst geode and is topped by bronze tiles, while its interiors feature interlocking of different concrete volumes, juxtaposed to give a dynamic appearance.

The Green Brain has green protrusions modelled from green fibreglass panels, forming canopies at two levels. It makes it hard to ignore it, even if one doesn’t approve of it! The “Brain” is derived from the famous Penrose tiles, named after mathematician and physicist Roger Penrose, albeit in a softer and fluid version.

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DESIGN DESTINATION

DUBR WHERE Jutting out on a peninsular chunk of the Dalmatian coastline, Dubrovnik is a glittering jewel in the Adriatic Sea. Seated at the southern-most tip of Croatia, it is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterranean Sea. It is also a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva County.

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OVNIK WHEN

WHY

If you are looking for sparser crowds, warm waters fit for swimming and sunbathing - the shoulder months of May, June, September and October are your best bets. In spring and early summer, the steady wind makes sailing great. July and August are peak season when the coastal city is just throbbing with life.

The remarkable old town, encompassed by mighty defensive walls that dip their feet in the cerulean sea, is a highlight of any trip to Dubrovnik, capturing the essence of a medieval Mediterranean fantasy. ‘The Pearl of the Adriatic’ is a region to be savoured by beach seekers, wine lovers and history buffs alike.

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MAKING MODERN FASHIONABLE Villa Art Deco in Dubrovnik is a standing testament of true Art Deco style as it utilises the decorative and applied art of interior design and architecture.

Today it stands as a protected monument of architectural excellence between the two World Wars. Located in the most elite residential neighbourhood and in walking distance from the medieval charm of the old town, it enjoys a gorgeous setting with striking sunsets and sea views. The impressive historic house, renovated in 2013, sleeps thirteen.

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Resembling an art gallery, it nurtures the concept of interesting and functional spatial design. The ground floor comes equipped with a kitchen, modern dining room, living room and one of the five bedrooms and six bathrooms.

An internal stone staircase connects the successive floors. The first floor houses another living room guarded by large glass windows that bring in sweeping views of the Adriatic and the beautiful island of Lokrum.

While the second floor plays host to the sauna, the attic impresses with its appealing bedroom and attached bathroom as it leads you to a cosy book corner, comfortably tucked away. A private garden, hot tub, swimming pool, dining table and lounge chairs located outside the villa invite you to enjoy the red-purple daybreak as it renders your stay complete.

AN ARCHITECTURAL ODYSSEY An outstanding monument of secular architecture, The Rector’s Palace owes its present silhouette to many additions and reconstructions throughout its turbulent history. From time to time, it was destroyed or severely damaged by fire, gunpowder explosions or earthquakes and each time an architect ventured to restore it, the building assumed a new touch. As a result, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo traits found place in a unique mixture of styles, blended perfectly across the monumental structure.

In its earliest form, the palace resembled a fortress where sea prisoners were held in its brutal prison. Today it is home to a museum. A court room, dungeon and scribes office are located on the ground level. A permanent exhibition of paintings and furniture is distributed throughout the ground, mezzanine and first floors.

Its atrium is the most acoustic building of Dubrovnik and hosts the world’s best musicians and artists in engaging concerts.

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SERVINGS OF MODERN ANTIQUITY The rooftops are a clue to Dubrovnik’s character. The neatly overlapping red and orange tiles seem almost deliberate until you realize that the lighter ones are scars - repairs made after a shelling blitz lent by the War. Its brazen beauty has the onlooker searching for more. That’s when Restaurant 360 o occupied centre stage. Ringed by the great city walls overlooking the old port, it effortlessly blends its historical setting with modern seating.

The tables are positioned such that one can peer through the battlements on the harbour. With a constantly changing, progressive menu, it is particularly skilled with seafood, modern Mediterranean dishes and innovations of Croatian classics.

Without being too formal, it prides itself on a casual vibe that provides upscale, sophisticated dining at its best.

A DOMINANT FORTRESS Dubbed ‘Dubrovnik’s Gibraltar’ for its location on a rocky promontory, Fort Lovrijenac is a fortress and theatre just outside the city’s western walls. Rising an impressive thirty-seven metres above the Adriatic, this stunning fortress proved impregnable during many sieges undertaken

by Venetians. Noted for its unusual triangular layout, quadrilateral court with soaring arches and three terraces, the Fort is defended by ten cannons, the largest being called the ‘Lizard’.

While its sea fronting walls are twelve metres thick, those on the eastern side are only sixty centimetres thick. Such construction was done purposely. In case the fort was taken, the enemy could be easily destroyed directly from the city walls and Fort Bokar.

In addition to serving as a tourist attraction, the fort is also used as a venue for Dubrovnik’s Summer Festival, hosting many theatrical and musical performances. While Shakespeare’s Hamlet found an ambient stage here, the popular series ‘Game of Thrones’ was also shot across its premises.

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Text By Kanupriya Pachisia

AC AL Stu0I0 Two young designers are committed to creating timeless and elegant designs with a focus on using rejuvenating traditional crafts and methods.

Text By Chryselle D’Silva Dias Photographs Courtesy The Designer Home Review January 2017

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Paula

Emerging designer-duo Amandine Chhor and Aïssa Logerot founded AC/AL in Paris in 2013. Both designers graduated from ENSCI Les Ateliers and worked with noted design companies before joining forces. Chhor spent four years at Hermès as a designer and product manager while Logerot worked as an independent designer for established studios like Mathieu Lehanneur, Bruno Moinard and architect Dominique Perrault.

AC/AL’s work focuses on product and furniture design with an interest in using sustainable craft techniques and handicrafts.

This is reflected in their timeless designs with a mix of new techniques and materials.

Take their furniture designs, for example. A wide range of patterns and shapes marks their chairs, tables and wall unit collections.

Trame Chair

The Paula chair has a distinctive joining between the back and the rear feet. Made in solid oak, the seat is plywood and the shape allows it to be fully stackable. The backrest is removable and is available in different colours. The Trame chair has a sensual and delicate appearance that belies its strong frame. The curving frame gives the illusion of softness but with the (literal) backbone of steel.

The Eugénie and Anatole tables combine both a light and fine metal structure “with the warmness of two wooden trays”. On each table, the bottom tray allows you to layer books and accessories while the top can be used for anything from displaying a special object or used as a tea-table. They can be paired together or used individually.

The Hollo table, on the other hand, is a range of three tables – a coffee table, a table for two and a side table. The design of these tables was readapted in an industrial way and these are both simple and elegant.

The coffee table reminds one of traditional drums, the shape of the table top and the open base were inspired by crafts (from the Artisanat du Sud project).

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Eugénie And Anatole Tables

Hollo Table

Cadence

The Cadence low table also has an open wire-frame inspired base making it light, airy and ideal for indoor or outdoor use.

Apart from tables and chairs, AC/AL Studio also has a range of products for the wall.

The Loop shelf is a bohemian beauty of a shelf. Made of soldered steel wire, the curves fan out like an elongated peacock’s tail. Available in different colours including a sumptuous lemony yellow, the shelf comes in three different avatars.

Loop

Units

Bookcase

Units is a multi-purpose cabinet with a fully adjustable shelving system inside. It can be assembled and disassembled easily without the use of tools. The Bookcase is a shelving system to allow for horizontal storage of books, where they can be arranged flat.

A series of wooden planks are stacked together and the top is low enough to be used as a table. It is designed as an “island for readers” which can be placed anywhere in a room for people to sit and browse.

Apart from furniture, the studio has also designed carpets, lighting and kitchenware.

The Garris carpet is inspired by the ‘line’ and its unending beauty. The simple abstract pattern of the design blends beautifully with the pleasing palette of blue and yellow. The Mikado carpet is a 100% wool handloom carpet that is cheerful and welcoming.

AC/AL’s award-winning LunR lamp, as the name suggests, is an ode to the moon.

Shaped like “a small domestic satellite”, the lamp can be configured with or without feet. The light is emitted through a wide translucent lens.

Also noteworthy is the Alcove mirror, which is a triptych mirror with a bit of drama thrown in. Designed with a theatre-like ‘scene’ in mind, the three mirrors “reflect themselves and the environment creating an infinite point of view and play with the light and space around.”

Lunar Lamp

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For some drama in the kitchen, try the Spoonplus, an innovative take on the spoon/ sauce holder combo with chopsticks thrown in for good measure. The chopsticks act as the spoon holder – remove them when you want to use the chopsticks and use the spoon to hold your sauce. Completely detachable the Spoonplus is travel-friendly and looks great in the kitchen too.

The duo’s collaboration and interest with local craftspeople has led to some interesting projects like Artisanat du sud with the artisans of Akka oasis in Morocco, as part of a program set up to struggle against the desertification of southern regions. A new range of products including stools and baskets emerged from this project allowing the use of locally available materials in a contemporary form.

Mikado

Spoonplus

The Sur les ravages project reevaluated the weaving craft of water hyacinth in Cambodia. This aquatic plant is considered harmful because left un-tended, it chokes a water body creating many problems for the aquatic and other life-forms that inhabit the area. Using this invasive plant to create a new form of weaving technique led to the design of elegant furniture including chairs.

Similarly, Afrikatelier is a project developed in collaboration with the Ecole du Patrimoine Africain (EPA) and craftsmen from the Menoua region in Cameroon.

During the project, they found that “many objects from African crafts have lost their meaning because they are not used anymore in local life and are only created for the tourist trade”. The duo worked with local craftsmen to develop a sustainable process and design for local crafts. The end result was beautiful baskets, chairs and wooden trays designed with local colour and flair.

This element of flair reflects in AC/AL Studio’s designs. With their evident desire to take traditional materials and methods further, one can only look forward to more exciting work from Chhor and Logerot. info@ac-al.com www.ac-al.com

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Artisanat du sud

Afrikatelier

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Ion Hotel is a heady combination of good food, an iconic location, luxurious amenities, heartfelt hospitality, complete relaxation and nature like you have never experienced before.

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ROOTED IN ETHOS

Focused on tranquility and communing with nature the Ion hotel situated in Selfoss, Iceland has an appropriately peaceful setting, made up of a definitive and unique landscape.

‘Ion Luxury Adventure Hotel - Where Everything Meets Nothing’, so goes the tagline of this abandoned inn turned boutique hotel. It is a member of Design Hotels™ and is situated in the south-western town of Selfoss, near a national crossroad making it accessible to various parts of the country. Selfoss is a town in southern Iceland situated on the banks of the Ölfusá river. The very ‘must do’ Icelandic Ring Road (Icelandic: Hringvegur) runs through the town on its way between Hveragerði and Hella.

ION Adventure Hotel has very contrasting attributes; it is laid-back yet vibrant, luxurious yet unassuming, alive and playful yet staid and serene. There is a seamless relation between the interior and exterior spaces; the unique quality of nature encompassing it is welcomed in with the help of large glass windows.

ION’s location offers guests the best of Iceland. From the volcanic marvels of Mount Hengill to the urban sophistication of Reykjavik which is less than an hour away. Sustainable practices abound here and the minimalist design which is home grown happily allows nature to take centre stage.

All of the 45 guest rooms are done up in a simple and strong design scheme, so what you have is a mix of concrete chic and an earthy ambience, combined with the warm accents of locally salvaged driftwood and lava; all cleverly executed by design studio Minarc. Crisp, clean and chic and the copious nature seeping in provide little need for embellishment.

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ION is the perfect example of what results from a setting that is magnificent and the well thought-out orientation is highlighted in the design. Nothing can prepare you for the supreme mix, it’s the closest thing to heaven, the only option is to lie back and really surrender.

The Silfra Restaurant and the awardwinning Northern Lights Bar offers a global cuisine that is conjured out of the best and freshest of ingredients.

It fully caters to the watching of the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights in complete comfort.

The best season to see the northern lights in Iceland is from September to mid April and if you happen to be lucky enough to be at ION you will watch these patches of light that literally appear out of nowhere and then maybe streamers, arcs, rippling curtains or shooting rays that light up the sky with an incredible glow.

But even if you miss out on the lights, an experience in the half open-to- sky, Lava Spa will ensure that you have the ultimate Icelandic experience under the starry skies, breathing the crispiest of air while being comfortably swathed in warm and soothing water.

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ION is surrounded by huge stretches of grand mountainous lava fields coated with a luxuriously thick cover of moss and apart from the hydropower plant which seems to function free of sound or any pollution the openness serves to only soothe and rejuvenate you. Moss can be easily damaged by foot prints or tire marks so the carefully created hiking trails based on ancient routes are best adhered to when the need for a close encounter with nature arises.

Staying at ION is a promise of an unforgettable experience. Whether you are seeking a quiet, soulful soak beneath the Northern Lights, a challenging trek across an ancient glacier or a day of flyfishing in plentiful icy rivers - at ION Luxury Adventure Hotel, these are only a wish away. ION’s location by the ‘Golden Circle’ route makes it the perfect base from which to explore Iceland’s rich heritage, hardy flora and fauna, and myriad opportunities for extreme adventure.

The guest rooms are done in a simple and strong design scheme with a mix of concrete chic and an earthy ambience, combined with the warm accents of locally salvaged driftwood and lava.

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Close to Thingvellir National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), ION provides easy access to all the essential attractions of “the land of fire and ice”.

Heading back to the hotel from your adventures you are ensured a luxurious indulgence which not only recharges your batteries, but fills you with ideas of some more activities for the next day.

When it’s time to leave you are bound to ask - why? You may have ticked one more destination off your bucket list, but this one will prove to be like no other. The heady combination - of good food, an iconic location, luxurious amenities, heartfelt hospitality, complete relaxation and nature like you have never experienced before - will stay with you and keep you going long after your the holiday is over.

www.designhotels.com

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GREEN PROJECT

Terracotta the new age green material was used as it not only provides ethnicity but also renders the technical advantage that an architect looks for.

Programming Green!

Green architecture today is slowly but surely progressing towards the mainstream in a most striking and unique fashion. We present here a model that meets the needs of the present by looking at the past, without compromising on the needs of the future.

Text By Kanupriya Pachisia Photographs Courtesy Kapil Kamra

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The use of AAC (Autoclaved Aerated Concrete) Blocks, also tagged the green building blocks, render fire resistance and acoustic friendly components.

Moving from built environments that produce a sea of unintended externalised impacts to knowing and taking responsibility for those impacts is how green buildings take root. The Research and Development Center for Adobe Systems in Noida by SWBI Architects draws the spotlight on this notion.

As the team informs, “the campus is conceived as a highly utilitarian and functionality driven office conceptualised with an energy and ecological conservation approach. The brief was to plan a world class campus for over 2000 IT professionals in an energy efficient sustainable office space spread over 7 acres with 2 phases.�

An expansive, sloping landscaped area serves as a forecourt space for the building, comprising of feature walls that support the roof parasol that lends shade. A bio wall traps air pollutants.

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“Adobe is a Spanish word for sun dried clay bricks – a basic building block. Thus a basic design philosophy was adopted using terracotta as the primary material expressed in a modern style.”

Working for a programming giant that treads on the tag line –‘Back to Basics’, SWBI Architects explain that, “Adobe is a Spanish word for sun dried clay bricks - a basic building block. Thus a basic design philosophy was adopted using terracotta as the primary material expressed in a modern style. Terracotta is the new age green material which not only provides the ethnicity but also renders the technical advantage that an architect looks for.

Being maintenance free, insect resistant and fungus proof are just some of its green properties.”

The architects tell us, “The scale was a challenge; hence an extensive research of Adobe’s newly commissioned facilities was undertaken before arriving at the final design solution.” Each phase consists of large data center labs, meeting and collaborative spaces and security and ancillary support functions.

Placed in a T-shaped manner, Phase I and II overlook landscaped courts that create an inviting micro climate. The parking and services blocks are wisely tucked away so that they are not visible from the workspaces,which in turn helps reduce the reflective heat component emitted by vehicles.

A Distributed Privacy Framework Model allows creation of ‘me’ and ‘we’ spaces. The main spine runs through the entire campus and acts as a visual and physical buffer to the whole building. The ground floor houses the reception, cafeteria, training hall and library overlooking the pedestrian street.

While the Phase 2 Block Core, in the Western Zone helps cut down the sun, the central Atrium is provided with a skylight for enhanced penetration of daylight in workspaces.The outdoor recreational activity zone with an amphitheater and sports facilities, located in the North is shaded throughout the year in order to help achieve optimum light and shade. The extended horizontal parasol diminishes the high altitude South sun in summer and admits the low altitude winter sun.

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The extended horizontal parasol diminishes the high altitude South sun in summer and admits the low altitude winter sun.

Chilled beams help deploy radiant cooling while sensor based LED lighting helps conserve electricity.

The East and West façades showcase minimum use of glass; this creates a glare free work environment. It also helps minimise heat gain from the building skin.

An expansive, sloping landscaped area serves as a forecourt space for the building, comprising of feature walls that support the roof parasol that lends shade. A bio wall traps air pollutants and aids in lowering the surrounding air temperature and reduces cooling loads. Terracotta tiled screens and the parasol provide shaded pedestrian walkways delivering comfort.

The building’s green roof is optimised to trap heat and provide solar shielding.

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The architectural team has suspended a well thought out system in place in order to reduce heat gain. Shaded curtain walling mediates between the interior and the exterior while reducing heat gain and harvests daylight, thereby reducing interior lighting demands. The use of Albino paint on the roof keeps the building cool by reflecting sunlight.

An RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete) structure with PT (Post-Tensioned) slabs assists in sound insulation. The use of AAC (Autoclaved Aeratad Concrete) Blocks, also tagged the green building blocks, render fire resistance and acoustic friendly components.

An RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete) structure with PT (Post-Tensioned) slabs assists in sound insulation.

Apart from these passive measures, chilled beams help deploy radiant cooling while sensor based LED lighting helps conserve electricity. Ventilation through fresh air and water conservation through waterless urinals, dual flushing and re-cycling of water in irrigation are some of the other active measures that have been incorporated.

Since the water table is high and direct ground water recharge is not possible, rooftop rainwater harvesting, capacity rainwater storage tanks and reuse of water for other plumbing applications add to the sustainability of the building. A solar hot water system generates hot water in toilets while instantaneous LPG boilers are used in kitchens. An underground HSD oil storage tank meets a week long oil requirement.

SWBI Architects explain, “We take a proactive approach focused on the concern for energy efficiency, environmental management, water management, renewable energy, waste management and recycling.”

Taking this approach, the Adobe Campus is without doubt a standing vocabulary of a language that coins it a LEED platinum rated ‘living building’!

With this approach, the Adobe Campus is without doubt a more than fitting example of a LEED platinum rated ‘living building’!

www.swbiarchitects.com

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PAPPCO GREENWARE

It encapsulates items like plates, cups, bowls, cutlery, containers, skewers and picks. This range is a great substitute for Styrofoam products that are totally non biodegradable or some other so called biodegradable products which are effectively not. ‘Going Green Does Matter’ so goes the tagline of Pappco Greenware, a company based in Mumbai, that holds the wellbeing of our planet close to its heart and is involved in the manufacture of fully compostable food containers and the like, using only plant based raw materials.

Pappco Greenware wants to help Indians march towards a greener India by providing green alternatives for essential food related products that we commonly use in our daily lives and businesses. The extremely environment friendly disposable and fully biodegradable range created by Pappco Greenware is not only vast but also elegant in its look.

Text Compiled By Mala Bajaj

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Pappco Greenware was started by Anil Agarwal and his son Aadesh Agarwal in the year 2011 in Mumbai and was the first company to venture into the category of eco friendly disposable food containers.

It is still one of the largest selling brands in this category with a retail presence in almost 300 stores across the country and covering 8 major cities. The raw materials used to create these very green products are sugarcane, bamboo and cornstarch which are all biodegradable and of which most are also compostable.

Pappco Greenware’s range is a direct sustainable alternative to food containers and cutlery made out of plastic or some other cheap, harmful and environmentally damaging material.

As information grows on the dangers of using plastics as food packaging, people these days are opting more and more for products that are not only biodegradable but also fully chemical free. Plastics come in many varieties and often in lower grades like PP, PS and LDPE, which can contaminate your food by leaking chemicals into it.

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A very shocking and alarming fact is that an average user tends to use a disposable package for no more than 3 minutes before discarding it but it remains as waste for another 400 - 1000 years before it can even begin to break down!

Pappco Greenware’s range biodegrades in just 3-6 months, which is a significantly huge difference when compared to the biodegradability cycle of plastic and other man-made materials. Also it is important to note that both bamboo and sugarcane, which are the raw materials used by Pappco Greenware, are not trees but plants that have a 12-15 months cycle.

In just a span of 4 years Pappco Greenware has expanded their range from 9 products to 85 products today. “Our goal is to grow this line further and become a one stop solution for the sourcing of packaging material for all food processing industries,” say the owners of the company.

“We are still only a team of about 15 people running the entire show and thanks to bootstrapping, we have been able to push this brand forward.”

Thus there is no stress on ecology like in the case of when trees are chopped to create other paper based disposables. Additionally, only the waste left from the cultivation of bamboo and sugarcane is used to make these products; which makes them really sustainable to source, use and dispose.

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Pappco Greenware’s products can be conveniently bought from chain stores such as Reliance Retail stores, Future Group outlets, Tata-Tesco’s Trent Hypermarkets and Godrej’s Nature’s Basket outlets.

Previously involved in manufacturing equipment for the Indian railways and other textile businesses, Pappco Greenware’s parent company has made the manufacture of fully disposable earth friendly items its sole occupation now. “We are extremely bullish on the growth of our business as our clients and customers are consistently continuing to use our products time and again,” they conclude. www.pappcoindia.com

RE-IMAGINING BATHROOM SPACES Dream Bath App launched by Hindware comes as a bliss for those seeking comprehensive bathroom solutions.

Its complete focus on crafting unforgettable bathing experiences, developing contemporary bathroom solutions for over five decades with products that make life better has set new trends each year. Trusted and recognized by millions across the country, it has continued to grow the sanitary ware segment through sustained focus on technology as well as design.

The new initiative aims to provide consumers and dealers with easy access to over 24 bathroom themes and styles and is totally in sync with the company’s value proposition of ‘building admiring bathrooms’. This is a one of its kind industry initiative to provide comprehensive bathroom solutions.

Hindware, the leading brand in the bathroom space, launched their pioneering initiative - the ‘Hindware Dream Bath’ visualization App and coffee table book. Brand ambassador of hindware, superstar Shah Rukh Khan, announced the initiative at a glittering function in Mumbai recently.

The genesis of hindware goes way back to 1960 when HSIL Limited. introduced the virtuous china sanitary ware in India for the first time. HSIL Ltd, vastly recognised by its brand hindware, a leading name in the Indian market is a company driven by innovation.

The Dream Bath app showcases 24 unique bathroom themes, the entire product gallery of hindware and further enables the users to visualize, through augmented reality, how certain products will look in their bathroom space prior to purchase. The app also has a GPS enabled dealer locator. If you raise your query to the nearest dealer or any dealer of your choice, you can assuredly get a response in stipulated timeline.

The app is a tool that will render a whole new world of bathroom and bathing spaces with varied coordinated themes designed by experts as per latest trends. www.hindwarehomes.com Home Review January 2017

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Sharder’s modern French garden is an evergreen piece of landscape where everything seems to be in place.

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Landscapes

FRENCH INSPIRED Just like a list of chosen words is not a poem, a collection of plants is not a landscape. The merit is in the design, which like the best of poems, makes ordinary material significant by its sheer arrangement.

Erasing the boundary between the inside and outside and making small spaces feel expansive, comes quite naturally to Los Angeles based renowned landscape designer, Scott Shrader. Having nailed these two aspects to the T, he promises to take every outdoor space from the ordinary to the extraordinary. Around southern California, he is known for civilised, amenity filled gardens, tailor-made for life outside.

Shrader specialises in designing the outdoor room. His spaces are always a link to the house. Lush and sheltered, his designs feel timeless, melding elements of history along with a deep sense of the land.

Scott’s gardens are inviting and they get used, which he reminds, is the reason for their being.

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It does seem beautifully paradoxical that Shrader’s signature garden boasts not a single blade of grass.

A visit to France instantly introduces you to a world which is intentionally or otherwise focused on sensory pleasure. Scott Shrader’s modern French garden is a complete case in point of this notion. His design not only strives to reduce complexity but also manages to create an illusion of simplicity.

Totally French inspired with a mixed palette of stone, wood and metal, this piece of land planted by Scott goes all out to impress you with its unique gardening style.

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It does seem beautifully paradoxical that Shrader’s signature garden boasts not a single blade of grass. “When it comes to the front yard, a manicured lawn isn’t the only way to go. In fact grass maybe your least interesting option,” says Shrader. “They’ve been out of fashion for over 25 years, in my opinion,” he says. “The fertiliser, the water, the mowing - all that energy goes into a green patch that isn’t really doing much aesthetically.” Instead Scott shares, that he sees the front yard as a chance to set a distinct tone to the property. “Your house doesn’t start at the front door - it starts at the street,” he says.

Using hedges as starting points of crisp green backdrops, a geometric plan is employed with utmost symmetry.

Using hedges as starting points of crisp green backdrops, a geometric plan is employed with utmost symmetry. The vivid blocks of green make a bold statement as they ignite a light of beauty that plays over the symmetry of things rather than the symmetry itself. Shrader shares, “I don’t have space or time for anything fussy, so I use container plants, not flowers for accents.”

Like every French garden, the focus of the design is the house. Close to the house, planting is kept low and tends to consist of clipped boxed hedges that line and define.

Making the grounds a destination, Scott tells us that, “Grass may not warrant a second look. This garden is meant to stop you.” The use of Del Rio gravel on paths that grid across the yard highlights the symmetrical garden plan.

For the front yard of this French – Normandy styled house, Shrader found inspiration in the homeowner’s extensive art collection.

A neatly chiselled wooden bench flaunts perfect straight lines as elegant as a piece of sculpture. A graphic layout of boxwoods, surrounded by evergreen pear trees, dotted by soft lighting makes the space come alive.

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Wandering down the stone embedded path that beckons like an impatient child you reach a stone water body that transports you to a different era.

The effect is as striking when viewed from above as it is while ambling on its paths.

Wandering down the stone embedded path that beckons like an impatient child you reach a stone water body that transports you to a different era - a world hallmarked by liberty and tradition, innately French in its character that lends the corner a bit of history.

Shrader’s outdoor haunts are as stunning as they are responsible. His reliance on permeable gravel and stones in lieu of lawns encourages drainage and prevents run off. To that end, he utilises unique appointments that otherwise would have been tossed aside at a construction zone.

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Century old pavers of the perfect grey hue are reintroduced by Shrader to bring in the traditional French flavour under the shadow of modern stone.

Scott tells us, “Environmentally sensitive restrictions in native plantings and hardscaping do have their tonal challenges.

My practice is different from interior design.

I mean, Mother Nature’s palette is not unlimited!” That said, his experiments don’t seize on a particular note as he contrasts the softness of the leaves to the roughness of the gravel and creates a distinction with a definite energy.

Shrader’s modern French garden is an evergreen piece of landscape where everything seems to be in place. Apart from powerful symmetry that dominates the look it also has something else - something more intangible. It has style. Rather than an overwhelming riot of colour and plantings, Scott has nurtured a sense of order even in the most natural of settings through a oneof-a-kind arrangement of living symmetry.

scott@shraderdesign.com www.shraderdesign.com

Century old pavers of the perfect grey hue are reintroduced by Shrader to bring in the traditional French flavour under the shadow of modern stone.

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All in-house designed furniture is made from reclaimed teak. The balance between aesthetics, comfort and functionality is clearly evident.

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Retail Therapy

Hone Your Style With a warm mélange of great products and beautiful art, a visit to BARO is nothing short of an invitation to hone your own décor style.

Text By Dhanishta Shah Photographs Baro

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Very few décor stores have art as a key component, but it features prominently here.

The precincts of Lower Parel have emerged as a hub for stores showcasing some of the best design talents in Mumbai. Housed in a statement making turquoise-walled building, BARO, the newest store on the block, is boldly decked in the spirit of an art gallery. The trio behind BARO, Mahesh Mathai, Srila Chatterjee and Siddharth Sirohi, have worked in the realm of film and advertising.

The store certainly benefits from their keen sense of art, design and aesthetics. “We were despairing the state of the business we were in, which was advertising and film making, and we were excited with the possibilities of design,” explains Chatterjee as we sit down to chat in the bold and colourful and shop.

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The 3200 square feet store has a distinct and homely look thanks to the inputs by architect and set designer Fali Unwala and the passionate involvement of Chatterjee. They stripped down the originally cluttered space into an area that flows openly. Two huge hidden water tanks are painted and are prominently displayed. Beautiful arched windows allow streaming natural light to flood the store.

Inside, chandeliers add to the elegance and lighting ambience.

The cement flooring complements old rock walls that have been whitewashed.

Other walls have rough cement finishes and are painted in solid muted colours so that artwork and furniture can stand out against them. “I think colour makes a great difference to life,” says Chatterjee.

That’s quite evident in the store, through the furniture as well as the art that is displayed.

Very few décor stores have art as a key component. “Every part of my life has had art that I have acquired, because I really love it and want it around me,” explains Chatterjee. Most of the paintings are around the theme of folk art, and there are some magnificent pieces and stories around them. All artworks are very positive and have a certain boldness about them.

Most of the paintings are around the theme of folk art, and there are some magnificent pieces and stories around them.

“While I have seen and loved art that has sadness as its theme, I would not want it in my life. Art to me is a total upper. It is something beautiful and adds joy to my life. Also, it is important for people to understand that it is not something that belongs to the cottage industries.

You can live with it in a contemporary environment too,” she says.

India Circus products have a dedicated section here, with an upcoming line exclusively for BARO. They have bespoke bedsheets where customers can choose details like the thread count, colours and so on to make their very own sheets. Here, one views artworks in the old-fashioned way, where the customer sits and the work is unfurled before him or her.

A small mezzanine area with edgy black and white chequered flooring hosts the upholstery section and more artworks.

Amongst the gems it showcases is Russell Street, the Bombay avatar of the legendary textile brand Anokhi, from Kolkata.

Roughly, 85% of the furniture is made inhouse. Sirohi designs all the furniture and oversees production at their warehouse.

All furniture uses reclaimed teak and every single piece is highly ergonomic. The balance between aesthetics, comfort and functionality is clearly evident. “Siddharth marries knowledge and expertise with the aesthetic aspects. They can be merged together,” believes Chatterjee.

All furniture at the store is handmade, using traditional techniques. Some old vintage pieces have been sourced, however, they have not been restored to their former glory. Rather, they have been changed and reinterpreted.

Things get moved around all the time and as pieces go, others come. After the happy assault on the senses thanks to the beauty of the store, what really strikes you is that everything is reasonably priced. “We have sensible pricing. I feel very strongly that the city is a rip-off in many ways. That’s not the way to go,” concludes Chatterjee.

Well, thank BARO for that! www.facebook.com/baroindia

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THE MARKETPLACE Architectural Lighting By K-Lite

K-LITE INDUSTRIES has launched a new series of LED Architectural Lighting. As trend setters in outdoor lighting and inspired by the “Make in India” vision, K-LITE, through their innovative outlook, have showcased an all new product portfolio under Architectural Lighting. The application includes Facade Lighting, Pathway Lighting, In-ground Luminaire, Uplighter, Up-down Lighting, Billboard Lighting, Vertical Light Bars, Wall Washers, Area Lighting poles and above all popular sleek polar lighting solutions.

The fixture is designed to provide value technology, ideally suited to Indian Conditions. The LEDs used comply with LM 80 testing. The luminaires are RoHS, LM 79 and CE certification compliant. The luminaire efficacy (lumens/ per watt) is much above 100 for all luminaires. Varied optical options for lighting distribution and correlated colour temperature (CCT) for cool white, neutral white or warm white are available to suit specific requirements.

The outstanding item of the series viz., the Sleek Polar Lighting Solutions is a contemporary design that is both timeless and unique in its impression. It is in perfect continuity with the geometric lines of the square column. These assemblies are ideal for contemporary architectural constructions. www.klite.in

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Somany Launches French Collection

As the effects of global warming and climate change continue to take an ever-increasing toll on the planet, sustainable living is becoming a priority. Therefore, construction companies, globally and in India, are centered on the development of smart buildings with features like smart bathrooms to promote sustainable development and efficient energy management.

Smart bathrooms offer optimally integrated solutions such as smart toilets, automatic flush systems and automatic faucets. The demand for smart bathrooms, especially in urban areas and among rising affluent Indians is increasing significantly as consumers move towards the trend of energy conservation adoption and maintain high standards of hygiene. Inspired by the unique elements of the French heritage, Somany Ceramics redefines its smart toilet category by introducing exquisite French collection range.

The collection has over 28 products, ranging from water closets, urinals to wash basins, which fall under 11 different series, namely Jazz, Dior and Ace amongst others. Each series follows a particular theme with different patterns of technology integration. The star of the Somany French Collection is the “Ace” series having the first high IQ toilet by Somany Ceramics, which is designed to ensure there are minimum pressure points so as to enhance overall comfort.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Abhishek Somany, MD, Somany Ceramics Limited, said, “The launch of this collection reiterates our promise of bringing the most fascinating and technologically advanced products for our valued customers in India. The addition of the new collection will strengthen our product portfolio and will continue to help us expand our consumer base.” www.somanyceramics.com

VitrA Introduces Juno Collection Embellished With Swarovski VitrA, a leading brand of Eczacıbaşı, a prominent Turkish industrial group recently introduced the enigmatic Juno Collection which offers you a splendid bathroom experience. Complementing the look of your bathroom interiors, the collection offers a lavish bathroom interior ambiance which is created with original Swarovski crystal joysticks and faucet rings enhanced with fine details.

The simple form and function are enhanced to give incredible effect with PVD coatings, a state-of-the-art process of vaporising and depositing metal powder onto a surface, which remains corrosion- free and scratch-resistant.

The Juno series is available in gold and chrome shades that add texture, depth and a unique identity rarely seen before in bathroom design.

With its stylish aesthetics, sophisticated details and infinite product range, Juno Series is the choice of people who are on a lookout for a bathroom series to complement prestigious households. vitra-india.com

THE MARKETPLACE

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