While bringing together a range of materials, ideas and sensibilities, Anupama Dalmia and Nupur Gupta’s new collection, Amalgamations, works on a room like an empty canvas, says Chahak Mittal
A marble-textured wooden dining table instantly attracts attention in the middle of a living room. Green, animal-printed plates and lanterns are strewn around a coffee table alongside vintage frames with black-and-white photographs of historic Delhi monuments. A white wood table lifts the chaise lounges accompanying it while in the bedroom. A French beige-coloured bedsheet is offset by the grey and white-patterned tiles all around the wall and the floor, giving a contemporary yet classic look. Earth elements, even in faux and lookalike materials, are set to dominate our homes in the coming year.
Or so Anupama Dalmia and Nupur Gupta, who have put out their new collection, Amalgamations, in their studio on Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road will have us believe. They bring together a range of materials, ideas and sensibilities and widen the possibility of looking at the room as not just a living space but a three-dimensional canvas.
As one enters the long lobby-like store, a huge mirror on your right, embellished with smaller mirrors on its border, welcomes you. Nupur says the duo had started curating this collection a year ago. “We started last August and have finished now. A lot of detailing and layering has been done since the current trends are more about creating a detailed and thought-out look. Even the furniture demands some layering. Everything is kept subtle and simple but intensely conceived,” adds she.
Age-old trends and traditions make an appearance in floor tiles that lend character to the most plebeian layout and make a statement in bathrooms and kitchens. Using tiles for bedroom the walls is a new trend that is expected to be a rage next season. The way the designer duo has used the modern iterations of wooden tiles is almost indistinguishable from the real deal. The square tiles certainly give a very wallpaper-like, matte vibe. “These are actually packaged tiles. We have used them seamlessly. Uniformity of a stretch of wall can be boring and we wanted to break that monotony,” says Nupur.
Anupama points out that tiles are becoming the new theatre. She says, “Earlier, they were only used for bathrooms and kitchens. However, I feel that tiles have a lot of character. And now, since spaces are being integrated with materials, there is a scope for innovation. It’s now the time to use materials creatively and create new looks. Tiles as materials are very practical and with a range of designs you get today, you can actually create a look which is special.”
Another little observation — There is no bright colour on the walls and instead have been done up in nude shades. This offsets the detailing of furniture for a clutter-free look. Colours are woven in only through various elements like cushions, lights, accessories, home plants and flowers and rugs. “Putting colour in everything could be too harsh and turn out to be boring after a point. With the basic furniture, we have used neutral and just accessorised it through colours. That way, it looks more classy and gracious,” says Nupur.
She adds that the home plants and floral elements were about “bringing the outdoors in.” It is also about making one feel happy. Anupama adds, “Nature always makes you feel positive about things. It has always inspired me too. And interior is all about creating a feeling rather than creating a product because you look at it every day.”
The designers have also created various living room options. While there’s a formal living room area, there are other spaces which, Anupama explains, are perfect to entertain the guests in. Instead of walls, there are white wooden panels with delicate filigree works which separate two sections. She says, “We wanted to give the rooms a seamless look and keep them minimalistic. The panels add to the designs while enhancing the space. Glass is also used for that. The demarcation of rooms through walls is fading away. It will be more intertwined with the ambience and more continuous spaces will emerge with walls coming down.”
Talking about where the trends of 2020 are headed to, Anupama and Nupur tell us, “Solid wood is the next big trend. It gives a very layered look. There will be contemporary pieces which will be accentuated with crafts and artists’ works. Accessorisation is going to play a huge role. The furniture is going to be towards mid-century modern design.”
The trends also point towards the use of more neutral and serene shades and geometric patterns making their way on rugs, cushions and chairs. Bedrooms and bathroom spaces will be transformed into more ethereal spaces by using rich, earthy elements as well as metals, wood and stone. Lastly, from terracotta to terrazzo, no decorative element or accessory will be left to chance.
Well, it all certainly explains why the duo, who have been friends since school, named their venture, Alchemy, where two materials are combined to produce “one element of magic.”
Photo: Pankaj Kumar
