The new home furniture store by JJ Valaya is no less than a plush apartment. He shares with Karan Bhardwaj some interesting Moroccan stories that inspired each piece
When you walk into this massive space, you find yourself in a plush apartment, where Moroccan luxury is seen in abundance. The domes, music and rich heritage inspire interiors and inventories which have incredible stories of history behind them. For that reason, designer JJ Valaya has aptly called his new venture Valaya Home Experience Centre. “It’s an experience, not a store,” he beams with pride as we take a walkthrough at this 6,000 sq ft sprawling home décor space at The Gallery on MG that has multitude of furniture, flooring, walls and wall installations, soft furnishings, home accessories and the signature Valaya tapestries, all designed by the designer himself. “It’s not curated. I have designed each and every piece which has a story to tell,” he says.
The dining space is like a palace with an aerial view of its courtyard and gardens. The massive glass is seated on a thin Italian marbles. Wood, stones and metal co-exist peacefully in this piece. The golden bed has many layers in design and is inspired by the gateways of Morocco. “Again I have put wood, metal and fabric together,” he says. The designer is aiming at history-driven luxurious interiors and the fact that there is a burgeoning demand for the same, excited him. “I have got eight meetings lined up just in a week after the store’s launch,” he says.
The designer is also venturing into residential designs. Apart from his private pet projects, he along with Tarun Tahiliani, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla and Shantanu and Nikhil have partnered with AIPl for their luxury residential project Cattaro. “I am using the same design philosophy and inspirations as I do in fashion,” he says. Valaya is driven by his travel experiences and is known for his mastery over infusing rich heritage in his designs. “From sketching fashion which is all about body to designing furniture is all about getting the proportion right to make things fall into place. I use same Moroccan influence and the same ethos for my each design. I have always merged rich history in my designs. I feel fascinated by the regions which are full of art and craft,” he says.
Valaya also owns The Home of The Traveler, a luxury brand in home furniture. “But THT is all curated and hand-picked from different parts of the world,” he says.
Valaya banks on his research and dedicates at least two hours everyday into R&D. “Unlike a lot of designers, research is very important to me. Many designers are struck by visual elements but I always go deep into the subject. I want to understand behind the scene of story. For instance, my recent collection The Nautch of Fez was divided into six sub-collections. I sought inspirations from six different communities which invaded Morocco at different point of time, like Spanish, Arabs, Turks, locals, Berber (nomads) and a community that discovered the colour purple. So my collection was heavy on purple. I always ensure that my facts are right and I know what has happened so that I can weave a fictional story around it,” he says.
You might think that the designer is a great history reader but he admits that he doesn’t read books. “I have a massive library but I do not read. I love poetry because it is short, deeper. I like watching movies because the point is put across in two or three hours. I love coffee table books. There’s a poet called Tyler Knott Gregson who writes poetry using typewriter. I am a fan of his typewriter series. He picks up random paper and prints poetry on it. I envy people who read. I cannot be glued to books,” he says.