The sixth edition of the India Design ID encompasses miniature furniture, designer rugs installed as decoratives, enormous centrepieces and pop hued wallpapers. By Team Viva
With brass coated stools, chandeliers made out of canadian glass, subtle nude designs, miniature furniture and birds sitting on branches achieved through interplay of lusturous marble, the India Design ID was a melange of uncoventional ideas and much more. The interiors and designs are inclined towards subtlety, sophistication, style and minimalism.
The sixth edition of India Design ID began with loyalists from India and abroad displaying their latest collection. With limited spaces, the interior designers at each stall have artistically used the space. Mounted on the wall, the lights made of brass with an assortment of clean-cut and bold forms which reflected the sensibilities of modern India at DBEl Studio.
The colour palette at the design fair had variety, be it green, pink, gold, blue and red. We feel, the monochromatic shades that dominated the industry earlier are slowly fading into the background.
An element that weaved various stalls together was miniature furniture. The concept of presenting it is to provide customers with various options design-wise and it was a wise way to utilise the limited space that was available to them. At Alankàram, the small chairs, tables, bookcases were given quirky names like uru, kutu and pustak Daraj. The owl motif dominated the scene as huge centrepieces on bed side tables, coffee tables and the dresser. Old paint brushes which most of us assume to be useless were hanging from the ceilings giving the Artychoke stall a rustic and contemporary look.
In the centre of the design house, a doorless vintage car took the shape of a sofa. It suddenly brought back memories of watching Pulp Fiction where Uma Thurman and John Travolta go to Jack Rabbit Slim’s restaurant.
In the corner was a melancholic installation of a thorny grey tree which was leafless. What made it even more interesting were the scattered pictures lying on the floor, it was taken from a polaroid camera which took us straight to the bygone era. It was Tanuj Ahuja’s brainchild, a depiction of his thoughts invoked from a stimulating question. “What if trees refuse to let go of their dying leavesIJ letting go, allows us to grow.”
The rugs and carpets have made a grand comeback as seen decking the walls of various stalls. At Cocoon fine rugs, the signature collection was celebrating design sensibilities of JJ Valaya which came to life with their mastery in fine rug weaving. The carpet on display was Qalamkari 1 which brimmed with an illusionary design . It also had a portrait of two birds. It seemed to us as if the birds are in conversation in spite of being upside down and the flowers gave it a pleasant backdrop.
One of the most striking stall was Elan where Vidushi Agarwal displayed a range of kitchenware and baking utensils with innumerable desserts lying effortlessly on the bed. When asked about the reason behind the same, she was quick to respond, “I am bored of seeing utensils on the table.” The design line of the brand has recently introduced pink and sea green teaware. Said Agarwal, “The colours work well together. One is pastel and the other balances it out without making it look too girly.”
The idea of owning beautiful utensils and kitchenware is to use them when one calls guests over and it will surely add a unique element to the dinner table.
The spectators went gaga over the Oriental Dream stall by Asian paints nilaya. The stall was designed in the form of a train, where each compartment had a different wallpaper crafted by ace designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee. The patterns on the wallpapers had a traditional appeal to them comprising intricate floral motifs and tigers. The compartments were named Charulata and Gulbahar Green in sync with the colours of the wallpapers. Coming to furniture, sofas had comfortable cushions whereas the antique teak wood table stood tall.
Young couples were seen getting the feel of the bygone era by comfortably sitting in the compartments looking out of the windows.
In the decor section, the Jaipur rugs were seen gracing the floor and the walls at the stall with the same name. The designs of these rugs took influence from abstract ideas. Apparently, the latest trend is to have a half made rug with the other half left incomplete with strays of woven yarn hanging which according to the makers will add a creative edge.
What caught our attention were the rugs made out of Bamboo silk. According to industry experts, it is a forthcoming fabric which is popularised in order to curb the killing of caterpillars. At the end of this stall, a weaver was sitting with a charkha. He was separating the sheep wool, trying to churn yarn out of it. By spinning the charakha wheel, the yarn was converted into yarn balls.
The demonstration of carpet-making was also a part of the design fair which was done to spread awareness among people about the arduous task of carpet weaving. It was also an effort to preserve the legacy.
One of the rugs at Jaipur Rugs stall was crafted by a weaver. The design took inspiration from a snack named shakkarpara.
The passion and dedication seen at such events awakens us from a slumber and in turn encourages us to look beyondour limitations.