India Design ID 2015 Round Up

The Last last two weeks have been a dream for those of us who love art, design and culture. First the India Art Fair, followed by the India Design ID and its satellite events and then the I Haat Delhi festival over the weekend. As you can imagine, it was quite an eventful week!

A lot of crazy deadlines meant that I couldn't attend any of the satellite events I had planned to during Design ID week. I did however manage to squeeze out a day to attend the Exhibition and Symposium on Friday. Big shout out to Vani Ganesh of Perfect Relations, who arranged a pass for me for the symposium. BV Doshi was to attend and speak on the day I went, but sadly he cancelled last minute :(

ID Symposium

The main Exhibition Pavilion included a lot of established names like Valaya Home, Casa Pop by Raseel Gujral, Sarita Handa, Apartment 9 and The Charcoal Project. This exhibition area focused mostly on decor and home styling, while the Design Pavilion focused on Indian Designers & Design and included names like Neeru Kumar, Godrej Design Lab, ThePurpleTurtles and EDIDA 2014 winners. 

Some of the stalls and booths were beautifully set up and I have included images of these. Others, I felt tried to crowd too much in and it was impossible to navigate through. One big issue I had was that a few design booths and stalls didn't allow visitors to take photographs. Come on guys, we are giving you free promotion! Besides that, if having your designs copied is an issue, take a leaf out of Coco Chanel's philosophy. For her, copying was the greatest compliment you could give her besides the free publicity. Besides, she had the confidence in her product to know that even if it was copied, it would never be the same as the real thing. And if having your products photographed is still such an issue, please put up a sign stating very clearly that photography of your stall is not permitted! I saw a lot of visitors and students trying to take pictures only to be scolded. I believe this platform is one based on the idea of promoting design and sharing ideas and this attitude is the very antithesis of that idea.

This was the set up by Krea and I absolutely love their contemporary furniture that has a mid-century modern feel. They have some beautifully designed chairs and benches- a couple of pieces that have gone on my 'someday maybe' list :) Their flagship store is in Sultanpur, on MG Road and I am planning a visit soon.

I totally fell for this black wall of distressed antique frames. Cool how they work so well together in spite being different shapes, sizes and shades. Something to ponder on maybe? 

Cute and eclectic as always, Nur's display was fun, playful and very whimsical, which pretty much sums up their range of products. I liked their colorful rugs and doormats and their quirky cushion covers.

Saw these cute and colorful seats, part of the Retyrement Plan range of occasional furniture by Anu Tandon Viera for Godrej Design Lab. They are made from discarded tyres and colorful ropes. That pouffe/table is so going on my wishlist :)

The AKFD design booth was another set up that I loved. The minimal grey backdrop was the perfect foil for their contemporary designs that offer a fresh take on traditional Indian crafts. My favorites were their Lamp designs. 

The Neeru Kumar design booth has some truly beautiful textiles for the home ranging from cushion covers and rugs to framed wall hangings. It was delightful speaking with Neeru, a pioneer who has made a huge impact on the Indian Textile scene. 

Look who I bumped into! My senior from IED, Hardik Gandhi, who is the founder of DesignGandhi, India. He and his colleague, Ritika Nanda of Mother Gone Mad Design Studio displayed their works in furniture and custom lighting in this booth.

'When ideas crystallize- ThePurpleTurtles

The Trends Pavilion included installations of designers interpretations of color and color trends forecasting. There were a few interesting installations, but honestly, and at the risk of sounding very stupid, I found this pavilion the least visitor friendly. This is why... 

When I visited, all I saw were various installations where it was obvious a certain color or set of colors were being used. However, I think to properly explain this to visitors, there needs to be a few people at each installation who are knowledgeable about color and can explain these trends to the visitors. 

Secondly I think it would be nice to also have a few color themed collage-like displays (moodboards?), kind of like the ones you see in decor magazines. I think this is also a really great method of conveying color and colors that are trending. 

This is just my own little opinion, and I'm the first to admit I'm no expert here.

Finally, the outdoors spaces also had various installations by designers like Martand khosla, Mukul Goyal and Alex Davis. Now here is where I was a little disappointed. I really felt like the outdoor spaces should have been utilised more. What I would love to see more of are bigger and bolder installations that have a sense of scale. Things like an installation that could also be a kids play area- where art and design meet the built environment. Otherwise it's just art for arts sake.

This installation was along the lines of what I was hoping for. Visitors could go in and experience it as well as its relation to the surroundings. But it was very small in terms of scale. 

This on the other hand was more of an arty sculpture, and while I liked it, and it was certainly interesting, I think it may have been more relevant in an art fair.

There were a number of F&B stalls as well, from Guppy by ai to Dunkin Donuts, Elma's brasserie and Coast Cafe, to name just a few. I really hope that next year (keeping in mind the lovely weather we have in February) more of the F&B stalls are outside. I love the idea of an outdoor food courtyard, a place where maybe kids can run around and people can chat. It would also give the food stalls more space for seating, something that became a bit of an issue during peak lunch hours at the Design ID. 

An incredibly refreshing raspberry soda from SodaBottleOpenerWala... 

all it needed was some vodka :)

Loved these chili tuna rolls from Guppy by ai, the tuna was fresh, the rolls were crispy on the outside and bursting with flavour. I wasn't too impressed with their chicken curry with sticky rice though.

An interesting installation in the F&B area of the Exhibition pavilion

This was the third installation of India Design ID but the first time I attended. I spent most of the day there, dividing my time between the Symposium and the Exhibition spaces, with a break for a delicious lunch which I enjoyed at the Guppy by Ai & SodaBottleOpenerWala stall. It was a great day that was enlightening and informative. The India Design ID is a great  way for designers and design enthusiasts to source  products for the  home and it is also an amazing way to interact with design icons and experts in the field.  The  events were very well  organised and  the exhibition  areas well  laid out. I'm looking forward to next years event.

[All images by Shalini Pereira. Please do not use without prior written permission]

India's Definitive Design Week is Almost Here

OK, so... we’ve had our fill of art, with the India Art Fair, an incredible 3 day event which ended last Sunday. Now it’s time to get our quota of design! The India Design ID 2015, India's most definitive design week, is just around the corner. It's scheduled to kick off from Feb 9^th and is a weeklong celebration of all things design, covering Architecture, Interiors, Product Design and more.  

The India Design ID has 3 main parts- Firstly, the exhibition, which starts next weekend, 13^th - 15^th Feb, which will involve, the exhibit areas where visitors can view the finest in home decoration and design. Secondly, the symposium, which will involve discussions and lectures by eminent designers. The third aspect of the India Design ID are the satellite events which involve events across the design districts of Delhi, areas known for their ‘hip’ design vibe.

All in all, this event is going to be a dream for all of us who love design and are interested in a dialogue and discussion on design, where it is and where it’s going. If you are planning to attend, you can find all the details on the India Design ID website.

I am going to be there, with an eyes open and ears to the ground to get a scoop on the latest trends and the latest happenings in the design world… hope I see you there! 

Oh and if this wasn't enough, the I Haat Delhi festival is also taking place on 14th & 15th Feb at the Garden of Five Senses. It's a festival that is bringing together Delhi's food, markets, music and art like and it sounds like a blast! 

Art Meets Coffee & Glimpses of the India Art Fair 2015

I love this time of the year in Delhi. If you love art, culture and design, then this is the place to be for the next few weeks. It's peak season for all things cultural here in the capital, and there is such a buzz around with festivals, art & design fairs and food bazaars taking place almost every weekend. Last weekend saw the 7th edition of the India Art Fair being held at its usual venue, the NSIC grounds. I try and visit every year and each time I'm impressed by how much more vibrant it is. It's quite a spectacle and an amazing place to see and be seen. And it's so much more than just art! You can really get a feel for Delhi street fashion style, from artists, to art students and the hip and happening of the capital's social scene all strutting their stuff :)

This year I was invited by Le Meridien Delhi to attend an event titled Barista Meet Artista, where Dutch born barista and latte artist, Esther Maasdam worked in sync with Indian visual artist, Sohan Jakhar to create some interesting and signature coffee art inspired by Sohan's designs. I was quite amazed with Esther's steady hand while making tiny and intricate designs in coffee foam. It was quite an interesting experience and quite a novel concept by Le Meridian Delhi. A nice way to combine food and art. I was glad I could attend. 

After the event, I ambled around, soaking in the feel of the fair. There was some incredible art on display and it was nice to take it all in. Food also made a big contribution to the Art Fair, and this year there were so many Pop Up restaurants from Lodhi- garden restaurant, to Elma's, Sodabottleopenerwalla, Guppy by Ai and La Bodega, to name a few. I had a quick bite at the La Bodega pop up stall in the VIP area and loved their Chicken Cipotle tostadas. The first time I visited the fair, a few years ago, it felt like the fair more about art and sales and it didn't feel like a festival. This time it was a celebration of art and the fact that so many restaurants made their presence felt, meant that it became a great place for a days outing with the entire family. 

There were so many positives at this years fair and I look forward to a bigger and better show next year. Negatives? I won't go into issues like restroom facilities (a perennial problem at all events such as these) but I would like to see some performing artists like mime artists and perhaps even some live jazz by contemporary Indian artists. There is so much open space around the tented areas where people were sitting around and talking, and performing art would have made things so much more lively. 

All things said and done a very successful event and and I can't wait for next year!

[All images by Shalini Pereira. Please do not use without prior written permission]

An Indian Summer & Serendipity Presents....

I cannot believe I'm missing this!  An Indian Summer and Serendipity have curated an amazing event that celebrates design talent, art and culture... and all this is going to be happening in an incredible setting... a beautiful haveli in Chattarpur, New Delhi. It's going to be happening on 27th and 28th September so if you are anywhere near Delhi, it's something you absolutely don't want to miss. This one is for all you you who love all things pretty...For more details click here. 

Sadly, I'm going to be on my Sri Lankan holiday and I'm missing this :( So feeling pretty torn between excitement over our vacation (which I've been planning for the last 6 months ... hehehe) and disappointment that I'll be missing all the prettiness. 

Remember peeps... 27th & 28th September at Serendipity, Chattarpur, Delhi.

Windmills Design Festival

I had visited the Windmills Design Festival a few weeks back and just wasn't getting a chance to do a post on it... Well I know it's a bit late, but better late than never right? So finally, here's my round up of the Windmills Design Festival...

For the past few years this festival has been held at, Aya Nagar, at the studios of Windmill Interiors and Pradeep Sachdeva Design Associates (PSDA), which has become a hub for the creative community. Designers, crafts persons, artists and even an NGO often come together to collaborate and ideate at Windmills and this is exactly what the Windmills Design Festival celebrates.

[Image courtesy Devika Sachdev]

This year a number of designers and partners participated... there was some modern, almost Bauhaus inspired furniture and accessories by Windmill Design Studio, beautiful metal work by Bowman Design, colorful textile bags by Pure Ghee Designs, Pottery by Dipalee Daroz and paintings by Shefali Upadhyay, to name just a few. There is a very long list and I don't want to go on and on... I manged to pick up some really nice silk cushion covers with a lovely Nandi motif and some fun little pencils from Jan Madhyam, an NGO  based in Ayanagar village that reaches out to the disabled, especially girl-child from marginalized sections of society.  

[Image courtesy Devika Sachdev]

[Image courtesy Devika Sachdev]

[Image courtesy Devika Sachdev]

Overall it was a nice experience made even better since one of my good friends, Vishwesh, is part of the PSDA team and was kind enough to give me tour of the studios and grounds. I fell in love with the exposed brick construction, with the colorful door and window frames, the clay tiled floors and the lovely outdoor garden spaces. A great day out that made the stressful drive worth it.

[All images by Shalini Pereira unless mentioned otherwise. Please do not use these images without prior written permission]