A curation of our design ideas and inspirations for houses in Goa, contemporary art and architecture.
with a curation of our design ideas and inspiration for houses in Goa, contemporary art and architecture.
For Singapore Design Week, I joined a group of design lovers to tour design significant buildings in Singapore.
I was bowled over when I walked into 145 Neil Road, a traditional Peranakan shophouse that has been refurbished into a contemporary sequence of spaces dotted with traditional elements, rustic finishes, exposed concrete, large sliding doors with clear glass and light-filled courtyards. Great inspiration for our forthcoming projects!
Source for images: Spoonful of Home Design
I am due to attend the second Kochi-Muziris Biennale this coming weekend and thought that it was a great opportunity to go back to my notes on the first Biennale held in 2012:
"I loved the show (in 2012), thought it was very well curated, excellently sited in old historic buildings in the historic core of Kochi and was all about celebrating art. I loved the intertwining of art with the historic past of Kochi and its forgotten old buildings. I loved that the art was truly contemporary and site specific. I loved the juxtaposition of history and crumbling infrastructure with new age art employing multimedia technology.
Siting the biennale in old crumbling buildings in the historic core of a city was a masterstroke. I loved how the buildings (exhibition space) were left in their original state. Even when the first instinct would have been to patch them up and to quickly hide away the flaws behind several coats of paint.
The heat and humidity, the sound of the generator, and mosquitoes, all made the experience much more Indian. How wonderful (and democratic) that there was no attempt to air-condition the space, make it shine, make it comfortable for the elite patrons of art. The authenticity of the experience made the biennale specifically Indian with a strong focus on India's plurality of social structure, issues of development vs. displacement, the perception of heritage and other vestiges of the past.
It felt great to walk from one building to next, one space to next, even as one was sweating like crazy, while there was little or no breeze and strong relentless sun overhead.. all because you could not get enough of the ART.
It was interesting to note that many artworks reflected the theme of displacement, conflict and human rights violation due to development or over-development in India. It was wonderful to find contemporary art that was truly a reflection of the most pressing issues in our country today."
More updates soon on the Biennale this year...
Remembering a gorgeous Goan day spent at Nivim, our first project, with the sunlight filtered through trees, the chirping of birds, cool blue water of the pool and moonlight and stars at night...
Rass hotel is a boutique hotel located in the heart of the historic center of Jodhpur in Rajasthan. The new hotel is built within three existing heritage buildings that have been carefully restored. The real beauty of the place is to be found in the 3 new buildings have been added to the complex. The new addition has been done with such finesse that if one looks at the photos, it is hard to see where old ends and the new begins. The planning of the new complex is a great example of adaptive reuse and historic preservation. The new buildings are carefully sited and sized such that they become a part of the historic buildings and landscape.
Existing Site plan with three original heritage buildings.
New site plan for Raas hotel with new buildings added into heritage compound.
In order to blend the old with the new, the designers have used local red sandstone as the dominant exterior material. The real nuance in design lies in the manipulation of the material into screens that evoke the traditional 'jaali' but are fiercely contemporary in pattern and the way they fold out of the way to enhance transparency, frame views and create indoor-outdoor spaces.
We love everything about this space and architecture, and want more of the same !
Designed by Lotus Praxis Initiative. Watch architect Ambrish Arora’s presentation on the design for Raas.
Link to Raas Hotel Website.
Raas Hotel won the award for Best Holiday Building at the World Architecture Festival 2011.
Most images courtesy of Designboom.
I was fortunate to visit the Frida Kahlo museum in Mexico City last week, and was struck by the powerful, vivacious, full of life Frida.
Frida contracted polio very early in her life and then met with a road accident as a teenager. This left her with multiple health issues for the remainder of her life. Here is what she had to say about that: "Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly"
The above statement sums it up for me. Lesson learned: Do not limit yourself...limitations are for lazy suckers. Life is to be passionate and to follow your heart...
Fearless, powerful Frida, we love you...
Simply some eye-candy... Here is a celebrity home owned by Singer-Actress Cher that is filled with inspirations and goodies from India !
Images courtesy of Architecturaldigest.
Amangiri, 'peaceful mountain' is located in Canyon Point in Southern Utah in the United States. The resort is surrounded by a dramatically surreal landscape of a desert. We love and drool over the minimal architecture in the monochrome palette with straight clean lines that frame the rugged and barren surrounding landscape.
We love the strength and confidence in design where embellishments are unnecessary and the landscape is at the center stage. We are in awe with the drama where the building is unapologetically modern in style but fits right into the landscape, where the building and landscape take turns in being the object and backdrop, the view and the frame.
Images courtesy of Amanresorts.
This is one of our favorite Indian style statements ! Enjoy !
Utsav House in Maharashtra in India is yet another beauty from Studio Mumbai led by the very talented Bijoy Jain.
It is actually one of my favorite Bijoy Jain creations. I love the scale of the house, the bare walls against the expert wood carpentry and brass hardware. I love the way the walls continue to become the floor finish. There is a quiet and subtle beauty in the thought and precision in execution that elevates this building above the usual and prolific construction that we have become accustomed to. Kudos to him once again ...
All Images courtesy of Archdaily.
It is another new year, maybe time for resolutions and new beginnings... Here are a few paragraphs from a poem that has struck me and I wish to remember it as we build Grounded !
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)
TELL me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream ! —
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real ! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal ;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way ;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time ;
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate ;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
