Recently I consulted a doctor, a naturopath (my favourite line of medicine) and he remarked how am the most healthy and happy on a vacation, and suggested that I take a vacation every month to which my sister-in-law remarked why not make life a vacation and that got me thinking! Its not something I have not heard before, my father has told me that since when the travel bug made it to my veins, he always said why look forward to travel, make your daily life itself like a vacation, this came my way about 22 years ago but then it was reiterated very recently and very strongly at that. Now armed with physical (literally) proof I began my quest on how to make life a vacation, well knowing that vacation is what happens once in a while and is novel is what makes it unique, yet breaking it down to a basic structure here is what I have surmised, makes life a vacation!
Walk a lot. On vacations I hit about 20000 steps a day gladly, looking up at beautiful sights. If the vacation is with my husband that number is a lot lot more!
Breathe in fresh unpolluted air, since most vacations are in places with better AQI than Bangalore!
Eat as much as I wish, since the measurement devices used to measure food while cooking at home are not available, every meal and every day is different, sometimes its lesser than normal and sometimes its more. Ah yes, when in a much more developed country like Switzerland, read expensive, the need to grazing on food becomes unneccessary and food is only looked for the nutrition it provides and sometimes my appetite vanishes too! So staying hungry becomes wildly possible. LOL and fasting is great for the body they say!
Dress well, smile a lot. Since we are forever taking pictures to record the fancy memories we are dressing to the hilt and smiling a lot more than we do on a normal day at home!
Living out of a suitcase, so basically with everything else safely locked at home, our circle of belongings are limited to whats in the suitcase and they say a woman’s happinesses in inversely proportional to the amount of things she owns (or hordes)!
The point of novelty, vacation always means seeing something new or doing something different, every day is novel and this novelty is exhilarating. I love the fact that each day is new, there is nothing routine about a vacation. First of all the time zone is different, jolting one’s body and apart from that even when the time zone is the same, it is a different day!
Seeing the different ways of living and accepting that there are all kinds of people in the world, not being biased on one’s type of food or dressing or even thinking, frees one from any point of judging and thats brilliant.
Finally to know that home’s waiting, and so is dal and rice! Especially when we travel to countries where we dont easily find dal and rice, I miss that the most, and after one week thats all I need to provide myself the jolt of energy to continue on. Yet there is always joy in coming back home. While sad that the vacation is over, there is always the happiness of being home. I have not always loved travelling, in fact until I went to architecture school I found travelling a chore. Only in order to see architecture of all sorts I would make all the effort to go, perhaps if I werent an architect I’d only go to the beach, and thats because I love swimming in the ocean and if I lived by a swimmable beach and weren’t an architect I’d probably never travel at all! And then in corollary wouldnt need the vacation in the first place 😉
Inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi last year, the Baps Hindu Mandir off Abu Dhabi is the first temple of that scale in the middle-east, and the the number of Hindus working in the region, it is but a valued addition! The temple is similar to all its peers across the world, yet is so absolutely wonderful to see in real. The best part is the immersive 3d show that explains in detail all about the temple, how it came to be and the fact that it’s being is somewhat an amalgamation of all religions. The land was donated by an Islamic sheikh, the architect a Christian, the project manager an atheist and so on! The valuable insight of having the tenets of Hinduism scale across boundaries made be realise how this ancient and brilliant religion is a minority religion in the world. And just two or so countries embrace this religion, with Nepal being the only country that states it as an official state religion, in India and Srilanka, it is just one of the religions. And with such a minority in general, it is oxymoronic in nature that India gives so much preference to minority religions in the country that are actually major religions in the world!
I feel proud and incredibly lucky to be a Hindu, just with the way the religion lays itself out, the mythological stories, the lifestyle, the festivals, the colour and gaiety! Being in that temple made me proud to be a Hindu, to embrace our very many Gods around who we have millions of stories, making them real and relatable, yet virtuous and God-like. With the kumbh mela on, I watch on with pride as millions across the world come forward to enjoy the spectacle of Hinduism. I congratulate whoever made BAPS in Abu Dhabi possible, yet with the lore, the books, the Vedas, the might of Hinduism, there is much to learn for the majority!
The region’s youngest and most effervescent city, revels in its location, a couple of hours away from the glitz of Europe and the bustling bylanes of India or even the climes of Africa, and with its geography, natural treasures (read oil), exemption on taxes and a visionar sheikh it has managed to gain a stronghold as the belle of the ball and with good reason. There is so much to be seen that cannot be seen, so much to do that cannot be done, so much to feel that cannot be felt and of course so much to be spent that cannot be spent! There is no amount of money that will ever feel enough in Dubai, the lux of it all is absolutely dizzying. And the scales that the buildings reach is literally like reaching into the homes of the Gods. While we landed in Abu Dhabi and drove to Dubai we were introduced to the desert first and took in the topography of the land before we saw what the visionary humans did to it and yes it is unbelieveable.
Driving on the main Sheikh Zayed road we were greeted with the most expansive traffic snarl that took us over two hours to traverse from one end of the city limits to the other. We were concerned to know that our Taxi driver could well drop us into Dubai but would not be allowed to ferry passengers back to Abu Dhabi and would have to go empty. Strange rules I thought to myself, just as we passed enormous signboards, then the Jumeirah Lake area which was again unbelievable. Reclaimed land, so much of it, so well maintained and now there are even parks with pretty specie of trees from all over the world growing comfortably in Dubai. While there is nothing natural about the city, this man-made wonder is a spectacle in itself and what mankind can do if mankind chooses to!
Our touristy day in Dubai, got me first dressing in my glitzy best, well I had to match the city’s glam quotient and we went up to the frame, to see the skyscrapers of the city from a distance, even then we were not prepared! The taxis and cabs in Dubai need a mention on their own, from Teslas to Ferraris everything is a call away, but as a green person I had to call a Tesla and so when our ride appeared we were in for a treat, from the Dubai Frame as we drove to the Burj Khalifa our Tesla had a glazed roof and sides and well what a way to zip through the city at 9 am in the morning, the city is all practically asleep at the tender hours in the morning, for us in Bangalore 9 am is practically afternoon with a majority of our day past us already! But Dubai is a city of the night, well the lights look better at night, and the city is totally lit, also the sun is too harsh in the day!
Our driver decided I look Emirati and took us to the Burj Khalifa residences as I typed out the location on our Uber and then with more time in our gorgeous Tesla we managed to reach the base of the tallest building in the world, ready to make ascent. Fifteen years after it was inaugurated and fifteen years after really really wanting to go. The building is stunning, inspired by the make of a flower in plan rising like a sheathed sword into the sky, trimming into a thinner crescendo, it is marketed to the max, as the guides go about all day talking of what is out there for all to see, reiterating facts on how the Khalifa, the tallest building in the world was built in a span of 6 years, a time frame that sometimes is what it takes to build a swanky farmhouse in India! Yet the main feature that came to my notice was later, which every guide and information chart refuses to mention was when we later headed to the museum of the future a fellow Mom elucidated me upon, that the Burj Khalifa is not connected to the sewage system of the city, as are a lot of buildings in Dubai. Hardly beknownst to that fact, I was amazed to know that the city administration decided it was cheaper to truck sewage from several prominent buildings that to connect it to the sewer system of the city. I couldnt help but feel that after all, all that glitters is not gold.
Yet the Dubai Mall, the Museum of the future are experiences in Dubai, and we most conveniently avoided the souk! The Museum of the future is greatly hyped up and the visitors get to experience what the team thinks will be the matters of the future. Divided into 5 chapters, the future is said to be all about energy tapping from the sun with panels on the moon (!), then there is the point of wellness as in the future depression is set to be the new pandemic, there is the point of bio-hacking, by using fungi of different sorts to recharge the soil of the forests that may be depleted of nutrition in the future, and then there is the matter of transportation where people can fly in their bat-suits, access information through their 3d goggles and be driven around in their intelligent self-driven cars. I wonder why smart is used for tech powered devices, but not intelligent. The final chapter is titled future heros and is a very fun play area for children. It mustve been great, since it was attested by my 6 year old! Parents have to wait on the fringes and thats when i made acquaintance with the french lady in tech, her project at the moment was the AI goggles back in France. Also she enlightened me on the present scenario of Dubai.
The parks speckled around this desert city are truly a miracle, what the sheikhs have managed to create in Dubai is truly something out of the world, as expats rush in to buy, live and get a slice of luxury in Dubai I wonder, is it necessary?
While Chris Martin thanked the crowd for making it to Abu Dhabi, he made sure to thank all the people who travelled a great distance to be there and why not for the entire reach of the middle-east and beyond came the mile to watch the greatest band in the world at the moment perform in all their glory. While I was personally stumped by Martin’s elaborate gratitude note even before the show began I was stunned by the level of sustainability the band follows especially when catering to the large crowds that they attract, but I was mostly stupefied by the super elated performance, it was most certainly a night full of stars. When the band played the universe that they composed allow with BTS and with the projected visuals of the Korean band, who were obviously not there to perform the collaboration song, I deduced why Coldplay is the best band ever. The humility and gratitude filled the stadium’s every pore and it was scintillatingly contagious. Talk about the world being a mirror of one’s inner world and that was out there in full display.
The band’s command on the ground is sensational, yet the way the bands on each wrist light up fills the heart with true joy. The technology that is used for each song runs parallel to the props that are used for some, as with the band’s signature alien make for the unique experience. While I have always resonated with the lyrics Coldplay comes up with, I have heard their songs as a pick me up for over three years on bleak bus rides back home, I avoided the songs for a while to not be reminded, yet attending the concert and I was floored all over again. A friend once remarked that those that enjoy Coldplay music are not true music lovers, but then who can not love them I’d say! Their charisma far extends their talent and seeing them perform was a true blessing, one also fueled by the generosity of my darling brother.
While Coldplay was thoroughly entertaining and uplifting, the way Martin thanked the audience profusely before beginning made me realise what gratitude does to oneself and all the others watching. While the songs have become a sort of an anthem, one can hear them every where (or is it my ears ringing!) I am amazed by how wonderful and warm the lyrics are. The uplifting tones with the buzzing lyrics are more like affirmations and love all rolled into one. While their English is impeccable, ofcourse they are from the land of the English, their manners seem totally other wordly, and their knack for performance is utterly delightful. While I can’t seem to stop raving about their performance of a lifetime, I’ve saved the Music of the spheres playlist to lift me up higher than ever, but All my love that they released recently does have all my love!
While my taste in music is eclectic, I can listen to Bocelli one day, Gaga the next and Swift the third, switching soon to Alka Yagnik or even Illayraja, sometimes a snazzy dance number, I hope that friend of mine is reading this, and makes it to the concert, for a change of heart, oops opinion!
Jeff Bezos was intermittently the richest man in the world, the man who built his wealth with the online commerce portal amazon, also has a policy on no presentations in the company and the sharing of ideas as a script on white paper. This way of communicating is said to bring great alacrity to the subject and the subjected. The white papers that are written by employees at Amazon have brought some path breaking wins to the organisation at last. As I see my Linkedin wall filled with expressions by friends who have started working in Amazon, I am pleased to see their bettering of writing skills, if not a peaceful break from the inundation of images all over my social feeds. As for me, a reader and writer, it is always a pleasure to meet with words. How then does architecture a visual medium take to the written word? For a reader it takes one into several worlds for sure. By the way, Amazon has another stellar rule, that no team should be bigger than being able to be fed by a two-pizza rule, I wonder what size of pizza we are talking about and what is the appetite of the humans on the team, for my local pizza guy makes a pizza about 4″ in diameter too! However Warren Buffet works alone, and specifies that he works alone.
Anyway back to the white paper rules, and how to write these white papers. Any meeting at Amazon begins in silence as the attenders read the white papers for 15-20 minutes and then arrive at a discussion. The papers are limited to 6 paegs, the font size is limited to between 11-12, in Calibri, single spaced, double sided, with unlimited appendices, clipart, photographs are supposed to be avoided, also data though great, the paper is supposed to have the writers views and opinions with all clarity. Though these are the basic rules, there are few more that look into the nitty gritties.
What a fabulous way to run a company I think, no wonder it is so successful. Yet this very single minded profit seeking company, we cannot blame them as every business seeks to make profit, has succeeded in over-consumption. The owner of a very old watch trading company in Secunderabad told me last month that earlier watches were made to work for 50 years or possibly as long as they could, companies like Allwyn and HMT, and therefore the companies shut as no one needed to buy watches frequently. But today watches are designed to run for 5 years and hence the watch manufacturers are ticking on. Amazon runs on the consumption pattern of the masses, their diligent way of working towards in makes sure they remain in the business and making profit too. Yet their way of working is a great way to live and work, possibly design our lives too. With journalling enjoying its moment to fame all over the world, again as a great way to crystallize thoughts or even to clear up the mind, white papers, limited in scope forces one to be very concise and hence again very clear in approach.
The latest TomTom traffic index has ranked Bengaluru as the worst traffic congested city in Asia. Though the name of the study sounds funny, this ain’t no laughing matter. It definitely does not feel so when I am sitting in traffic. Luckily the day I was stuck in the worst traffic that took me 2 hours to cover a distance of 5 km, I was in august company with my 4 year old and for some reason had a picnic basket in the car for dinner. The evening prime time show for us was then the city itself. Why does the city have so much traffic I wonder, is it that too many people have cars, is it that the roads are very narrow in general or is it that the traffic police aren’t dynamic studying real time traffic? In Hyderabad the busiest roads are sometimes swapped in direction to facilitate the flow of traffic but then the roads infrastructure in Hyderabad is probably better.
This smart city has a quite high average IQ for a city, something that I have keenly felt indeed, but how does Bengaluru deal with traffic jams, and what do they do when they are knocked into one? I wonder. In my case, I listen to music, spotify or the radio, try breathing exercises and recently have got the aroma stone from Muji, that induces a spa like sense in the car, aromas could vary between lavender and sweet orange depending on how stressful traffic may be! As a matter of preference I find driving very stressful, there was a time when the middle eastern women fought for the right to drive, and I truly wonder why, yet we Bengalureans may soon need to pass the bill for the “Right to empty roads”! I do sometimes, ditch the road and take the metro to wherever the metro may allow, for though walking is my favorite mode of transport, strolling perhaps it actually is, yet the lack of footpaths on most roads make it difficult at times to traverse the city.
What are better ways to make productive use of the time in traffic as one half of the brain drives on autopilot at the mind numbing speeds? As I make my traffic list am almost planning on storing some peanut butter and jam sandwiches in my car pantry, to keep hunger at bay through the hours and well the pun intended.
Literally translating to Kanha Peace Forest, this ashram like place located in the Kanha Village off the major city of Hyderabad in Telangana is true to its name a harbinger of peace. Meditation is at the core of the Heartfulness philosophy that is the centre point of all the endeavours including lifestyle products, events or activities. And as a side to the meditation is wellness, the Naturopath at the centre prescribes meditation to every member who visits him. The meditation hall fills up with the subscribers as the clock ticks to 6:30 AM and sitting calmly with eyes closed the mega tensile covered steel structure is a perfect setting with birds chirping from the five lakh odd trees planted in the 1400 acre campus of the Shanti Vanam. Apart from the wellness centre that whips up every alternative cure from massages to naturopathy to homeopathy and even therapies, the campus has a very well designed hotel, dormitories and sprawling green lands that also into a Yatra Garden and the statue of Babuji the guru who precedes the current guru Daaji. Fondly referred to as Daaji Kamlesh Patel has mentored many people, written books on the subjects of thoughts, meditation and ultimately the path to thoughtlessness that every spiritual guru says is the ultimate point for us mere humans to reach, also a path to bliss!
This was the second time I visited the Shanti Vanam, but the first time I stayed overnight, and this time the quietness of the space is such a winner. The early morning meditation for about thirty minutes pass by so quickly without the need to have to learn a specific type of meditation as one quickly leans into the a style of one’s own. A couple of years ago, I reached out to a Heartfulness trainer who would meditate with me, she ofcourse from a different location but mostly to enlighten me on the style of the practice where one imagines a golden light flooding the heart and then radiating out into the body and then the world at large. In the evening practice she asked me to imagine all thoughts or any negative beliefs exiting my body through the base of my spine as black colored smoke. But at the centre when the very many people meditate together there are no words exchanged. Infact even Daaji the leader of the movement walks wordlessly onto the stage, mediates, and walks out just as unceremoniously. On the Sunday morning meditation a woman manned the mic and at the end of the 30 minutes said, “Thats all”, to signify the end of the practice.
Asking one to begin on a spiritual process is cannot exactly be a mandate and the awakening on the importance of such a practice has to come from within, but having experienced meditation, it could well be a mandate. A nation so wealthy in spirituality, it would be great if the thing that we gave to the world, enriched us also, I am ofcourse talking about yoga and meditation. As I strive to include the practices of yoga and meditation in my life, the benefits may be creativity, calmness, patience and beauty, well all the things my little son has brought into my life, I believe the practice is highly hedonistic and even without tangible benefits is so worth it, for the moment of stillness and the capacity to experience life with all its layers and depth. The Shanti Vanam also has a state of the art Gopichand badminton academy with about 14 courts, a temperature controlled swimming pool and gym. It is the best there is in the country for sure. And apart from that is the wellness centre where one can consult naturopaths, and other alternate medicine practicing doctors who do not shun the traditional allopathy but supplement it with laudable practices. The pharmacy here sells essential oils apart from the ayurvedic and homeopathic medicines. Sweet orange is my favorite scent, orange ofcourse my favorite fruit, yet the whiff of all the scents is captivating. The departmental store stocks a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, grocery, dairy and even clothes!
A beautiful experience and probably a way to ease into the practice of meditation, if not for anything, for the same of hedonism!
The handle is the handshake of a building said one famous architect and in that feel of space, I’d like to add that if architecture is the way the built mass is read, the reason Interior Design is so relevant is that it is how the space is felt, getting down to the basic touch and feel of the building. And hence to use materials that feel fabulous is a great idea while planning the Interiors of a building. In my practice as an interior designer and a person who well, uses a building in many capacities, here are 10 favourite building materials that I choose to employ in the spaces I chance upon.
Wood
Wood is by far my favorite material to use in interiors, especially solid wood. Reminiscent of nature and the dynamic nature of trees, wood ages, takes the scratches yet it tells the tale of people living in the space or having been in the space. The best way to use wood in my opinion is as flooring, the perfect haven to walking barefoot in a setting! Although that positioning also makes it extremely hard to maintain. If one shies away from using wood on the floor, the other option is to go with solid wood furniture, some thing that one can lay their hands on, when and if!
2. Stone
The earthiness of stone is in its rusticity, rough or polished using stone in the interiors is a reminder of the earth that we build on. While there is a wide array of stone in the market, granite and marble have been used extensively to line our interior surfaces, surfaces that come in direct contact with us, the users of the buildings. Other stones that take precedence is onyx on walls and table tops, kota on the floor, tandur in areas where tandur is a local stone, laterite and resin binded precious stones as accents in walls or floors.
3. Glass
The transparency of glass is a big win in my opinion, and the steely coolness of it! One of the few man-made materials in my list, glass has the power to be opaque or transluscent when the space or situation calls for it. It also is a surface that can be written on, making it again a dynamic surface that records and is pretty much the canvas of a space. Glass also when used as a chandelier, or blown into varied shapes like the works of Chihuhy presents a grand and beautiful gesture, elevating the nature of the space.
4. Linen
Ever ran your fingers through linen, the texture of it is totally brilliant and the soft yet rough look of linen, runs the eye into an array and unlike smooth satin, linen is a punctuation when used in the walls, it is a story when used as dressings for the windows, or simply as art when used in a tapestry. The beauty of linen as a fabric is in its application with a pattern or simply as it may be in a solid block of color.
5. Concrete
If there was one material that makes up for its un-sustainability by its quality and composition, the weather that it can withstand, its got to be concrete. The fact that it can be custom mixed to present a diversity in strength and in appearance, makes concrete such a crucial part of today’s buildings. When making an appearance on the inside of the building, concrete can be polished super smooth or it can be left rough in rusticity. Why even a very smoothened concrete can present a rustic charm like no other. Over time when used in the floor, concrete can smoothen over the years.
6. Brick
The lure of terracotta has spanned across generations ever since the early civilisations have baked mud in kilns to make the first bricks. The strength of brick has facilitated the building of megaliths around the world in the past. Even today a brick lined wall or a brick vaulted ceiling has a beauty that is multifold. The colors of brick can also range from a deep orange to a dark mahogany and many others in between and that adds depth in tone to the space, bringing the feel of burnt earth to the user.
7. Metallics
I am a metallic girl, have always been. I would love to wear metal and also be in a metal space whether it is gold or silver! But the value that the shiny reflective metal can bring into the space is that of glamour. Shiny and sparkly, the glamour quotient of any space is heightened with the use of metallic elements whether in hardware elements or in accessories that are readily placed about in a space.
8. Textured paint
With a plethora of options the main reason I love using textured paints is the break or the break-free elements that they add in a space, and again creating a resting zone to the eyes. Also if the paint is in a lighter tone of cream, beige or greige even better, using the same colour in the wall and on the ceiling expands the space like little else. A big fan of using the same colour in all walls and ceilings I feel that the expanse generated is the best option for a heightened sense of being.
9. Mud plaster
Earth in all its glory, mud plaster does well not only on the walls but also on the ceiling, mostly because it mimics the feel of the textured paint but if not done neatly is also the cause for a whole lot of cracks. If cracks can be avoided then mud plaster is a great option for indoors that are earthy and feel soulful.
10. Fauna
Plants in all their forms when applied in the interior spaces lend charm and literally life to a built space. My favourite to spot in a living space is the swiss cheese plant, a plant is perfect for indoor use in perhaps any weather. The leaf of the swiss cheese plant is calculatedly frayed with fringes to create openings in the leaf. The pretty plant needs minimal maintenance but with its elegant appearance heightens and livens up a space!
Project Contractor Team: Raghuram, Sri Aditya Constructions, Inder Woodworks, Saravanan Steel, Kwality Furnishings, Paarkhi Stone, Stencil, Studio Segments
The true nature of all earthly things is that of transience, everything and everyone is constantly changing, constantly evolving. What is, is and what will be, will be. Embracing this changing nature of the world is wabi-sabi, a worldview that emphasises simplicity, natural materials and the beauty of imperfection. Like they say it takes a wabi heart to recognise sabi beauty. Wabi is about recognising beauty in humble simplicity. Sabi is concerned with the passage of time, the way all things grow, age, and decay, and how it manifests itself beautifully in objects, contendedly. The 17th century Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto Japan, has had the profoundest impact on me, on a tsukubai (water basin) stone at the temple there’s an ancient inscription of four Chinese characters. These characters make no sense individually but when combined with the borders of the central square, they are read as “ware tada taru wo shiru,” which means “I only know plenty,” or “I only know contentment.” The meditative zen garden that it encloses and the rhythmic nature of drawing patterns on the white gravel becomes key to knowing oneself. Again two words inscribed on the greatest building of all time, the Parthenon, are “know thyself”. To understand the tenets of Wabi Sabi is to essentially know oneself.
Rooted in simplicity is this project located in the leafy bylanes of Bengaluru’s southern district, Jayanagar. With two beautiful gulmohars flanking the elevation, this home uses its facade as the perfect backdrop for the rustle of the gulmohar leaves in the fall, the striking red gulmohar flowers in spring and takes shelter under the shady branches of the gulmohars in the summer. A facade for all seasons, the white canvas is punctuated by two windows on the front looking out, offering a view of the trees and are also veiled by the branches of the tree to provide privacy from the road. The windows are kept wide and tall to bring in ventilation and allow for optimum day light levels, also keeping the energy use of the building in check. The windows are enclosed by a pronounced grill pattern that is more of a feature in the elevation than a security engagement. As the upper floor massing comes forward it is supported by two columns to create a semi-open verandah, a boon with the city’s precipitation levels. Into this stepped back verandah the stairway flurries down with a waterfall lattice to line one up to the upper level, where the home begins. The lattice work extends upwards to the terrace level and ends as a railing. The stairway stops on the first level into the entrance lobby with a shared access into the office room and the living room of the house.
The elk door knocker on the main door opens into the entry space that is flanked by the living room on the right and the dining space on the left. As the ceiling slabs cast are left exposed they are taped into each other with a petechiae of gold foil and paint just like in the broken pottery that are affixed with gold paste. Straight ahead is the foyer table, equipped with a pop-up library and an expansive abstract art work that is reminiscent of galloping horses. Inspired by the tones of the house, the art piece amasses the grey, white, black and gold hues of the living space. The alaskan white natural stone on the floor creates a cosmos in an endless carpet ride as one steps into the home. On this endless expanse of natural stone, solid wood furniture is placed mindfully in simple proportions and delicate ratios to create a form that is unified as a whole. The muted window dressings step back as the view brings forth the happenstance in the context. The living room is layered in light and seating, with a daybed swing, recliner sofas, straight sofas and a reading chair placed to create a warm environment. The centre table is supplanted by taller side tables all designed as an ode to a waterfall. These tables mimic the fall of water and are monoliths in sense, made of solid wood. The day bed designed at the precise proportions of five feet by five feet is calculated to the T to be ergonomically and anthropologically apt. The dynamic nature of the swinging daybed brings forth movement to the space and infuses a sense of laissez-faire, a feeling of calm that stems from all being well in this world. The feelings of accepting life, the way it is, the concept of being a lover of what is, is what the interior design concept endeavours to achieve. Into this living space, the white walls are paraded with a gorgeous periodic table, after all science is art, and an installation of eight deeply coloured squares from red to pink. The pop of colour at the far end of the living room wall is just the right amount of energy to liven up the space in style. Flanked to the left of the foyer space is the dining area, conceptualised with a square table, with chairs on two sides and the wooden bench seating on the other sides. This configuration of space entails a perfect setting for an eight seater, large in feel with the river white natural stone balanced on a cuboid in natural wood. The table dimensions are inspired by Charles Correa’s famous dining table in his Mumbai home. The river white natural stone of the dining table is different yet in tandem with the alaskan white of the floor. The dining table is off-setted by two cutlery cabinets at its two corners. None of the furniture in the living or dining spaces is kept above the waist level to create a feeling of spaciousness and with the walls in white, the desired effect is achieved. The walls are reserved for art or a view of nature, in a rare case, television! A curated stone and wood panelled hand wash is embedded into the walls of the dining space. This area is almost like the mood board of the house with its use of the natural elements of wood, stone and a mirror that reflects art or the great outdoors depending on the angle that it is seen from.
Leading out from the dining space is the kitchen, following the tenets of simplicity, the material palette is kept subtle, neutral with the continued colours of white, grainy wood and the tinge of glass with the profile shutters. The linear kitchen is loaded with storage cabinetry, the refrigerator and a sink on one side while the other side is kept light with the front window and a chimney above the linear counter space. The kitchen is extended out into a utility space for the rigmaroles of washing and cleaning. The floor to ceiling latticework allows for a shielded view of the outdoors. The living room extends onto the God’s room that also couples as the gymnasium of the house. This area is the meeting point of the two bedrooms, the master and the son’s room and also leads to the other side of the office room which is additionally connected to the lobby area of the entrance. While the master bedroom is lined in modern lines with a floor to ceiling wardrobe and the hints of lotuses in the decor, the son’s room is some what an ode to space in its subtleness. The master bedroom is a safe haven, as is the son’s room, tucked away from the front and more public parts of the house. The four post bed in the son’s room faces the toy station with a back end for tucking away the essentials and is the regulatory space station in the expanse of space. The toy station is positioned to facilitate easy access to the boy’s collection of toys, legos, books et al developing on the Montessori method of learning that he follows in school. On two sides of the bed, the side tables affix the location of the furniture in place. The bedroom is annexed by a walk-in-wardrobe that is planned to accommodate storage, again in the make of the solid wood, shutters and carcass all made like a monolith. The office room consists of the sensibilities of the architect, with its annex serving as a library and the assistant workspace. As a backdrop to the architect’s desk is the panel of shelving and a full size murphy bed enclosed within the solid wood structure hidden away behind the monolith. The desk is a custom designed table with storage hidden away and monogrammed in the letter V, the walls of the study are fashioned by an expansive sketch of the Chrysler building, a Stephen Wiltshire piece and the other a personal collection of paintings, sketches, photographs, awards and empanelment certificates to the Institute of Indian Interior Designers and the Indian Institute of Architects. The roman blinds in the study are again a monogrammed construct in pattern. This office has an expansive skylight, that allows natural light to flood the space in the day time and offers a spectacular view of the stars and during Diwali time, firecrackers, at night.
Rising like the phoenix from the old, the challenges the house posed were many in utilising the age-old wall-on-wall construction where each wall of the upper floor was built on the existing sixteen inch thick walls of the lower floors. Building and reconstructing a fifty year old house is no easy task and that staying on the construction site is absolutely no mean feat. But then thats what the dreams of six-year olds are made up off! The son has multiple times requested the workers to not finish early or on time for, “its so much fun to live on a construction site”. I’d say with the tenets of Vaastu considered, or not considered as the Vaastu guru said the ancient Indian building science does not apply on sites angled at a precise forty-five degrees, living on a construction site should be the architect’s dream process. For only through a twenty-four hour sun cycle, 28 day moon cycle and almost a year of season cycle would one know what the site desires to be, as the Greeks say. And architects, like the ancient architects did, would do better to listen to the site, for that’s the best way to architect the world, to be literally a site-whisperer. The ancient Greeks believed and I agree that the architect needs to be a site-whisperer, developing a deep and unwavering connection with the site, its context and how the natural elements play out on it, the sun, the wind, the earth and the space. They say that an architect’s house is never complete, but after exploring seventy-two options to finalise upon this one, and collaborating with the labour force from the civil to the artists, I’d say this one house and architect, is pretty much done!
Once in a while comes a project that one is extremely proud of, because of its ability to change you, architects dont just shape the world, in turn they are shaped by the world and this project did just that. For one, it made me an ardent fan of light at 2700K and once you have that in your living and working space you’d know why. But besides that this one project located off the main spine of Bengaluru, the MG Road is an office space for a start-up company, an account aggregator that makes online payment portals work. As the quick commerce industry takes India by storm, delivery in an instant, it is only possible because of payments that are carried out in an instant. The office tucked away in the leafy lanes off the busy MG Road, is an oasis, a respite with its green cover and also a location where work is possible round the clock, and along with nature features commissioned art that makes creative thinking, work and execution possible.
To start with the design, in a rare case and also a very interesting one, I consulted the eminent Vaastu consultant Hari AR and discovered the science of Vaastu-shashtra, an ancient science that dictates how people could tap into the resources of the universe to build for positivity. And in that meeting, while the octogenarian explained the means to use an existing house for the win, I looked up several books that he has written to find wisdom in the way of life, whether color or water. Now armed with the ancient principles leveraging the movement of the sun, the plans for the bungalow to be retrofitted into an office space for about 25 people began. Every office works in a different way, just like no house is run the same, the nature of work, the dynamics of the team, and the requirement of every industry is vastly different. When Sri Harsha Majety of Swiggy declared at the Valley school interview that Swiggy doesnt have an office space, his model of work-from-home works for the company to maintain low overheads. But at Sahamati, the nature of work required the principals to meet investors and key decision makers on a daily basis, along with specialised teams carrying out specific works that make the collective output possible. So while walls were brought how and ceilings peeled, the new layout expanded the space with transparent glass partition systems that serve acoustic purposes too.
The work spaces sprawl over the bungalow, some inside and some outdoor to welcome creative thinking and a tryst with nature, the birdsong in retrospect is totally worth it! Something to bring out the calm even on a very busy day. While nature works at its own pace, not hurrying forth to complete anything, so do the living beings in tune with nature, with that as the design concept for this office, the cue from nature is brought into the spaces that are expansive, soulful and are lent a dose of calm in their colour and composition. While the electrical team and the gypboard teams worked in tandem to make use of the existing walls and electrical points, tearing down walls where unnecessary, we unearthed, quite literally old wardrobes hidden away behind gypsum walls. Using the old wardrobes as storage spaces for the office, allowed for the work-stations to remain frill-free and essentially levitate over the different work spaces. As possible, work-stations are kept central and not facing the wall, that allows the team to feel a part of the team and encourage collaboration. Interior design is also in part behavioural design where designing interiors of a space is also a way of designing behaviour of the users who inhabit the space. Keeping the walls free of desks, make the walls a space to ideate, with large glass boards installed to collaborate together on ideas or literally to think things out. The sense of wood in combination with white lends a zen-like feeling in the space while also adding in the earthy element of wood, a warmth that brings out the best in a any of us. With an addition of commissioned art, some bringing in the softness of nature, others highlighting the monumentality of India and even more suggesting the quirks of the generation, thinking even of outer space, and at other times being other wordly, accentuating the mythology of lore, the tales of Krishna carrying the Govardhan Parvat on his little finger, the streets of Hampi, or the learning centre of Nalanda. The beautiful art work complement the essence of nature and the spirit of mankind in full force.
In terms of functionality, the office is enclosed by sprawling gardens in the front and the rear, that is treated with pretty flora, floral art and seating space for discussions and open communication. The gardens are in full view from the main cabins for the founders, the work spaces and the conference rooms on the ground and the first floors. The main central wooden staircase provides the two floor connection, keeping the feel light and airy connecting the more public portions of the office to more private spaces on the upper floor. The tone of the conference room on the ground floor is kept more cordial, while the conference room on the upper floor is kept more collaborative and inclusive. Each of the rooms are given unique names, while the conference rooms are titled Hampi and Nalanda, the meeting room is called Synapse, suggesting the interchange of information between neurons, the work spaces are called Pi, Infinity and Fractal, that centre-stage mathematical concepts that are crucial to today’s computational industry that make the fringes of development possible. The ground floor also has in its midst a white brick wall with a collage of milestones of the company and the people that make the company thrive, with framed photographs and news-clippings orchestrated to inform the viewer on the stalwart achievements made by the company. On the upper floor at the landing of the staircase is the library that is flanked by two workspaces and leads out into the cafeteria area, enclosed in a tiled lit roof and the other conference room sided on two sides by glass windows and doors. From the library space are visible the two main art works that display the bright strength of India, the monuments of the country are curated and painted in a black sketchy tone by artist Ahamm Aditya and the intricate line work of Lord Krishna carrying on his little finger the might Govardhan mountain, taking into shelter his people, a note is made to the nature of work done at Sahamati that aggregates to empower people of the country. Art, an important part of the project is given its due and possibly took the most time to curate and commission following many warm and heated discussions between noteworthy influential figures and thinkers in the Bengaluru tech circles and equally enthused artists from the city’s own ChitraKala Parishad.
The workspaces on the upper level, open out to the outdoors through shaded balconies that allow for meetings and open air discussions. Here a tree of life is painted on the wall with a red perforated bench, open for seating, and perhaps to strike notes of nirvana! While the palate of the furniture is kept neutral, all the furniture is custom-made, white and light textured wood, pops of colour in strategic locations are made with the use of red, to energise the space and infuse in it prosperity. With a lot of spaces facing the outdoors, blinds are installed, as per the necessity, different fenestrations are employed to maintain optimum lighting levels. The design makes the most use of daylight by opening up the existing windows and keeping them free to allow for light and ventilation all through the day. Balancing the indoor and the outdoor in equal proportions, this project also as a Design and Build project has me donning the hat of an architect and a builder. The best works are those where the architect dons the builders hat for sure, for the sensitivity that it lends to the project is for the win, for the project. While most of the existing parts of the building are retained, for sustainability is to keep some while remodelling some, breaking down a building should always not be an option, there is great merit in Brownfield architecture, a lot for the environment, and thats what we tried to do with this project. As the office works in its own rhythm churning out work for the future of India, the new tree planted by its chief patron and mentor, Shri Nandan Nilekani, also the Father of most Bengaluru Start-ups, rustles with the cool breeze of Bengaluru and finds its own rhythm.
Project Data:
Project Architect & Builder: Vedasri Siddamsetty
Project Area: 6500 sft
Project Timeline: November 2023 to April 2024
Project Team: Impel Inc, Inder Woodworks, Skynet Networking, Featherlite Office system, Likos Partitions, Sachin Light house, The Town Hardware Stores, Polar Solutions, NXT Powertech, Arpitha Kamarthi Landscape, Kwality Furnishings, Light Form Marketing, Amit Safety Enterprises, Seagull technologies, NB Marketing, Design Mint
There is no one who has been to Santorini and not loved it, for the sheer spectacle that it creates. From Fira to Oia, from Kamari to Gialos, from Akrotiri to Koloumpos the variety that the island creates is spectacular. Oia is a top favorite with its cliffhanger buildings all equipped with thermal baths and jaw-dropping sunsets, while Kamari with its black sand beach, from the volcanic eruptions, is tucked away for quieter retreats and Fira is for the youth, with a bustling marketplace and a scrumptious view, ancient bookshops and the like. But the best thing about Santorini if one can do it, is the 11 km hike that connects Fira to Oia and in the process giving the average hiker a hike of a lifetime. Another island of the Cyclades, Santorini is known for its erstwhile and even some active volcanoes, its sense of peace. The hike though is one that puts most things in perspective. From the bustling Fira, taking a stop at the age-old Atlantis bookshop, one can see the celebrities of the past, through the books they signed, as they stopped by on their journey, then the bells of Thira, and then finally the volcanic land gives way to the top most point of the island, dotted with churches before relenting into the poshest part of the island, Oia.
Again mostly comprising of hotels, Oia is a hospitality hotspot with the best of spaces, to eat, soak in the thermal baths and watch the ocean or the cruise ships as one prefers. It is also completely whitewashed, with softened plaster on its buildings and provides sunset views that are captivating and inward looking more that ever. Great beauty is said to humble one, and Santorini does a lot of it, all at once. The hike to the sunset, from Fira to Oia is the best part of Santorini I would say, with a lot of stops to take in the view that is breathtaking. For otherwise Santorini, officially called Thira is much too calm. The rare natural beauty of Santorini, the breathtaking caldera, a caldera is a large volcaniccrater, especially one formed by a major eruption leading to the collapse of the mouth of the volcano, the views, the extraordinary volcanic beaches and the lunar landscapes are the wondrous results of this eruption that can only be admired in Santorini. In this incredible “canvas” everything is totally harmonious. It has a Unique Landscape and Geomorphology making it one of the most romantic destinations in the world that was formed by a massive volcanic eruption thousands of years ago. It offers a unique blend of historical richness, natural beauty, and modern architecture. The modern architecture with its mud forms in white nestles on the brown volcanic land and settles against the blue sky. Straight out of a fairy tale, looking down at the cobalt-blue domes or looking up at the bells of Thira is a sight to behold. The sanctity of the land is a huge sigh, and the calm that comes when a volcano abates and leaves a euphony of calm, the sound of silence. Well for me it was by breath, as I hiked up to Oia!!
The name of the island refers to a “pile of rocks” or to a “rocky area”. However, later legends support that the island’s name is associated with the local hero Mykonos. Mykonos was the son of the King of Delos, Anios, who in turn was the son of Apollo and of the nymph Roious, descendant of Dionysus. The grandson of the Greek God Apollo Mykons, has a fancy island to his name. Mykonos is undoubtedly the queen of the Cyclades. The Cyclades are an island group in the Aegean Sea, southeast of mainland Greece and a former administrative prefecture of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. The name means ‘encircling islands’ and refers to the archipelago forming a circle around the sacred island of Delos. The largest island of the Cyclades is Naxos, however the most populated is Syros. All the islands of the Cyclades are reachable through the network of ferries and easily manoeuvred, over a distance in the sea. In fact some island hopping is essential while in Greece, to understand how the ancient Greeks would need to, and the modern tourist while in Greece will also have to look seaward! Mykonos is an island with the most vivid nightlife in Greece, but it also has astonishing beaches, a beautiful Chora and elegant shops, boutiques and restaurants. A speckle of an island, its architecture in all white and the lace of white paint frolicking on its granite floor all over its lay had my heart. The windmills, that were used to pound flour in its hey days, and the little Venice neighbourhood with bite-sized streets are utterly delightful and charming. Mykonos in its touch and feel is extremely classy. And everywhere I looked seemed like wanting for a picture, or even a ready sketch. The sunset at Little Venice with the windmills at the far sight and the wind running in my hair was an effervescent feeling. The prettiest island in Greece, has a rather youthful vibe to it. But more than its picture perfect ways was the fact that the extremely pretty parts are normally functioning schools, homes and people going about their daily lives, not just as a display for tourists. To live in such a picture perfect setting, children going to school was extremely quaint. Here the architecture is not lofty or aspirational, it just seemed so matter-of-fact, very effortless yet perfect.
The white buildings are dotted with blue door and window frames, though little Venice has some coloured elevations, the scale of the entire city respects the human proportion. Little Venice is also not made for the automobile and is extremely pedestrianised. Called Little Venice, it is replete with elegant and gorgeous old houses situated precariously on the edge of the land, much like in Venice and hence the name I suppose, it has a magnetic appeal. The whitewashed edifices against the backdrop of the azure Aegean Sea are simply marvelous! The air of nonchalance that prevails in Little Venice disarms even the most discerning of travellers. The casually calm and relaxed island displays no anxiety, interest, enthusiasm or worry even as the calm day converts into a bustling action-packed musical night. Though the island shuts down like most others for half of the year, the other half it is all sound and bustle! On the last day of the season I saw the cafes and restaurants playing fabulous music from non-visible speakers, yet the very next day, on the non-seasonal day, like the very next day, the very same places were closed for the year! A stark contrast, yet the white walls, with its blue windows remain and the children head over to school lthe very next morning!
The island is located between the islands of of Tinos, Syros, Paros, and Naxos. It is just 85.5 square kilometers (33.0 sq mi) and its highest point is 341 meters (1,119 feet). Across the island reaching the Southern part that boasts of the Paradise beach, one can drive through the hilly regions and see the actual terrain and buildings in the process of building. The architecture is plastered to not have a sharp edge into molded softness and that is so welcoming to the eyes. The detail of the softened edges adds a whole deal of character to the chunk of buildings set close to each other. Experiencing the buildings also brings out a charm of its own, as I walked in to dine at an Italian restaurant in the alleys. Due to its high tourist footfall, there is a vibe to the island that is classy, stylish and edgy in its own right. I for one loved traipsing through the narrow streets and could not stop walking, it just felt so wonderful to be walking all over, and when seated I could not stop sketching what I could see. Ofcourse while all of Greece was rather sketch-worthy, Nafplio, Galaxidi were artists paradises too, but Mykonos took the cake. Dotted within the homes, eateries, shops are churches again with the soft edges, the blue frames and the laced floor ways that are simply the best.
Again the best of the places cannot be easily described, they can only be felt and Mykonos, is a gem, for it does nothing spectacular, isnt trying to hard to impress, but its cozy, casual quality, its effervescence spirit and its beautiful beaches keeps it a top favourite! My legs would just not stop walking on the painted streets, and though its an island laced in history and mythology, after all Mykonos was supposedly where the battle between omnipotent Zeus and the fearful Titans took place, it is mentioned as the place where Hercules slew the Giants, as the Giants were invincible while they stayed in the protected area of Mount Olympus, Hercules managed to lure them out of there and kill them on Mykonos, it puts all its history behind with a crazy air of nonchalance few cities Greece or even in the world are able to do!
Vedasri Siddamsetty 