S N I P P E T  *  1 3    D E S I G N E R    E V E R Y O N E 

Text: Hina Nitesh

What does design do?

 It makes life easier...It adds a new perspective 

to the  way we look at things.

But not all designers go through a design school or are 'taught' to think differently. There are many amongst us who, without a design education, think out of the box and add a new flavor to the seemingly mundane things.

Today when there is so much conflict around the globe and people are fighting, there is someone who is doing things differently. On the occasion of Vijay Diwas, what would be better than to pay a small tribute to an unknown designer who is looking at things from a different perspective.  

 Making flowers bloom in teargas shells...

with the promise of a future

 Images www.thinkinghumanity.com

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I n    t h e    B l u e    A e g e a n

Text: Divya Agrawal

Santorini is on my Wish list. 

A tangle of vaults and curved whitewashed walls interspersed with ochre..

Windmills and cliff hugging adobe dwellings staring out to the vast blue beyond..

And the Oia Perivolas, with its heart-achingly beautiful interiors & out of the world views..

ALL calling out to be explored!

The Perivolas, the subject of our journey today, is a luxury boutique hotel located in the cliff top village of Oia, Santorini.

Architecture becomes one with its environs when it evolves in response to it, leaving no boundaries between the natural & the built. 

The Cycladic style of architecture (native to this region) immediately weaves its magic around the viewer with this inherent quality. Cave like dwellings perched on cliff faces look like they are a natural part of the landscape. 

Deep inside the Volcanic rock, the interiors are cool & protected from direct sun.

"God lies in Details" 

Endearing & Oh so beautiful!

The hotel is steeped in history - the site earlier housed 300 year old cave dwellings & stables, which were renovated and converted into this stunning piece of architecture by the owners.

Part of the Cycladic islands off mainland Greece, the topography of Santorini is unique. Situated on a Volcanic Caldera, the location affords expansive, uninterrupted views of the lagoon & the Aegean sea beyond. 

The Cyclades also happens to be the site associated with the legend of the 'Atlantis'. 

 The Perivolas affords idyllic views from just about every space - decks, suite openings, sit outs. The azure blue envelopes your senses...(but can't obliviate* the mystery of the sunken Atlantis playing in my mind :))

Bare uneven surfaces, alcoves, whitewash & the sparseness, all give a feeling of being in the midst nature - the biggest luxury of our times?? 

These spaces look like somewhere you can forget time, enjoy being with yourself :)

Dashes of lilac & fuschia light up the white & complement the blue outside. 

These also happen to be colors I love :)

Ah! The blue creeps in in shades of celadon, turquoise, aqua, cerulean, lapis lazuli & many more that I can't put a name to...

Time to just soak in :)

* obliviate : forget (originating from the Harry Potter series, a magical charm that erases memory)

Images: www.perivolas.gr

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 T H E     V E R S A T I L E    G R A S S 

Text: Hina Nitesh

 What comes to mind when you say Bamboo? 
Probably baskets or maybe furniture. But you need to scroll 
down this post to see what all can be done with this material

http://www.designboom.com/design/japanese-bamboo-beppu-craftsmanship/

Speaking for myself, I have always been fascinated by woven bamboo baskets. Little did I know this versatile material till an exercise in the design school made me explore it. 

Did you know...

that Bamboo is a grass not a plant or a tree
that they are amongst the fastest growing and can grow up to four feet in 24 hours!  
that their compressive strength is more than wood and tensile strength competes with that of steel! 

With such amazing properties one can only wonder why is it not used for making more than just baskets and furniture.What follows is a showcase of products which have been made using bamboo but in unconventional ways


Bamboo and furniture have always gone hand in hand but these sure are inspired pieces...

http://www.asianart.com/exhibitions/bamboo/27.html

http://www.arch2o.com/furnitures-using-natural-materials-scope-design-studio/

http://www.contemporist.com/2013/08/23/hangzhou-stool-by-min-chen/

https://www.opendesk.cc/designers/christian-desile

http://www.dutchdesignonly.com

http://www.furniii.com/2012/10/flexible-bamboo-stool-design-by-grass-studio/

http://www.rivera-hurtado.com/furniture/vision-in-bamboo

Lighting and bamboo acquires a totally new meaning in these designs...

http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-product-design/innovative-lighting-seen-at-the-london-design-festival.html

http://www.copper-id.com/nest/

http://www.idesignawards.in/design-image.php?y=2012&design=26704

Some out of the box thinking with bamboo..

www.bamboosurfboardshawaii.com/surfboards.html

Anyone for bamboo surfboards?

www.bambuhome.com/products/bamboo-straws

or how about sipping your drink with an eco friendly straw....

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1237280080/electricity-free-bamboo-speaker-for-iphone-4/posts

Try bamboo speakers for the iphone...

www.zillamag.com/design/bamboo-stationery-by-yu-jian/

 experimenting with bamboo for desktop products...

http://earthtechling.com/2012/06/sustainable-bamboo-cases-shelter-macbooks-ipads/

 carry your laptop in bamboo covers

http://thegadgetflow.com/portfolio/data-bamboo-vintage-sunglasses-175/

  frame for your glasses

http://blog.biusboutique.com/?p=69

can jewellery be left far behind?

http://www.treehugger.com/cars/kenneth-cobonpue-phoenix-bamboo-concept-car.html

This might be taking things too far or who knows the shape of things to come...What do you say?

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S n i p p e t    *   12         A N    A R T I S T ' S    D E L I G H T

Text: Divya Agrawal

Image: winetoursantorini.com

Santorini is one of Europe's most stunning islands and an artist's delight. 

Remnant of a volcanic caldera off mainland Greece, Santorini packs in stunning architecture in its 73 sq km area.

Coming up shortly, a slice of heaven from this paradise. 

Keep a watch folks!

A   P O E M   i n   V A T S   o f    I N D I G O

Text: Divya Agrawal
 

There's a nip in the air. 

After a month of hide and seek, rains are truly here. 

Now is the time for chai & pakora sessions, cosying up with a book, listening to the music of rain. 

It is also a time to rejoice & reflect, to look inwards & be indoors more often than usual.

So what better a topic for this post than one about a range of textile products, 

infused with a splendid array of colors & patterns. 

Time to 'look inwards' & re-upholster, get new bed linen and a nice notepad to jot down your thoughts in!

For the purpose: John Robshaw Textiles

These fabrics make me swoon with their classic refined simplicity. Mughal motifs, jali patterns & many more traditional designs have been simplified and artistically used to create an array of lifestyle products.

The bed linen collections are so wonderfully put together. The base palette is usually white & a medley of prints color this background. 

Don't these luxurious linens make you want to drop everything and curl up into them?!

John Robshaw, the man behind this label, travels extensively through Asia to find inspirations for the brand's collections. A recent entry in his blog reveals "Dazzling Sri Lanka gave me the energy and colors for this Fall collection - banana greens, dusty blue grey elephants framed, by jungles- raucous plaid sarongs and offering flowers in pink and yellows."

Block printing being the main technique, India forms a major production base for JR textiles. An artist by training, John fell in love with traditional fabric making techniques during his travels. 

No surprise, an artist found a poem in vats of indigo..

"...One dip gives the fabric a sky-blue color, two dips and it deepens to cobalt, three dips and its a saturated midnight blue." John Robshaw

"I want all the colors, processes and designs from each culture to blend. I redesign them and mix up the processes in ways no one has ever done before. I try to edit them, learn from them, make them my own but retain their essence..." John Robshaw

I love the notepads. The black buck one is so beautifully done. 

Trying to figure out which bag is yours on that baggage carousel? This luggage tag will make it hard to miss :)

The paper prints are calling out for a space on your walls.

The "Souk" is John Robshaw Textile's international marketplace featuring many exotic finds from John's travels. 

Rich, saturated Ikats, unusual patterns from Gujarat adorned with mirrors, vintage textiles are some that can steal your heart away.

If you are yearning for more go straight to their website!

All Images: John Robshaw

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