Never mind political correctness, rich homes will boast of bespoke furniture, bigger accessories, mirrors and a sense of drama this year, predicts Abhilasha Ojha.
I t’s been less than 72 hours since Nikhil and Payal Sen returned from Ambiente, the annual trade fair in Frankfurt that focuses on trends in interiors around the world and has luxe companies, brands and consultants from all over participating. “What we saw there,” says Payal, “is what you’ll find in selective homes in India.” As an afterthought, she adds, “You’ll also find variations of these trends to suit different pockets.” Husband and fellow interior designer Nikhil explains, “We create even a product like candles in keeping with current trends. That’s what we mean by variation,” he says.
But really, what are the design trends in interiors if one is looking at doing up homes for the rich and the exclusive — for members of the billionaires club? Giorgio Armani, who, besides dressing up those who can afford his couture, also breathes in his sense of style into individal homes through Armani/Casa, his home furnishings company, recently mentioned in a newspaper interview that “exaggerated forms and patterns and eccentric shapes have to be done away with in not just fashion but also in the domestic landscape”.
Reflecting this emerging mindset is a limited edition furniture line at Casa, UAE, for instance. Though the designer himself is likely to tell you that he doesn’t adhere to any particular theme, the pieces, reflecting a “Jazz era theme”, boast of simple geometric patterns, precious finishing and a fascinating contrast between refined and rough materials.
Among other things, the UAE store showcased Antoinette, a slinky, mirrored, retro-themed dressing-table in what Armani’s office calls “a pale shade of Champagne”, with mother-of-pearl details, and Adelchi, a sleek desk with a surface of shiny metal tiles.
But how much of these international trends in design and interiors are reflected in exclusive homes in India? “They are reflected cent per cent,” says Payal. “Global trends do have an impact on the Indian consumer,” she adds.
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Though she doesn’t disagree completely, Anjalika Kriplani of Renaissance Homes, a high-end furniture store, says, “International trends reach Indians — and we’re talking only rich and famous here — at least a year later. So, for instance, if the global trend in 2008 veered towards dark wood, the concept has caught on only now, in 2009. Simply put, these trends reach the Indian market a season or two later.” Kriplani, however, says that her own showroom constantly upgrades and accommodates furniture and décor stuff.
“We cater to the über rich, and they always like to look at everything very closely and then decide on what they’d like to include in their homes. On our part,” she adds, “We prefer to give them as many options as possible.” In her view, current trends include emphasis on white furniture, on “bigger” pieces and lots of mirrors in different areas of the home. “Mark my words, by next year, the emphasis in interiors will be on a classic Victorian look,” she says. Payal, in fact, predicts that in terms of colours — on the walls, for example — the emphasis will be on creating a sense of drama through warmer tones. (“Black, fuchsia and yellow tones are very much in.”)
At Casa Forma, a one-stop property services outfit for the über rich, CEO Faiza Seth is already culling out finer details for her discerning clients. With a focus on the luxury market, Seth says that “bespoke furniture is a growing trend”. She adds, “Clients want their home to be unique. There’s an increasing demand for customisation and we find clients wanting the perfect balance between having designer statement pieces alongside bespoke furniture pieces to create a scheme based on their personal tastes, interests and lifestyles.”
Casa Forma, for example, is designing bespoke wardrobes to house a client’s collection of shoes, bags, jewellery and building walk-in wardrobes built around a client’s height, as well as designing a dining suite with inlaid motifs to match the decor of the dining room.
That apart, experts like Seth are agreeing on how the rich have a newfound love for clean and white streamlined surfaces. “White is also an amazing and versatile neutral that can be used with a wide array of other accents and colours to make the design of the furniture stand out,” explains Seth. She makes another interesting point:
“Global influences are mixing with traditional influences to create a fusion of styles that includes the best of different worlds.” The English Country look, for example, can be mixed with Eastern influences, African safari prints or Asian patterns.
Interior architect Raseel Gujral, who has designed some of the finest homes in India, agrees that “one’s own influences are coming forth and reflecting in homes.” She says she feels relieved that “Our own traditional influences, our heritage is finally finding a lot of prominence in homes.” The love affair with labels, according to Gujral, has, thankfully, reduced.
Instead, the emphasis is on “a jewelled look with more than a hint of Indian heritage”. Gujral is sticking to neutral colours for walls even though “cinnamon and ochre tones” are finding a lot of takers. She is offering, in furniture for instance, lacquer on wood, semi-precious embellishments, metal-embossed motifs and what have you. “We find the rich lot preferring the use of old design objects even in contemporary settings,” says Gaelle Lunven of Sia Home Fashion.
Renowned designer of luxury yachts Patrick Knowles, says, “Trends in megayacht interiors are a good indicator of what the rich are seeking in interior design, whether on land or at sea. We are increasingly creating vintage Italian villa themes in yachts too.”
Back home, however, designer Rajeev Kanwar of Window Passions laughs, “The rich lot is getting dictated with apartment culture. Design in apartments (no matter how big) will look rich, but understated.” He says that it’s in the villas that opulence is reflected. “The classic modern look in homes continues to do well and yes, I do see a lot of emphasis on bigger pieces that dot homes,” he says.
What the Sens saw in Frankfurt, in fact, is a reflection of Kanwar’s statement. Candelabras reaching out to nearly touch chandeliers, the merging of materials in furniture, jade and metal, chrome and wicker, tall lamps, big pieces of blown-glass vases and other accessories, the element of bigness and the drama of colours is what’ll dominate homes in the coming year. We have it from our experts!
