Rich heritage and quality manpower are the two strengths on which India can build upon to realise its potential in the design and architecture sector, feels international lifestyle and hospitality designer Tony Chi.
The New York and Buenos Aries-based designer, who has wowed the design world with stylish, functional and aesthetic concepts on space, lighting, architecture and public art among others was recently on his first visit to India.
"It would definitely be a fascinating experience to work in a country which has a vast cultural heritage ranging from the Qutab Minar and Old Fort in Delhi to the Taj Mahal in Agra which are all an epitome of excellence in design and innovation," says the 45 year old designer
Designing chic spaces is his forte and with his attention to detail Chi has orchestrated rich compositions of shagreen and lacquer, aqueous glass mosaics and textured wood veneer along with super graphic-laminated glass and prismatic mirror.
"Conceptualising a project for a new cultural setting is an immersive experience. India, being a land of deep heritage and a multitude of cultures steeped in rich traditions, offers a highly stimulating environment to work in," says Chi.
The Taiwan born designer who has tied up with a realty major's project in Gurgaon stresses on the importance of sustainability of design and the various deficiencies that have crept in because of the unbalanced development of big cities, including he says those in India.
"Sustainable design is the need of hour and we take ample care of environmental concerns. We are trying to beat the 'lopsided development' tag of Gurgaon by providing a design concept that combines basic amenities with good infrastructure," says Chi.
With a 30-year-old design career, Chi is famed for designing about 700 restaurants across the world including the Harley-Davidson Cafe in New York, restaurants for Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong, and Hyatt projects in Chicago, Osaka, and Sydney, among others.
