Suneet Varma

Located in a new luxury mall among top international and Indian designer shops the client wanted his store to make a strong design statement and set itself apart from other stores.

Keeping this in mind we consciously chose a different approach to the interpretation of luxury – rather than using opulent materials and symbolic artifacts to represent luxury we sought to create a sleek, uncluttered space that through it's dynamic, understated articulation of space would convey a sense of high-end design.

The concept for the store was based on Origami –  an idea of a space enclosed by folded planes of paper and initial forms were explored by making rudimentary studies in paper. The permutations of these forms were then studied and reconfigured using numerous scale study models of the space. Eventually the design was finessed using 3-D modeling software that was instrumental in generating the 28 sectional profiles that served as the basis for the working drawings.

The design consists of two folded white planes suspended inside a dark wooden box. Contained within these planes are various functional requirements, from the main garment display racks [lit from above] to the AC ducts and vents. The cash counter was also tucked behind one of the planes, as is the large dressing area which is closed-off with a thick red curtain. Suspended from the metal trellis false-ceiling are hundred of flowers, lazer-cut from sheets of acrylic - a boisterous assemblage that offers a striking contrast to the straight lines of the folding planes below.

Finishes

Inclined Surfaces:

PoP applied in layers to chicken wire-mesh.

False ceiling:

MS trellis of 8 x 8mm bars

Framework:

Standard aluminum false-ceiling framework used for the inclined surfaces

Finish:

Ivory automobile paint, wax polish on all PoP surfaces

1200 x 150 x 8mm thick wood planks nailed to 19mm plyboard, mounted on wooden framework.

Flooring:

Black porcelain tiles with woodgrain texture