With apartment culture having seeped into our daily lives, space has definitely shrunk. Urban living today is all about stylised spaces with designer furniture, lighting, furnishings and decorations. To make the best of space available, the Design Week 2017 currently on in Delhi (till July 30) is highlighting interesting design concepts for urban homes. It is being held by BoConcept, in association with DAG Modern, Klove Studio and Bang & Olufsen.
“Urban living is all about making the most of your space. Today, apartments require comfort along with functionality. The new age furniture designers need to incorporate both these aspects while creating a great design. The urban individuals are well travelled, discerning and exposed to international trends. We often see a mélange of different styles in a home making them unique to the home dweller, each reflecting his individuality,” explains Navin Khanna, director, BoConcept.
With increased cost of living, high salaried jobs, highly advanced technology and paucity of time, a manageable home with complete amenities that has comforts of modern day living are the requirement of the urban homemaker today. So the products that go on to design a home need to fulfil more requirement than one. And they need to be functional. “Our product range can be customised”, states Khanna, “We have dining tables that convert from six to ten seaters, coffee tables that become occasional dining tables, Ottomans that convert into single beds when required. All these are useful for a small apartment setting.” And alongside functionality comes the chic and class in designing as also the aesthetics; not just for furniture but also various other add-ons in the room that complete a home.
Stylised lighting
Lighting is one such room essential that enhances the beauty of the interiors. Stylised lighting is all about creating illusions, playing with colour and experimenting with the mood that can change from the sombre to chirpy to delightful and loud. Sound systems have a role to play here. What is the role of stylish sound systems when designing a home? “It definitely is a part of living”, says Gaganmeet Singh, CEO, Bang & Olufsen, India. “The design of sound systems enhances the look of the living space. Televisions, music systems, loudspeakers, telephones, and multimedia products all combine technological excellence with emotional appeal.” Also, they blend so smoothly into the décor that they seem more like part of decoration rather than music or sound systems.
Ditto with art. “Art has always been a part of human life. The greatest civilisations of the past are known by their art and architecture. Even today, the best homes are designed around art collections. A great work of art adds value not just to your living space but also allows you to surround yourself with beauty,” states Kishore Singh, director, DAG Modern. Featuring art works from Sunil Das, Nemai Ghosh, Gogi Saroj, Gogi Das and many other artists, the art pieces aim at lending spaciousness to the whole décor as also adding to the special touch of elegance to the interiors.
While there is no dearth of options in designing homes, there are specifics that an Indian consumer typically looks at. “The Indian customer looks for comfort, fusion and space saving solutions,” agrees Khanna, “They want designs that are in vogue and compliment their personal style.” And these could range from the minimalist, simple, sleek straight lines to the ornate – those that showcase opulence and an excessive look.