810 The Daughter's Bedroom

2011-08-17T09:54:00.000+05:30

The New Workplace

2011-08-05T09:10:00.000+05:30

After doing a little work on my own, I have finally joined Lotus Design, an interior-architecture firm in New Delhi. I had interned under the four masterminds Ambrish, Siddharth, Ankur and Kullu in 2008 and I am now working as a Furniture Consultant with them. So here's a link to their website.

http://www.lotuslink.in/

Inaaya

2011-06-04T13:24:00.000+05:30

A sophisticated jewellery brand running from their small office wanted to finally reach out into the public eye. An initiative by the Mother and Son duo, Suhail Mehra and Deepa Mehra, the store is a reflection of their style. Characterized by golden lights, a beautiful frame, unique chairs, the teal blue carpet below adds a burst of colour to the showroom.

Design Quest

2011-05-31T02:17:00.000+05:30

Design quest is a platform for designers to interact, share ideas and grow. One gets to see, share and learn everyday new global trends and ideas. Almost like an online blog on design. The Home Review has made the design community smaller and more friendly through this wonderful platform. You can see some of my posts on Design Quest through the link below.

http://www.thedesignquest.com/vritimawadhwa

Manish Arora for Nespresso

2011-05-27T19:36:00.002+05:30

With Andrea Noronha at Nespresso on Champs Elysees, January 2011

Design Mile Newspaper Coverage

2011-05-26T14:09:00.000+05:30

Speech at Maison

2011-05-25T21:31:00.000+05:30

I am Vritima Wadhwa, a young

Furniture & Interior Designer by profession and a very curious person by nature. I am twenty-two years old and was born and brought up in one of the fastest growing cities of the world and the capital of India, New Delhi. A city inspired, marked and influenced by the Mughal invasions and British Raj.

Growing up in a family of creative professionals inclined me towards design. The artistic nature of people around me enthused me to go and join the National Institute of Design in the year 2006, the country’s finest design school.The National Institute of Design referred to as NID was setup in 1961 with the help of Jawahar Lal Nehru and the Sarabhais, an affluent family of Ahmedabad and based on the study done by Charles Eames.

My learning at NID in three phases can be divided in three phases.

1. The Enhancement of Skills, 2. Using these skills to perceive & understand the need of design around us. 3. Create opportunities for us through the acquired sensibility & knowledge.

In fewer words- we Enrich, Applied and Created.

A lot of you may ask, what got me to Maison et Objet. For my final project at design school, I worked through a small design studio in Ahmadabad called A Cube Inc. A team of three people, our project involved creating a range of furniture for an architect, based on the characteristics of his space. An indepth study of the clients work was undertaken to understand the subtle nuances of material usage, architectural elements and light quality used to create spatial experiences.

The study was hence used to conceptualize an idiom that compliments the client’s architecture and translate it to design a range of furniture. The important aspect that was kept in mind was to use all locally available materials. One of the pieces was a lazy lounge chair. The idea was to create a simple piece which one could lie back on, to relax or simply read a book. An inspiration from the human form, the Recline is a partial negative of the human body in a relaxed seating position. The chair accommodates several seating postures. The colour and bounce achieved from its metal framework adds the element of fun in the piece.

Being from India, I’d like to talk about my perception of the existing nature of design there. Today an exciting movement of design has emerged in my country. The modern India is a stunningly illustrated exploration of cutting edge homes, bars and restaurants. The international influences have blended with the country’s cultural heritage, spirituality and mythology beautifully giving birth to Indian Modern Design.

A few years down the line, I see myself taking the traditional Indian principles of design and reinterpreting them in a modern idiom. I hope to create an identity that is distinctly Indian and yet stimulates a balance with the global audience.

Evania: Before & After

2011-05-25T19:54:00.000+05:30

Evania is a walk in foot spa. The brief for the project aimed at creating a home like setting for this commercial space. We've tried to keep it simple with the help of brick walls, mosaic ceilings and earthen colours. The brass pendant lamp and sinks are used as accessories behaving as highlights in the space.

Bad Ugly Smelly Basement under Gola Sizzlers: Defence Colony Market!

The Space After

The first one: Evania

2011-05-25T01:58:00.002+05:30

It's November 2010, post Diwali depression. I was walking home after a really intense workout when I got a call. A friend was desperately looking for an Interior Designer to help him realise his first ever venture into the world of walk in foot spas. My immediate reply and smart suggestion 'hire me'. And my friend said 'Okay'.

OKAY, thats it? Did I just grab my first project? Ummm......Whaaaatttttt? So the next day, completely unprepared, I sat down with this friend and asked him what his vision for the spa was. I gave him a brief explanation of the visuals I saw in my head of the spa and soon after a short conversation and coffee, I had my first client ever. This is how I grabbed my first project: Evania. (The name only came later).

Coming up: Images of the Spa

The Eight One Zero

2011-05-25T01:49:00.001+05:30

810. The Blog is finally here. The ones who know me will know why I called it 810 and why the numbers are so special. More posts coming up soon. I have a lot of catching up to do.

MUMBAI to MAISON: The Design Mile

2011-05-25T00:08:00.001+05:30

So, here's my first post guys! I'm not sure if I should have started like this but it was the first thing that came across to me. I recently participated in this design competition called Design Mile. A competition hosted by the prestigious Home Review Magazine (http://www.home-review.com/), focused on promoting young talented product designers under the age of 35. Hundreds of aspiring designers posted their designs and innovations online and ten talented, i'd say lucky ones were hosted in Mumbai for the finals in November 2010.

I remember the day I got a call from Louisa from Marvel Info Media (The home review office). I was told to pack my bags and leave for Mumbai right after Diwali. Hungover from wine and teen patti, I travelled (2 hour flight) to Mumbai to display the Recliner that was chosen. The ten selected designers were given one restaurant each within a one mile radius in Bandra to display their work. So for a week, I had a fancy display up at this brilliant sea facing location called Molto Bello, a fine pizzeria right on Carter Road, Bandra. You can see me posing in the pictures here next to the recline.

An anxious one week went by and the judges narrowed their heart down to three products. It was my 'Recline' (designed during my diploma project at A Cube Inc, Ahmedabad), Andrea Noronha's famous 'Bo' lamp made out of Bamboo and Ashish Patels mild steel Puffy which made it to the top three. And so, we were flown down to Paris in January 2011 . Our trip encompassed a visit to the iconic design show, Maison & Objet where we were facilitated and also got to make a small presentation on our work and ideologies. We also spent two wonderful days in Essen, Germany and got to see some brilliant designs and the Red Dot Museum.

Look out for the speech in my next post. The maison experience was an enriching one. Maison is a platform where designers from world over come to exhibit and share their work. one gets to see a wide range of things, from simple kitchen accessories to furniture settings. Maison is a place where all the innovations in form, technology and materials come together. The exhibition is a real eye opener on design at a global level.

The design mile experience was a golden one. I've not only learned a great deal from my visits to Maison et Objet and the red dot museum, but I also gained by interacting with the other short listed designers in Mumbai. Giandaniele, a young talented, recently married, Italian industrial designer, is a special mention. And, one can't forget the unique bond that was created with the group I traveled with. Thank you Anish Bajaj for creating a wonderful opportunity for Industrial Designers in the country.

I can't miss out and not appreciate the tremendous job done by the Bloomberg team, Radhika & Khushal. They made us feel like stars throughout the trip. You can catch our short claim to fame on youtube. Sorry for looking so terrible in the video. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA1Ah8QZ394&feature=relmfu)