A Slice of Art and Design

Karesansui garden at Ryōan-ji in Kyoto Introduction: Once not long back in the recent past I was faced with the task of preparation of a scope of work for a Japanese Garden. Not being a landscape designer it was a rather daunting task to define the scope and review the design there after. Since then, I had no idea that Japanese garden could be such a vast subject. And to be honest I did not expect that it would be such a difficult thing only to figure out what a Japanese garden ought to look like. The more I tried to get a grip on this subject the more lost I found myself. As I started my research I got inundated with detailed information. It took lot of efforts before I could make some basic understanding. In the few paragraphs that will follow, I have documented what I learnt about Japanese Gardens. I would have loved to call this post “ Japanese Garden for the Dummies ” but decided otherwise as this is not be as comprehensive as the title would suggest. The Japanese garden embodi...

Interior Design is all about people. The whole idea is to create an environment within a space that set the scene for the next Act. Every space is designed for a specific purpose and most definitely “Designing of the space” is not the purpose. The design has the potential to evoke different emotions from the way it is created and it all depends on the visualization and creativity of the designer. It could make you relax or for that matter make you extremely restless. A waiting space could give you a ambience where you would like to lounge for hours as in a hotel lobby or make you a bit edgy like one feels while waiting for a bus at the station. One doesn’t have to be a trained in design to be a designer per say to be able to design his space. We have all grown up watching our mothers putting things in particular order to set up different spaces within the household for specific purposes. And now we are getting old watching our daughter do the same with her dolls and toys. The Quest is...

How do you impress a traveler who seen it all and had it all. Being pampered every morning is his routine and does not make him happy anymore. You probably have to give a little bit extra and not the run of the mill kind of stuff. This was the necessity that gave birth to the now over used concept of “Boutique Hotel” in the early 1980s. Like many other innovative concepts this too was also conceived and implemented in the city of London. The first boutique hotel in the world opened its doors to the guests in 1981: The Blakes Hotel in South Kensington, London. This was the creation of celebrity designer Anouska Hempel. Second was the Bedford Hotel in Union Square, San Francisco. This turned out to be the first in a series of 34 boutique hotels currently operated by Kimpton Group, one of the most eminent players in the boutique hotel world. In 1984, Ian Schrager opened the Morgans Hotel in Murray Hill in New York City which was designed by French designer Andrée Putnam. I shall attem...

One should not use himself as a yardstick as it might lead to biased inferences but at this instance I am referring to something which is already part of history. 15 years back if someone had time travelled and told me that in the year 2010 you will be shopping straight off your computers, I would have categorized him as yet another science fiction writer. Today standing in the middle of 2010 I have no hesitation to admit that I would have been grossly mistaken. I will be mistaken again if I am to assume that by next 15 years the commerce will completely migrate to the electronic format. But definitely a major portion of it will shift while the computers and the smart phones will enjoy a major share of that pie. The new era of shopping will be something like it is displayed in this video and that too will be conducted from the comfort of one’s home or workplace. This is the future of Shopping. I like enjoy strolling in the malls doing something popularly known as window s...

The most significant chapter in the Dubai story is the Burj. After writing on Dubai for so long I find a compulsion of saying a few words about this landmark. The few words are quite lengthy considering the subject is the tallest structure. This perhaps is the only claim that others will not be able to refute. The tallest man made structure of the world. Other claims about the largest Mall or the longest this or biggest that is subject which are regularly discussed and debated at the cocktail parties. But this one is a definitive statement and above everyone’s doubt! This was also a happy moment for thousands of professionals and skilled workers from around the world worked on this once-in-a-lifetime project. Unfortunately most of them were not present in Dubai at this time of ceremonial inauguration. January 4, 2010 is the date that will make the residents of the emirate of Dubai proud for generations to come. The world's tallest tower, developed by Emaar Properties, was unveiled ...