Design in focus: Devigarh Fort Palace

The facade of the Palace

On a fine morning, the bar at the Devigarh Fort Palace is the best vantage point to savor the  local scenery from.  Sitting on the many comfortable reclining day beds, it is possible to take in the lush post-monsoon vista of the Aravali ranges. The spacious verandah richly decorated in bright yellow and red colours, frames  the rolling hills, glistening waters of lotus choked ponds, tiny flat roofed houses of the neighbouring Delwara village beautifully- in short all the bucolic one will ever want !

And how wonderfully this renovated,  16th century home of Rajput warrior chief Sajja Singh frames the beauty around !  From carved Rajputana-style windows, balconies,  a lazy poolside, floor to ceiling windows of  bathrooms of the property's many suites.. pretty much everywhere. So much so, that it is hard to say what stunning sight will await one at which corner. 

The painstakingly restored medieval royal residence presides  over the village of Delwara, 28 kilometers north of Udaipur. Its many storeyed construction looming above the village's flat roofed houses.

The Delwara estate was given  by Rana Pratap Singh of Udaipur to Sajja Singh in reward for his support in battle.  The vertical structure of the place was subsequently built by his descendants over a period of time. The palace grew  around the zenana courtyard, its construction over many levels making the most of the stunningly beautiful vistas around.

Following a extensive seven year old restoration process, the once crumbling structure of the palace was arduously brought back to life in 2000.

The past exists in a fine balance with the present in the newly done up rooms of this all- suite property .  Built using a neo-Rajput idiom achieved through the use of traditional elements such as marble, semi precious stones, mirror work, mother of pearl, plaster work and vividly toned murals, albeit with a definite contemporary twist.  Even as the traditional materials are handled according to age-old techniques,  the end result is by design,  modern.

The property is the foremost among the recently renovated royal palaces so far as a modern, eclectic  design sensibility goes. Here  the past is delightfully and most elegantly reconciled with the sleek lines of modernism. There are witty references to historical architecture albeit created in a modern spirit sprinkled all over the palace in tiny details.

While old palaces and homes all over the country are actively being restored, in some instances the work involved goes beyond mere rehabilitation of the structure. Genuine looking, but entirely new additions- dining halls,  modern bathrooms and swimming pools – are painstakingly made, such that the changes are not apparent to the  visitor.

The above two are among the hotel's many private dining nooks. There is no saying which delightful corner one will encounter on an exploration around the property!

A witty a reference from the past  presented with a modern twist.

Bright contrasting colours in the Bar are in stark contrast with the minimal, almost monastic palette of the rest of the hotel.

The Palace Suite is the only suite I had access to over this trip. Pictures from the other rooms will make for a whole new post !

The table setting in the hotels main restaurant combines modern and traditional decor elements...

The Zennana, around which most of the palace is built is a beautiful nook peppered with interesting details...such a an old swing and a square shaped fountain..

old and the new!

Detail of a thoughtfully placed rose bowl

Finally the beautiful countryside framed by some of the palace's many windows and arches..

This post is a result of a wedding in the family  that is being planned at the property by the end of this year.  This one is from a recce trip I undertook over the weekend... Being part of the prep has been very exciting this far ! I will come back with yet another post about the Royal theme wedding later  hopefully...for one post is really not enough to include all sights the palace has to offer. But that is a few months away.. ! Until then hope you have enjoyed snippets from around the stunning Devigarh Fort Palace...

Design in focus: A labour of love : UDD

Yuti and Atul: the heart and brain behind UDD

The name Udd meaning `fly’, evokes many images. That of soaring the skies,  to venture where most people resist, unshackling and taking flight.. It does not surprise me in the least that the name of the label under which husband and wife duo—Yuti Shah Edward and Atul Edward - decided to float their new venture a year and a half back was Udd.

For the incredibly talented Yuti and her adventurous husband Atul, Udd has meant crossing crucial boundaries and breaking quite a few chains in the pursuit of a dream.   "I had had enough of deadline based design,’’ says Yuti, a graphic designer by training. This was also around the time the couple had decided to tie the knot.

"We both quit our steady jobs, with very little idea about our future was going to be " adds Yuti.  It was on the couples many travels that Yuti’s constant doodling struck Atul as something they should take on for a new venture.

It was with this germ of an idea and little else that Yuti quit her four year old job at Freedom Tree Design  and started to draw in all earnest. Important learning from an exhibition later, Udd came into being.. A label that boasts Yuti’s folk art based graphics digitally printed on to fabrics with bold, primary colours.

The array of dupattas, scarves, skirts and sarees Yuti designs , speak volumes on her strong sense of colour besides  her expertise at drafting her designs.


Having spotted her range for the first time at an exhibition in Mumbai, I was completely hooked!.. So when an opportunity presented itself to me, I found myself at the door of Udd’s Andheri based workshop, a tiny hole in the wall where the incredible range of clothing is put together.

With enough room for just three or four people to sit at one time, the tiny sun filled space was a pleasure to hang around at,  take photographs and listen to Yuti and Atul wax eloquent about the passion that they invest into their work.


Today’s is going to be a series of posts on the bright brilliant people I have met over the last two years. This one about Yuti has been a long time coming! Part of the trouble I had with writing this was how I was going to manage all that I wanted to say about Udd in one post !

Am taking the plunge today wholly knowing there is no way to do complete justice to her work.

Yuti Sporting a Udd Matsya Dupatta. The range features graphics of mythical half man half fish figures

The tailors

Sewing up the vibrant squares

The embroiderer at work

Devil in the finest details !

The Master Draft's Man, Islam Bhai models for the camera :)

Colour, colour and more colour !

A skirt bearing the peacock motif 

Buttons, trinkets and baubles

All that Folk-Sholk

I have had in mind to post about folk art for  some time now. That kitschy, street, utilitarian brand of artifacts that are naive and endearing at the same time.  Before pop art, and kitsch crafts became such trends in the design world were these little hand made objects, appropriating the street and everyday so wonderfully.

Each little  object brings to mind a particular street side, a  mela  or a weekly market one picked them up from. Their rough crude finishes lending texture and fun to nooks. Of course it helps that most of these objects are readily available in a corner bazaar near the home, at dirt cheap prices..
Great ideas for shoe string decor and beyond.
Here are a few snippets from around the house:

Something for the kids this Holi!

A little post about  a fab app developed by a dear friend. 
Hong Kong based Shameeli Sinha in conjunction with  her partner Aarti Khanna have unveiled fabulous apps targeting kids aged 2-10 years compatible with, the iphone, ipad and android devices . The idea is to provide them with fun and engaging ways to learn about Indian culture and languages.

``As children become increasingly technology savvy, we feel the best way to do this is through engaging applications and games, accessible on the web, or on mobile devices, such as smart-phones and tablet PCs'', they say.

The duo launched their first app called  Diwali with Tamarind Tots - related to Diwali late last year.
In time for Holi this year, they offer a burst of  colours with  their new app, Holi with Tamarind Tots. Available in its Lite version for iphone ( sample it here ) The app offers a flavor of the festival of colours allowing kids to celebrate this fun festival on a mobile device. 
Kids get to choose their avatar, celebrate Holika dahan with their friends and engage in a colourful frolic with pichkaaris, gubbare and gulal finally finishing off with yummy Indian food too!
The full app for the iphone is available here, and  for the ipad here .

Do check out their website here, and their facebook page here.


All the best Shameeli and Aarti!!

Metamorphosis

A change of season. Winter fading to spring.  Change of light, change of shadow.  Leaves sprout, buds bloom, winged birds leave and others start to sing tremulous sweet songs of longing and the coming of summer. But before all that there was a driveway flush with colour. Sweet almond trees aflame and the wait for holi and its myriad colours. Had taken a break for  a bit.. emerging now. Like slow shedding of skin and gradual unfolding of a bud, a little new, freshly moulted a little wet, a little wary but hopeful.
Spring is about fresh beginnings and changing light and colour.
Amen to that.

Poonchh by Aarohi

Whoever thought the lowly stray dog could become a fashion statement? I mean the regular mongrel yowling and yelping at every street corner,  something to feel sorry for, or to feel annoyed with, if not too be dealt with complete apathy. He is a regular fact of the busy Indian street life?!
 But then comes an initiative by a young and immensely talented artist Aarohi Singh from Bangalore with a difference,  that aims to change all of that..!

With a range of high fashion goodies, bags, totes, lap top sleeves, i pad covers, wallets, you name it -  Aarohi's  Poonchh collection is all set to launch the humble pariah dog into a fashion icon that will sit on every fashion buffs person with aplomb!.

If you find it as far fetched as it did to me at first, take a look at some of my favorites from the Poonchh Collection

For all of the fabulous range, look here. 

" Fifty per cent of the profits from the sales  of every item in the Poonchh Collection will go towards the welfare of strays in perpetuity," says Aarohi, particularly towards spaying and neutering them. “I believe that, over time, animal birth control and better garbage disposal in our cities will help in solving the problem of strays on our streets.” she adds. 

I have watched Aarohi take up the cause of the stray dogs with mounting awe and admiration these past few days. Can only wish her luck as she prepares to unveil the collection at the 100 ft Boutique in Bangalore,  between the 10th and the 12th of February. (Click here for the event details)

To educate yourself about the cause, go thru the links here and here.

Go grab your poonchh before stuff runs out guys!!

Urban Mosaic at Kala Ghoda Art Festival 2012

The Dye Series

Currently on show at the Kala Ghoda Art Festival Mumbai, a collection of photographs titled ` Urban Mosaic'.  Inviting all readers of the blog to visit the Art Entrance at Army Navy Building, Kala Ghoda between Feb 4th and Feb 12th.

Will be back to this space with more stories soon, until then keep surfin!