realising fifteen years of stellar design experienceskainoosh, based on a contemporary traditional...

1 4 InSITE STORY InvItIng F&B InterIors

Ambience, theme, concept are words synonymous to Restaurants, Lounges, Pubs and Cafés, best

conveyed by the look and feel of their establishment, their interior architecture can speak volumes

about their brand. As eateries continue to perfect their menu, architects and designers have applied

their ideas and imagination to create ideal settings that facilitate the culinary experience.

This issue serves a platter of appealing industrial settings to kitsch playful spaces, sophisticated

royal to contemporary minimalist interiors, all garnished by the ingenious minds behind them.

There are thousands of factors to envisage – the style, the atmosphere, material & colour palette,

lighting & fixture placement, overall planning & furniture arrangement, and safety regulations in

harmony with the grand designs, to take form.

Studio Lotus is a multidisciplinary design practice whose work seamlessly weaves Interior and Exterior spaces, from large Architectural ideas to the smallest of Furniture details. Founded in 2002 and spontaneously christened Lotus, the firm is presently marking its fifteen years of design, collaboration and co-creation.

Mindfully disassociating from a definitive signature style, we have always believed in pushing the envelope with every project in different ways - some more obvious than others. Imbibing our individual strengths across disciplines, we take pride in creating experiential spaces that blur the edge between visual communication, architecture, interior design and furniture design. The individuality of the client / the context of the site or the brand, far from being a

deterrent, are what inform our process. This realisation enables us to gain insight and deepens our design process to become more inclusive and rewarding. Our F&B projects are an archetype of starting from the first principles each time, with an aim to create a sense of surprise for ourselves and explore ways to engage the customer, the way they move through space and interact with it.

With respect to Adaptive Re-use in F&B, The Coast Cafe and Baradari, show two different contrasting approaches. An urban retrofit, the Coast Café, started as a decrepit rooftop with a brief to create a simple, coastal cuisine restaurant and bar as a value add to the renovation for one of India’s pioneering multi-brand fashion stores, Ogaan, resulting in a repurposed building and interior standing out

Realising Fifteen Years of Stellar Design Experiences– Ambrish Arora, Sidhartha Talwar and Ankur Choksi (Studio Lotus)

Ambrish Arora Sidhartha Talwar Ankur Choksi

InnovatIve, InterestIng and InteractIve

InsIte MArCH 2017 15

amongst hullabaloo of Hauz Khas village. The modern restaurant is conceived over two floors, connected by a seashell-inspired compact staircase. The focus was on attention to detail and a hand crafted material palette together with white painted stripped brick walls and walls in accents of pastel shades of aqua and white terrazzo floors, complimenting the oiled teak & cane chairs and marble-topped tables.

Building on the wisdom of tradition, the Baradari Café at the City Palace Museum, Jaipur, embodies our iterative and incremental methodology of innovation and roots its learning in history and local context. The firm was invited by the royal family to redevelop the 14,000 sq. ft. area of the former palace café, to include a private dining area, bar and private lounges, along with a fast service counter to the program, while retaining the current back of the house facilities. The concept seeks to create a balanced interplay of historic revelations and contemporary additions: both drawing from and interpreting the underlying Indo-Sarcenic influences of Jaipur’s architectural history. Traditional crafts of Jaipur like Thikri work, bespoke casting and foundry work, furniture and stonework have all been interpreted in this new idiom. A contemporary Baradari-inspired Pavilion, built in handcrafted marble and brass, was inserted in the form of a bar into the courtyard, originally being used as a toilet block, to divide yet link the two zones flanking it, giving the place its essential identity.

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1-4. The Baradari roots and reinterprets traditional crafts in a contemporary syntax and the Coast Cafe, an urban retrofit, show two different contrasting approaches towards Adaptive Re-use in F&B

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A unique boutique F&B experiences defined for an exclusive brand, Kainoosh,was developed as an amalgam of spaces-the arched linear entry corridor, the circular restaurant and the rectangular private dining room. An India Modern story drawing inspiration from traditional Indian crafts and architecture,

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the space remains fairly contemporary and monolithic; with the Taj Mahal inspired CNC cut cement board Jaali as the backdrop for the entire restaurant. In order to intermingle and simultaneously separate the restaurant from the bar Keya, the shared kitchen was planned as an intersecting diagonal block, granting individualistic characters to both the spaces it caters to.

Another such boutique experience, Lemp is an avant-garde oxymoron space where excess and sustainability come together, looking through the multiple lenses of cultural, social and environmental impact. The task was to create a space with varying configurations and seating arrangements, which would house a brew bar, a restaurant that functions day and night, a lounge, a dance floor and a performance stage under one roof. The brief was to essay the essence and rich history of the American brewing legend of Lemp Brewing Co. through the allotted space. The brands first ever franchise in Gurgaon granted the customer a unique

experience of drinking a mug of beer right beside the brewery. The Brewery was placed on the mezzanine level, supported by a structural grid in order to hold the weight of the equipment and to be able to utilise the height and volume of the site, creating the backdrop of the Lemp experience. Use of low cost recycled/recyclable materials such as paper tubes, old bottles, stained glass and chain mail, contrasted against the luxurious materials of leather and fabric.

The domain of F&B rollouts is another very important genre, bound by the idea of value engineering while requiring unique approaches. In the case of Independence Brewing Co. design played an integral role in actually crafting & giving identity to the brand for the customer. It is an independent space in a larger commercial office complex in Pune comprising of a 600 sq. ft. Brewery on display, 600 sq. ft. of the back of outhouse services and kitchen, 3800 sq. ft. of the indoor front of house spaces as well as two split levelled outdoor areas of about 1500 sq. ft. Due to the large floor plate and the lack of initial infrastructure controlling costs was a challenge. Conceived with the brewery and a larger island bar anchoring the whole experience, the bar extends into the outdoor space and allows for a seamless indoor-outdoor space, naturally creating multiple zones to accommodate different experiences. A tight palette of natural materials, which ensure a timeless feel such as polished VDF concrete floor, with brick and timber were used to generate the backdrop. Custom designed mild steel details for the bar, brew house skin; all the lamps finished in tempered zinc, selective use of colour and the upholstered furniture in leatherette provided a distinct identity and warm feel of space. We like the fact that designing a space offers the opportunity to build in layers, which unfolds differently for different people and has helped the brand carve out a new experience of drinking.

The established Jamie’s Pizzeria brand, mostly a fun and affordable place that offers handmade, great value, artisanal pizzas, was not only to be amongst

We start with trying to define the forces at play and then create the geometry that resolves it. We like taking design to an extreme at the conceptual stage

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Studio Lotus is a multi-disciplinary design practice that believes in delivering enriching design solutions through a value-driven process empowering all stakeholders and the environment, founded in 2002 by Ambrish Arora, Ankur Choksi and Sidhartha Talwar, working in a highly collaborative environment, over multiple domains, master plans, buildings, interiors and related endeavors, which are at the cutting edge of design thinking. Besides being covered extensively in leading publications world over, the firm has won numerous awards in India and abroad including World Holiday Building of the Year, WAF Barcelona, a Nomination in the Aga Khan Awards cycle, Special Mention at the DOMUS International Restoration Awards, Awards in Hospitality Design and Commercial Architecture at Perspective Global Awards, Silver at the Asia Pacific Interior Design Awards, IIID Design Practice of the Year.

[email protected] www.studiolotus.in

Chef Jamie Oliver’s first in India but also his first standalone pizzeria anywhere in the world. The project was another opportunity of addressing global concerns through the diverse expression of localised responses, with a strong focus on the tactile and sensory qualities of the space. Conceptually, Jamie’s Pizzeria in India is placed at the intersection of Jamie’s Italian design philosophy, which lends itself to create a warm and inviting space and the notion of the fuss-free and highly efficient dining format of the Tiffin rooms. The scheme has been completely value engineered for economics; the design is minimally invasive of the site with the pared-down nature of the shell intentionally preserved to be layered and contrasted with different materials. Stressing on quick replication, we wanted each outlet to retain a degree of variance so that it could still have a contextual identity within the larger parameters. Spanning 1100 sq. ft., Jamie’s Pizzeria at Ambience Mall in Gurgaon is the first of its outlets to open in the country. The facade, a combination of muted green paint and vintage glazed tiles, engages visitors by opening up windows and providing outdoor seating. Inspired from trattorias, the signage of the Pizzeria is inlaid into mosaic tile flooring at the entry. The main flooring places patterned cement tiles into a design derived from Jamie’s menus. The kitchen is an animated block inserted into the layout, aligned with Jamie’s ethos of openness, and drives the dynamics of the space. Utilising only a back counter, the front of the dispense bar is stacked against a wall and becomes part of the restaurant by freeing up valuable area. A screen, designed with reclaimed Haveli doors, is used to control the sunlight streaming in from an entirely open elevation. A mural on the city by ST+ART brings in a contextual layer sought to discern between the outlets. Even within a constrained budget, an effort was made to use natural materials like timber, leather, old reclaimed tiles, bent metal and mild steel to bring in the richness of colour and texture. Assorted industrial lamps, hung on a grid, add to the casual feel of the space. Simple utilitarian furniture made of mild steel and

wood, materials that age well, sit in high contrast to the graphic shell showcasing an attempt to find inspiration in ordinary things. Subsequently, both the brands are beingrolled out in multiple cities.

Ultimately, we consider ourselves privileged to have the projects we are currently working on in the studio, and it is our attempt to make these projects manifest our dreams. •

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5-6. Kainoosh, based on a contemporary traditional narrative and Lemp, an experimental sustainable space are boutique F&B experiences defined for standalone brands 7-8. Independence Brewing Co. and Jamie’s are a part of the F&B roll-out domain, bound with the idea of value engineering while requiring unique approaches

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An old factory warehouse was stripped of its external walls to allow the insides to be infused with natural light and create a view of the large trees along the road from its internal spaces that were transformed into a restaurant and a nightclub. The two levels are in complete contrast, with one dominated by steel and the other by wood to create different experiences within the same space. The abstraction of each space with one merging into the other through the double height volume located centrally integrates them simultaneously. Both spaces create the feeling of being within a sculpture redefining the way internal spaces can be perceived.

The lower level opening into an outdoor patio is a nightclub, and the upper level with a better view houses a restaurant

space. The entire building exterior is created in a web of aluminium fins that are folded in angular planes. This geometry is carried through into the interior of the ground level where the web is more abstracted and sheaths the walls, ceiling, staircase, bar and columns. Partially open and partially enclosed in strips of galvanised metal sheets that are backlit, the entire space is rendered sculptural with the integration of all design elements within the abstractly woven web. A black palette forms the backdrop for this metal web with a flamed dark grey granite floor, black walls and black sound insulation wood wool boards constituting the ceiling. A single flight stairway traverses through a 24’0” high volume from the metal dominated nightclub at the lower level to a wood enclosed restaurant above. The

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AURIGA – Redefining Spatial Choreography – Sanjay Puri (SPA)

Sanjay Puri

Lighting has played a pivotal role in the design from the conceptual stage itself, becoming an integral element of the spaces and their perception


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walls, ceiling and live kitchen counter and serving bar counter are sheathed in undulating angular planes of thin wood strips creating a fluid volume for the restaurant.

Upon seeing large piles of residual wastage of plywood strips on the interior site of a hotel, the idea took the germ of creating a design that would use these leftover strips to create a design thus reducing the material cost to a negligible amount & simultaneously using the waste material, which would otherwise be disposed of. Similarly, it was found that air conditioning ducting too generates large amounts of leftover strips that eventually find their way to a junkyard. These too if used in design would create something at a minimal cost & reduce the need to dispose of the metal. Ergo, these two materials constitute the entire envelope that gives shape to the exterior and interiors, choreographed to create the space.

The entire design was created with the integration of light with every panel having spaces between the metal fins for indirect coloured light to filter

through, making use of metal itself as the predominant material, so that light reflects on its angled surfaces creating a sculptural light effect. Each louvre of metal in each triangular panel is angled to allow light to reflect its edges. The varied composition creates different effects on each panel by the reflected colour changing LEDs that backlight

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1-2. The sculptural lower floor bar & nightclub partially open and enclosed in strips of galvanized black lit metal sheets abstractly woven through walls, ceilings and columns 3. The two contrasting levels are treated in steel and wood respectively


them. The eventual result is that only the lines of light are visible angling differently in each part of the bar with dimmable halogens focused on the tables and the bar. Additionally, floor lights along the periphery bounce light off the metal sheets throughout. At the upper restaurant level, floor lights along the columns and periphery reflect light onto the angled planes of strips of wood enhancing the textural quality created by the wood. Thus, lighting has played a pivotal role in the design from the conceptual stage itself, becoming an integral element of the spaces and their perception.

Also, the lighting is almost entirely with energy saving LEDs; the stone flooring is locally sourced, the windows are double glazed to reduce heat gain in response to the city’s climate which has an average temperature of 30 to 35 degrees Celsius through most of the year.

In this sense, the interior design of Auriga becomes a sustainable project.•

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Sanjay Puri Architects (SPA), founded in 1992, has been consistently appreciated worldwide for their endeavour to create contextual & sustainable design solutions. Awarded with over 100 international awards, SPA has an extensive design portfolio that includes hospitality, commercial, retail, educational projects along with large urban projects and town planning. Helmed by Architect Sanjay Puri, with a current firm strength of 72 people, the firm has ongoing projects in Dallas, Montenegro, Mauritius & 36 Indian cities.

[email protected] www.sanjaypuri.in

4-5. The restaurant space, with the walls, ceilings, kitchen and counters, fluidly sheathed in angular planes of wooden strips 6. The entire design was created with the integration of light 7. The building exterior is created in a web of aluminum fins that are folded in angular planes


The human skin is an anatomical barrier in bodily defence from pathogens and damage between the internal and external environment. It also contains nerve endings that react to touch, pressure, vibration, tissue injury, heat and cold.

Factually, the average sq. inch of skin holds 650 sweat glands, on an average, there are 100,000 strands of hair on a young adult amounting to approximately 2200 strands of hair per square inch. Intrinsically, the human tongue has approximately 2000 to 8000 taste buds;

taste buds are the receptors of taste and are involved in detecting the five elements of taste perception; sweet, sour, salty, bitter and spicy. In the same manner, the BAD Yoga project has 25,992 recycled PVC electrical conduits grafted onto its anatomy with surgical precision.

There are several compound words containing Yoga in Sanskrit. Yoga can take on meanings such as “connection”, “contact”, “union”, “method”, “application”, “addition” and “performance”. In simpler words, Yoga also means, “Combined”. For example, Gunayoga means “contact with a cord”. Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual discipline; the BAD experience is all of the above and much more. Designed as a tactile, sensory experience the project harbours a range of hybrid activities.

The multidisciplinary three-storey space was designed to facilitate yoga, gastronomical experiences, and cultural event spaces for music, art,

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nuru Karim

Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual discipline; the BAD experience is all of the above and much more

The BAD CAFE – A Sensory Spatial Hybrid – Nuru Karim (NU.DE Architecture)

PHOTOS COURTESY: Sameer Chawda


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1. Approach to the project is by foot and bicycles 2. The building breathes and ventilates through the perforated rippled skin 3. The “skin” allows the project to breathe and ventilate thereby reinforcing the relationship between the inside and outside, between body and soul 4-5. Graphic render of the dynamic “skin”, all of 25,992 black cylindrical conduits are grafted into CNC’d aluminum composite box panels with acupuncture-like precision

performances, intellectual discourse and fashion. These activities are stacked vertically over three levels, including an open to sky terrace courtyard conceptually categorised as The Soul, The Body and The Mind.

Situated in a historical village settlement

in Bandra West, which has morphed in recent times due to socio-economic pressures and increasingly high land costs, the project is accessible by foot and cycle from parking zones nearby. Remotely located from traffic snarls and insulated from typically high levels of air and sound pollution, the project


Nuru Karim, Founder & Principal NUDES received his Masters in Architecture and Urbanism from the Architectural Association [AADRL] London, UK in 2006. NUDE operates within the realm of cross-disciplinary cultures of art, architecture and computational design powered by digital “making” tools addressing larger networks of the social, cultural and environmental.Karim’s professional works were exhibited at the AA, London 2008 and published widely in design and architecture journals both nationally and internationally. NUDE has achieved critical recognition both for its built work and in competition in addition to several design awards including a nomination for the Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

[email protected] www.nurukarim.com

is sheathed in tranquillity and peace. The dynamic “skin”, all of 25,992 black cylindrical conduits grafted into CNC’d aluminium composite box panels with acupuncture-like precision shares a peaceful co-existence with its neighbours, its presence gradually unveiled as one meanders through the narrow by-lanes of the historical urban fabric.

The porous, perforated nature of the skin allows the project to breathe and ventilate thereby reinforcing the relationship between the inside and outside, between body and soul. Rough tactile “true to material” textures draped in a striking “black” and “black” composition complete the user experience. •

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6-7. Designed as a tactile, sensory experience the project in the heart of Mumbai harbors a range of hybrid activities 8. The space transforms into a gastronomical experience post yoga activities 9. Cast concrete lights in recycled plastic bottles

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The idea of the cafe germinated on a trip with a few friends and after a soulful deliberation over the differentiating theme of a health based café, I being an Architect agreed upon making a unique design with one of its kind café in the city of Vadodara for the health conscious generation of today. Certain design principles were used to give justice to the concept. The basic layout of the café and the placement of the kitchen was planned for proper circulationconsidering customers as well as for servicing, keeping in mind the small space of 780 sq.ft.

The combination of black and coloured fabric chairs, inspired by the form of the Eames Chair, and black glossy top tables were selected and arranged so as to neutralise the colour and not dominate the design visually. The

long cantilever, lime wood finish table forming an extended cantilever L-Shape with a chamfered edge consists of green artificial grass cutout in it, adds to the green ambience and the concept of minimalist design of the cafe. The high telescopic legged customised black stool is specially designed for the health conscious on the go. Similarly, on the right side of the entry is yet another floating long cantilever table suspended with an invisible thin thread. The variation in the sizes and shapes of the ten hanging incandescent light bulb plays an important role in the design, as a welcoming feature from outside and balancing the interiors through ambient lighting.

Another element adding to the green feature are the elongated boxes, designed to hold customised planter

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Harsh Boghani

Freshco: The Health Café– Harsh Boghani (The Crossboundaries)

1-2. The interiors invoke a sense of playful freshness with carefully crafted cantilevered tables, lighting, wall features such as the splash wall and boxes combined with elegant furniture and finishes


trays, easy to lift and maintain and the button lights fixed at the bottom of the box give ambient light to the grey walls. The multiple plays of levels of the boxes and the creepers hanging from above acts like an interesting element. The vibrant splash wall, a prominent feature of the café, emulates the idea of colours of fruits splashed on a white canvas, difficult to execute manually, after multiple attempts in collaboration with artists, painters, even the client with coloured filled balloons and other techniques, I finally ended up with a tinkering on digital media and printing a customised wallpaper. On the left side of the wall is the play of wall installed transparent Acrylic boxes, which accommodate thermocol glasses and provision of green planter trays, substituting a vertical garden while utilising the space strategically. The white thermocol glasses, LED lit from behind creates a play of light by allowing it to penetrate and pass through the voids between them. The wall-hung boxes containing the green planter trays get an attractive indirect glow of light because of the transparent boxes. The dark grey wall notes the narrative of the inception of Freshco written with white fonts and a horizontal pocket has been installed to keep books or planters for the customers.

The elegant service counter is deliberately made jet black with a crisp, tiny button light enlighting “Freshco” which is in

lime wood finish laser cut letters. The washbasin area is a blue box, the small space emotionally changes the perspective and mindset of a person and makes him feel fresh already standing in front of the mirror, reflecting the blue colour.

One of the dearest and important features of the cafe are the 18 hanging lights, the concept of using a fishbowl came out from the unavailability of appropriate lights that fit our budget. People had already made terrariums using such fishbowls, but never before had someone used it for customised lights. We evolved a layered customised pendant light out of a large fish bowl with a spherical base containing six small bowls of which three

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One of the dearest and important features of the cafe are the 18 hanging lights…we evolved a layered customised pendant light out of a large fish bowl


Architect Harsh Boghani pursued his B. Arch from SVIT, India and procured M.Arch from IAAC, Barcelona, Spain. He worked with MAD Architects (Beijing, China), RSP Architects (Dubai), ARUP (Singapore), NU.DE (Mumbai). His great experiences enriched him to serve the best synergy of aesthetics, design, ideologies and culture. While the parent organisationBoghani& Associates with a rich history of 35 years continues focusing on Commercial Projects, THE CROSSBOUNDARIES, established in 2015, works on smaller contemporary bespoke, personalised and custom architecture, product design and interiors.

[email protected] www.thecrossboundaries.com

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were coloured with stained glass paints, and three were transparent containing white Ping-Pong ball of which three were lit with a bullet LED, the most prominent feature of the light.

The transparency effect of those lights made it merge well with the ambience, unlike other lights with solid colours. In order to hang those pendant lights,

we prepared the neck of the spherical fish bowl with four holes on each side. Considering the safety of the customers a properly fabricated stand was installed above the false ceiling with nine rods hanging below holding the nine bowls.

In addition to all the elements the dark ceiling, indirect lighting and grey walls perfectly reflect the fresh atmosphere inside the café along with a pinch of greens. •

3. The high telescopic legged customised black stools adjacent to the customised planter boxes 4. Playfully conceived transparent acrylic boxes with thermocol glasses, LED lit from behind 5. Illusory custom pendant designed fishbowl lights, containing Ping Pong balls selectively lit with bullet LEDs 6. Black and colored fabric Eames inspired fabric chairs with black glossy top tables compliment the design visually


When an Aurangabad-based entrepreneur decided to turn his humble Dhaba-style eatery, located 30 km from Aurangabad, halfway to Jalna and functioning as a refreshment halt for tourist buses, into something more refined, there seemed to be an alignment of all these requirements. The client’s intention was only to construct a permanent structure with a clean atmosphere, consequently, after thorough research, the project burgeoned from being a merely sophisticated version of a tourist halt to one that would cater to families from the two aforementioned cities and attract corporate clients from the nearby industrial belt.

Thus began the phase by phase task of transforming a 20 ft x 40 ft shed-like space into a two-level, 7,500 sq. ft. Mixed-Use food destination, dishing out a delicious variety of vegetarian

cuisines, all this without stopping the operations of the existing business! The site was located on the bend of a road with compromised visibility from one side, slipping suddenly into the view of passers-by. Therefore, the colour scheme for the envelope designed is earthy, with expanses of ochre and burnt orange creating visual compositions, to demand attention from a distance, setting it apart in the cluttered milieu.

Another challenge was the zoning and the circulation patterns, as the restaurant would now cater to a diverse audience, concerning economic

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Santosh Thole

Hotel Rajput : Transforming a Dhaba to a Cosmopolitan Getaway – Santosh Thole (Shantosh Thole & Associates)

1-3. The two-storey space is zoned to cater multiple facilities and spatial arrangements such as the minimalistic double height outdoor area

PHOTOS COURTESY: Kishor Nikam


strata and experience, we had to ensure a complete, almost watertight compartmentalisation. The zoning was resolved thus: a largish chunk of space was defined as parking; then came to the eating section catering to the tourists and a separate section for drivers, and the rear was reserved for families. The storey above would look after the needs of corporate events and large family occasions. The toilet block for tourists and other people-on-the-go was resolved as a separate stand-alone entity on one side. In addition to this, three small retail outlets selling dry snacks, paan, etc., were included in the scheme as well. The issue of staff circulation with respect to the location of one kitchen servicing all these disparate areas was successfully addressed by giving it different access

points for different areas and an internal staircase for servicing the upstairs.

The tourist section has a double-height outdoor area and an enclosed area, including an air-conditioned space marked out for privacy, articulated as a large, clean-lined space featuring a scattering of seating. The walls that are parallel to the frontage are made of glass, ensuring that the eye travels further to the outdoor area and reaches the large impact wall that marks the end of the restaurant area. The lush landscape, designed by Pune-based Jayesh Kasat, aids the inside and the outside to interact freely. In addition to the seamless feel of space, we consciously integrated several impact features, by way of dramatically lit foliage, eye-catching sculptures, both wall-mounted and freestanding, along with gushing fountains nestling within water bodies. The garden restaurant, or the family area, enjoys a separate entrance from the side, featuring a sprinkling of tables, some nestling under a pergola; some within a pavilion, and an enclosed air-conditioned section. A few of them perch near an L-shaped water body that borders the space. On one wall, are a display of rows of turbans, a nod to the client’s Rajasthani roots and the logo of the restaurant.

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This project is an example of an excellent collaboration between the client and the architect resulting in a stylish space that caters to a variety of users and satisfies all


Architect Santosh Thole a graduate from SPSMBHS College of Architecture, Kolhapur, set up an independent practice in 1994 specialising in architecture and interiors on principles of innovation, dedication and accuracy. Beginning with small sites, it has now blossomed into a thriving establishment and deals with a variety of projects ranging from showrooms, boutiques and offices to large residences and hospitality spaces. Simplicity, sustainability, ease of maintenance, and tailor-made to the client’s lifestyle or way of functioning, are the hallmarks of a Santosh Thole project.

[email protected]

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The terrace can be accessed via a staircase tucked away in one corner, having two large AC halls, with the space between having small islands of seating interspersed with greens. Though the design vocabulary is the same, its manifestations are slightly different, a move to keep monotony at bay, the section the small retail outlets has also been utilised for seating. On one side, strategically positioned such that it gets a view of all areas on both levels, is the owner’s cabin, jutting out from the facade.

For us, the simplicity of materials is

also an integral part of creating an uncomplicated design theme leading to a project being low on maintenance, a defining quality of our work. This restaurant, too, used locally made bricks, an RCC frame structure, mild steel, solid wood and stainless steel for indoor furniture, synthetic rattan outdoor furniture, vitrified tiles inside, granite for external flooring and cladding, and veneers and laminates.

This project is an example of an excellent collaboration between the client and the architect resulting in a stylish space that caters to a variety of users and satisfies all. The increasing footfalls and referrals from the clients validate that reinvented Dhaba space has hit the sweet spot with both the end-consumer and the client.•

4. The attractive front elevation is a double-height L-shaped, pergola-like MS pipe element 5. The seamless outdoor space, is integrated by impact features, lighting, sculptures, fountains and water bodies 6. The interiors of the stylish destination halt 7. The envelope and shape of the built-form echoes the turn in highway road as seen in the layout 8. The interiors are infused with artworks and installation


Memories Multi-Cuisine Restaurant in Alleppey combines the nostalgic textures of Kerala’s paddy belt, with the luxurious ambience of a spatial outdoor. The result is a contemporary marina setting that enhances the dining experience.

Visitors to Kerala’s famed backwater district of Alleppey, called the Venice of the East, would have noticed two things upon arrival, the backwater canals and the numerous canoes and houseboats in them; moored or being ridden around. Further eastward though is situated the AC Road, connecting the towns of Alleppey and Changanachery, the road is considered one of the most beautiful drive-through spots of Central Kerala. At the halfway point of the scenic 15-mile stretch with golden-green paddy fields, lining either side of the road,

interspersed by small huts, and coconut trees in the background, is Memories Multi-Cuisine Restaurant, posing a question to the traveller passing by, Am I a misfit, or a secret?

With the white front facade resembling a modern avant-garde structure, the restaurant stands out from the distinct brown, green and blue hues of the region. Four massive conch shells, made from fibreglass, can be found on the front facing wall, orienting themselves in the four axial directions. Meanwhile, a pergola warms the westward facing entrance. It is upon entering the main restaurant that the idea of a misfit makes way for a unique architectural experience. Stepping inside, the place looks modern and grand; albeit in a vaguely familiar traditional attire. Modern tables and

M. M. Jose

It was necessary to design the interiors in such a way that no one would miss out on the beautiful sight

Memories Multi-Cuisine Restaurant – Fine Dining at a Backwater Harbour– M. M. Jose (Mindscape Architects)

TEXT : Kuruvilla Chacko PHOTOS COURTESY: Shijo Thomas

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1. Though unsymmetrical, the frontal sight in its entirety helps to catch the attention of motorists going in either direction 2-3. A well balanced space, it’s hard to tell whether the space is a modern set-piece in a traditional background or vice versa

chairs stand under ornate handicrafts adorning the empty spaces, which include a foot long canoe as a fruit basket, and traditional vessels converted into musical instruments. Paintings by Artist Somu, which depict the feel and tradition of Kuttanad combine well with the white and brown textured interiors. Fully air-conditioned, the restaurant has a cosy coffee bar lining its corner, with white Nano-glass topped counters. The main dining area, the secondary dining area, and the outdoor dining space are structured on a split-level; much like three different step levels, with the tables directed to face the backyard. This also allowed for different dining experiences, with couples, families and traveller groups being able to take in as much of the ambience as possible, considering the architectural beauty of Memories is more than just its interiors.

The project when commissioned was a fragile ancient house with a pond in the backyard, and weeds for company. The house was levelled, and the homely

hotel thus envisioned, was built around a steel framework with cladding, for speedy and sustainable construction. Knowing that the backyard was to be the real hero of the restaurant, imagined as a harbour point for traditional


Mindscape Architects founded by M. M. Jose is a full-service architectural firm located at, Pala near Kottayam. At Mindscape, we always take mind as the primary tool for work and believe that a body of work evolves only from a strong and consistent process of ideation. Therefore, it is always a research-oriented exploration at our place, with definite routes in our discipline. Working on these lines, we detoured and made some fantastic excursions creating an array of traditional, contemporary, heritage, adaptive and of course hybrid edifices that highlight our tale.

[email protected] www.msa.org.in

Kettuvelams (houseboat) to anchor amidst paddy fields, architect M. M. Jose ensured that full justice was done to the open space; providing an ambience of unmatched earthy luxury around it. Landscaped with buffalo grass, the entire area has been converted into an open-air dining space around the pond. Three private saloons shaped like miniature houseboats, facing the building, line up one side of the

4-5. The restaurant concept combines vernacular Kerala aesthetics and ambience, both indoors and outdoor. 6. The extended floating deck on the pond that houses fishes and a moored canoe accentuating the experience

pond, while the other side has equally comfortable private dining spots, with overhead tensile fabric roof for shade.

There is also an extended deck built into the pond, which feels like a floating structure, and provides a central view of the entire property. Laterite stones line the interiors of the pond, housing nearly 1000 pearl spot fish and a canoe, moored to the pond, can take guests on an exquisite experience within the limited space. The huge crowd of guests who visit Memories just to take a tour of its ambience is a testimony to the same. •

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realising fifteen years of stellar design experienceskainoosh, based on a contemporary traditional...

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