Design by Meta is a multidisciplinary practice active in architecture, interior design, urban planning, product design and most recently branching out into the retail sector by the name of PINE CONE DESIGN. Design by Meta is run by Nomita Sawhney and Abhishek Rustagi.
Nomita is an Architect and Urbanist with 16 years of work experience. She has worked with SOM in New York and “The Wallace Floyd Design Group” in Boston, prior to being a Design Consultant to Jasbir Sawhney & Associates. She also heads her own architectural practice, ‘Design by Meta’, in New Delhi since inception.
Abhishek Rustagi is an accomplished architect and interior designer based in New Delhi, India with a specialization in business administration (Real Estate). The body of work to his credit has an amalgamation of styles and influences through his varied travels and experiences. His work is often creating a whole new perspective or outlook for certain brands that he engages with and re-creates a new ideology for their image and outlook. He has been successful in creating a new brand image for several top-end brands in the Indian market.
A Project by Nomita Sawhney & Abhishek Rustagi: A POETRY IN VENEER
A showroom to experience “veneer” in its various facets was designed for the brand PLLUM LEGNO. The love for wood and its beauty was explored by narrating stories and themes in small spaces. A series of themed artworks to display the various textures and colour tones of veneer was envisioned by Gulabo Design. The approach to Pllum Legno’s art direction is inspired from possibilities, where the design and art delved into the word and expanded it in manifestations of colours and forms and to create a series of experiences with set spaces with a vivid interactive display of the product. PIXEL WAVE, the bold artwork at the entrance daunts the viewer with its collective colour and textural movement as much as allows one to go closer and experience the eclectic mix of wood textures.
There is a table for discussion at the entrance, where clients are introduced to the product in the midst of wall art, furniture and paneling. The products are stored in a quiet space with rotatory panels which have artworks with Faces series.
The central area is for experiencing the veneer. There is a water jet wall that allows water to cascade down creating a polished look for the veneer.
This is viewed on a beautifully polished table tennis table made of a premium crotch veneer. A playful light fixture drops down on this table, with its poetry written in lines. There is a display of rolled paper veneers on a textured white wall where the customer can feel the texture of the veneer and make a selection.
There is a lounge seating area that feels like a wooden log hut with cut tree panels in a harmonious grid. A mix of soft tones of fabric and warm wood with a splash of colour characterizes this space.
PROJECT DETAILS
Name: Pllum Legno Experience Center
Location: Lado Sarai, New Delhi
Date of completion: 30th November 2019
Architect/ Designer: Nomita Sawhney, Abhishek Rustagi; Design By Meta
Graphics and Art Installations:Gulabo Design
Interiors Fit-Out: Paras Timber (Mujahid Husain Saifi)
Photography: Studio Picsing and Visuary
SR Material Poetries
When an idea embraces materials, different forms and expressions are born.
As the touch of a musician sparks life to an inert musical instrument, similarly, a material comes to life when a designer meshes an idea with it.
In the projects of Architecture and Interior, often the central theme and the cerebral idea gain all the attention, get talked about, and walk away with all the glory. But then, there are significant contributions and untold stories underneath, which never get surfaced but without which no laurel was ever possible.
During project execution, one goes through so many trials and errors, experiments, faces unexpected challenges, deals with changes in client’s brief, works with the artisans, partners with other firms, plays with the colours and materials, laughs, cries, learns, and THEN succeeds together. Surfaces Reporter’s Spaces & Material Poetries is an honest attempt to closely observe this progression and bring to life the hidden, unknown and untold stories with all the “emotions and learnings”.
When we discuss design by design, sharing becomes teaching, reading becomes learning, and the story becomes inspiring. These stories are from varied projects and personas - from the maestros to the amateurs.
We know, you will love to know and see, what happens behind the curtains and appreciate our sincere attempt to unleash the lesser known. Should you like to share your projects with us, write to editorial@surfaces.in/press@surfacesreporter.com