Win yourself a painting| How do you respond to a black palette?|Balmond Studio’s rebranding exercise| Modern home with a green soul| Nestle’s interactive celebrations| Up-cycled furniture and more

Every day, our content teammates pour over diverse projects, exchange notes with several design doyens and help curate quality content for you – our dear readers. Your hand holding has taken India Art n Design (dot) com to great heights and we are continuously striving to bring you a wholesome design experience. In order to raise the bar even further and cater to your smallest whim, we have designed a very succinct survey that we urge, request you to kindly fill up to enable us to get to know you and your views better. As a token of our appreciation, the best response will win an original painting from our sister concern, Gallery Pradarshak , Mumbai – the smallest gallery of quality fine art in India, if not Asia! It’s a time-bound survey. So, please hurry!! Our fare this week is once again a smattering of design from various fields – graphic design, architecture and interiors, but naturally, and interactive immersive design that is an increasingly effective tool to experience just about anything and everything. Enjoy the read and make sure you don’t miss on the chance of owning a beautiful and original work of art! Au revoir. Warmly, Savitha Hira Editor

A book aimed at the gourmet adventurer| Philippines gets its first BRT| Classic contemporary home |Redefining street furniture| and more

While fads and trends have their place in the sun, timelessness is an evergreen quality, sought irrespective of the kind of decor – thematic, rustic, contemporary... Peter Staunton’s mix of classic styles in the renovation of Warwickshire’s country house plays on understated glamour in an absolutely contemporary vocab; as does Rabih Geha Architects’ Villa Badaro Restaurant in Beirut – a simple transformation that highlights the heritage factor amidst its upbeat avatar. The farmhouse by Ar. Sanjay Patil on the outskirts of Nashik too plays on ageless appeal as it woos nature, serenading it! At the other end, our studio was in deep discussion over the book ‘Creative Chef’ and its review. Of course, subjectivity rules and we had differing opinions on both, the contents and the review. Probably you could write in and tell us your viewpoints. Cheers to alluring and engaging spaces! Warmly, Savitha Hira Editor

Art installation that invites you to walk on water| Gaudi-inspired house on the cliff| Bookmark that becomes a reading light | Mobile living-pods that adapt to the tides | and more

The euphoria of a creative accomplishment is unmatched! Millions of people are experiencing the extraordinary thrill of walking on water. The artist in Christo has realised his dream project of 46 years with the Floating Piers on Lake Iseo in northern Italy – a dream he dreamt with his late partner Jeanne-Claude. Ar. Abhishek Ray’s design of the first gallery at the Kutch Textile Museum is a labour of love – a concept that has gone beyond the immediacy of the project to touch the lives of those sustaining the craft. Artisan portraiture is the biggest high in this gallery! Of course, as Abhishek says, it’s also “technologically the best, when it comes to conservation and lighting standards in the country for textiles and fabrics”. On similar lines – check out the house on the cliff by GilBartolome Architecture, where again the architect goes on to use handcrafted refinements by engaging local labour and empowering a needy community in the bargain. Frank Lloyd Wright must surely have had a very deep insight when he said, “The building as architecture is born out of the heart of man, permanent consort to the ground, comrade to the trees, true reflection of man in the realm of his own spirit”. Need I say any more? Enjoy the issue. Warmly, Savitha Hira Editor

Architectural skins get a new dimension| The luxury of a chalet in an urban setting| The wine glass for your outdoor sojourns| Should climatically-sensitive architecture become a norm? And more

Architecture and design have never stood alone! They result in and manifest multifarious overtures; layers of nuanced social, cultural, economic, political and scientific agenda inform and are informed by architecture. Our feature on the clinic D in Quebec for a dermatologist, makes one sit up and take note how the medical profession views space and space planning; how climate plays a very significant role in building design – DFI showcases this in their ongoing project, Gulf Adiba Business Complex in Gurgaon; the restaurant Fable throws light on how design plays on the psyche of people, especially in the hospitality sector; and the chalet in Madrid endorses how lifestyle changes and aspirations elevate status through design. It is an ongoing, never-ending quest that drives us – the maker and the recipient (read designer and end user). I wonder is it a well-balanced equation, this research and enquiry on part of the designers and the avenue to put it to use on part of the user? Orproject is one design studio that we have followed since sometime and their enquiry into material, technique and technology is a driver for the future of design, as we increasingly inhabit a world powered by mechanisms and mechanisations. But, under it all, look closely and you will see how the new stems are rooted; rooted in our ancestral tenets of architecture... in the tried and tested, the explored and experimented... Only the context is changing, therefore the application, the methodology and the aesthetic. The root is intact! Warmly, Savitha Hira Editor

Open-plan spaces for better wellbeing| contemporary design with a strong cultural bent| themed interiors | and more

Design sensibilities have no pertinent definition. Approaches change with shifting priorities, user profiles, lifestyles... Our stories this week highlight different design sensibilities: from juggling space in a Paris apartment, opening it up to bespoke multifunctional spaces; architecture following an organic form inspired by the peacock - not just for aesthetic appeal but to optimise interior and exterior vistas; a relook at opening up spaces for a nursery school; design that draws from cultural heritage; and works out solutions to recreate a cultural vibe, despite constraints. A wholesome issue, we cover diverse fine details that you may be able to use - as a professional or a self- initiator. If you're one of those, who've been reading IAnD regularly, you will notice how our product hub section buzzes with all that's new in the market. Pl feel free.to try out this platform or suggest it to your colleagues, who might want to empower others with their offers. Team IAnD is happy to tailor packages to suit specific business endeavours. And do continue to write in with your very dynamic feedback. We simply love your reactions/ responses. Warmly, Savitha Hira Editor