Klove studio was established in the year 2005. In our early years, our designs were marked by very simple forms, to which we are curiously returning. The year 2008, literally lit up the market when Klove became known for its blown glass chandeliers, which later evolved into larger installations and highly customised products. Through this journey, the partnership with Indian craftsmen – to whom we gracefully credit half our success—has been at the heart of Klove. It is in the spirit of preserving talent and reinventing India that we plan our next steps.

Gautam Seth: We began our career because we wanted to experiment with different material our first exhibition as glass designers took place in 2005 where we played with the concept of transparent, translucent and opaque. Over the last 10 years we’ve grown from strength to strength. We also have a store in Mumbai now and what has always excited us is the surreal dimension of transparency, translucence and opaque and that is why we did the 10th year anniversary exhibition as well.

What is it that fascinates you about light?
Gautam Seth: Light can change an entire space. Depending on where it is placed, how it is displayed, how many lights are used, the different types of light bulbs, I mean there are so many different factors when it comes to lighting. The art of light is the art of spatial design. The decision on what light you choose to decorate your spaces is what decides the mood and vibe of the space.

A new experience makes us tick – we’ve always learnt and been motivated by things that are in our experience.

Prateek Jain: We are in the business of designing new and cutting-edge lighting products, but more than that we keep evolving products that are already well designed. A classic example of this was when we wove several of our own design concepts into one for our wedding Mandapam. I love that process of looking at products with a renewed perspective so that they adapt to changing times and taste. Seeing an older design take a new form is the most thrilling experience for us as lighting designers.

What’s your lighting designing philosophy?
Prateek Jain: The studio’s experience and expertise span a wide breadth of focus in decorative lighting installations. Klove explores the relation with function and form as embodied in spatial design and from there moves into the realm of emotion as personified in our human form.

We, as beings of light.

At Klove studio we embellish and balance the visual experience with deft imagination. There is a commitment to use our years of learnings and sound technical knowledge as a spring board to provoke, question and go deeper into our chosen medium of artistic expression.

Gautam Seth: The vision of Klove is to transform real spaces into surreal dimensions; as a luxury boutique studio, Klove specialises in decorative lighting installations. Design at Klove begins with a fantasy, and meets reality through considerations of ergonomics and functionality. The aim is to harness each of these design elements and create lighting products that transcend the stereotype to become pieces of contemporary art.

What does it take to successfully lighting a space?
Prateek Jain: You need to identify the intention, in the sense what kind of space is it? Is it a nightclub, a restaurant, an office, an art gallery etc. Once you know what the space is supposed to be everything slowly falls into line.

First rule. For selecting a light is one should know its purpose. Is it for decoration or is it functional? Very rarely do I see a good design that can purpose both. Second tip is please don’t follow a trend. Embrace a trend that matches your aesthetic – if you follow this then I think your shopping will be more fruitful and enjoyable.

Gautam Seth: A boutique luxury studio, Klove specialises in custom lighting solutions. Our core lies in creating light sculptures and installations while the product line deals in unique decorative lights, chandeliers, pendant lamps, floor lamps, ceiling lights, table lamps and accessories. Our signature flows from neo-classical to contemporary design and we launch annual collections inspired by our travels around India and the rest of the world.

What are the challenges you faced at the beginning of your journey in the field of lighting?
Gautam Seth: Like with any other business the same challenges popped up for us. Establishing ourselves as a serious competitor in the lighting and design community, building up our clientele, how to communicate our brand philosophy. We also had no experience in the lighting industry, so we had to learn through our experiences on the way, we basically had to start from nothing and educate ourselves on the journey.

What was your most challenging experience in a project you’ve worked on, and why?
Prateek Jain: Again, it was difficult in the beginning as we had no experience with lighting, so everything was experimental, we didn’t know what would work and what would not work. Learning how lights affect different spaces in different ways, it was trial and
error. Over time with years of experience projects become easier.

You have studied lighting from the prestigious Lighting Research Center (LRC), New York. What’s your take on the status of lighting design practices in India?

I would say the awareness of good lighting has definitely grown in India among the user or builder community and the architect community. But for the number of architecture or interior design practitioners across India, we are just a handful.

One of the primary factors that determine good lighting is the allocation of the ‘right’ budget for lighting when it comes to projects. Everything in India is budget driven. If I consider interior lighting – the proportions have to be re-looked at. There is a lot spent on finishing, granites and other decorations while the essential tool (that is light) that helps highlight all these is not given its due. Lighting should move from an expense to an investment mindset for the industry to really kick off – because we are not thinking of lighting as a means of illumination alone, we are concerned of user comfort, brand communication and a lot of other emotional and intangible elements that you cannot put on an excel sheet. It is also important that those who wish to get into the lighting design profession undergo a proper course of study. There are in numerous lighting suppliers who become lighting designers overnight just to push sales. Of course, one picks up a lot of lighting knowledge while selling products over a long time, but what is most important here is whether they are providing the right advice and whether they are looking at things holistically. What happens is that when people don’t advise right, it drags the whole industry down. For example, any civil contractor can build a house without an architect, but having an architect onboard brings in aesthetics, user dynamics, better use of colour, texture and form, elements of daylight etc. This is the real knowledge through training and learning!

What brought you into this profession?

I have been in lighting since 002. I started with manufacturing and custom design after my bachelors in mechanical engineering. So naturally, I built my skills around that in managing people, marketing, sales etc., but the true pivot to learn further and deepen my knowledge happened during my stint at Dubai in the year 2005 when I was exposed to the magnificent projects there. Later I went to LRC on a scholarship for the MS program and worked a short while in New York before getting back to establish the practice. So, it’s been a journey of discovery…one leading to the other.

What is it that fascinates you about light?

The more you work with lighting, there is more to learn every day. People think it’s a small niche but in truth the areas that lighting touches and influences directly and indirectly in a project is immense. The creative and artistic input is at least 80 per cent.

So, you never get bored. And it’s not linear thinking. I am always on a learning and absorbing mode. Keeps me on my toes. Keeps me feeling young.

What’s your lighting designing philosophy?

Good lighting in addition to illumination should heighten the user experience. We try to look at all projects with a fresh pair of eyes and try not to bring in biases from previous projects. At a home, how should the family and guest experience be? At a lobby, how should the visitor experience be?

At a hospital, how should a patient experience be? On a lawn, how should the evening experience be? These thoughts drive our design process and visual language.

What are the challenges you faced at the beginning of your journey in the field of lighting?

We started in early 2011. As any design practice, it takes a lot of time meeting people, getting a project, executing it and seeing the end result, then taking that as a reference to your next client and then the next! Unlike an architect or a graphic designer who is starting up, my additional challenge was and to a certain extent even today is in convincing why they need a lighting designer on board, and most importantly why he should also be paid well.

What does it take to successfully lighting a space?

I think the most important elements are to drill deep down to understanding the client, his needs, his aspirations, then of course the space – what is it doing, how is the space flowing, who is using, when, how, how will it change over time etc. And, mastery on the tools available in terms of luminaires, controls, software, lighting methods, installation etc.

What was your most challenging experience in a project you’ve worked on, and why?

I am unable to recall ‘one’ specific instance. Every project comes with multiple challenges. In one, it could be a heightened level of frustration from not able to get your design across to the end client, in another one the client just wouldn’t budge an inch on the budgets to get a better lighting., in another it is confusions that arise when coordination falls apart at a site – drawings are not right, things at site do not reflect on paper etc. Sometimes it is the collaboration with the primary designer. Sometimes we have a polished granite that we would like to change to matt, or similarly take out or add things against what an architect or interior designer has previously imagined. These are all part of any project. End of the day everybody has a learning experience.

What advice would you suggest to budding lighting designers?

My advice to anyone who takes up any profession is to really immerse themselves in it. Don’t do anything for the sake of external validation. Write your own story and believe in your own story though the other’s story might seem more fascinating. As Warren Buffett said long ago, the biggest investment that you would ever make in life is on yourself. So be mindful of the time spent, the experiences gained and challenges you put yourself into.

Hazel is a specialist in designing and supplying of high-quality lighting products. How do you look at the changing trends in architectural lighting?

Architecturally designed lighting is increasingly becoming more complex owing to project demands requiring customisation and sophistication in order to provide differentiated lighting. High net-worth clients wish to distinguish their homes, offices, etc. by uniquely differentiated lighting schemes. Other than this, technological advancement has led to lighting being digitally controlled and connected. This change is becoming more apparent with the increasing number of lighting designers being appointed for different projects in the country compared to what we had just a few years ago.

What will drive the demand in future?

India has begun the process of shifting to LED lighting from conventional sources. While this shift has been the primary driving force for lighting, I personally feel that future demands will be driven based on the changing trends like differentiated lighting. Urban and semi-rural consumers alike are becoming more and more aware of such design trends. The aspirational levels of Indians are based on their discretionary incomes and their appreciation of the finer elements of lighting. These aspirations will increasingly move consumers away from the commoditisation of the standard bulbs, tubes, fixtures, etc. to more aesthetic driven fixtures with brand preferences.

What’s your comment on the competition in the entire lighting product industry? Do you think competition will only intensify in this market?

Lighting is increasingly becoming a confluence of mechanical, electrical, electronics and IT-related business, which has completely changed the dynamics of the industry. The intensity of competition in the lighting industry is heavily dependent on the expertise and competence of existing players and potential entrants. However, unlike other industries, there are very few testing laboratories and fewer R&D and education centres. These are critical drivers for innovation to prevent lighting from becoming a mere price-driven commodity where quality becomes the greatest casualty, which is already visible on a broader level.

What gives you an upper edge over other competitors?

Unorganised players with limited product knowledge largely drive the Indian lighting industry. There is a big vacuum of lighting manufacturers and suppliers who can offer high quality fixtures with technical specifications that match Western brands at reasonable prices. This invariably leaves lighting designers in India at a crossroad because on the one hand they have to depend on Western products to meet project requirements while on the other hand they are unable to specify these products as their pricing doesn’t meet clients’ budget. This vacuum encouraged me to pursue a Masters degree in Architectural Lighting Design from Wismar, Germany so as to understand the thought processes of the lighting design community, and translate their needs and aspirations into our product development efforts towards creating quality offerings…and not to become a lighting designer! This in my opinion gives us an upper edge over some of the other players in the market.

Being a professionally managed company, our emphasis has always been on R&D and training, which translates into our product development capabilities. Our USP is to offer superior value proposition to our clients and designers by offering a mass customisation platform for projects. This has been possible with a strong team that we have built over the years and our belief to keep investing in technology and equipment.

What’s your assessment on the potential of the B2B market as far as your products are concerned?

Our core strength is mass customisation and we look to build upon that strength. Being a project lighting company, we focus on executing mid- to large-scale projects, which entails deep understanding of every detail from design stage right up to installation and site support. Having said that, I believe there is a great potential to collaborate with specialty lighting companies across the country to cater to a greater audience and larger market segments.

What is the most challenging project you have worked on? How did you tackle the issues in this project?

Hazel has been fortunate to be a part of many landmark projects over the years but the most challenging project till date has been the ceiling cove installation at Sheraton Grand Hotel Convention Centre in Bengaluru built by Prestige Developers. Lightbox from Singapore who designed the lighting, wanted an RGB-WW fully-programmable 50W per metre linear installation in the ceiling cove with an area of 5,500 sq. ft. 500 linear fixtures were installed at a height of 15 metres with access to the ceiling only through a crane. Thus, we had to ensure a ‘maintenance-free’ installation through an indigenously designed wireless system, which enabled the programming and control of all fixtures individually through a simple app on a handheld tablet. The end result of the installation was thoroughly satisfying for us as well as the entire project team.

For a successful project execution, why it is essential to have a clear understanding between interior designer and lighting designer?

As a matter of hierarchy, the lighting designer has to essentially take cues from the interior designer in order to give life to the overall design intent. But there are times when there is a big disconnect between the two mainly due to lack of communication. For implementing a successful project, good understanding and communication between the lighting designer and interior designer along with the lighting supplier and contractor is critical. If this does not happen, you end up making compromises within the project.

What are your future goals? Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?

Our primary goal is to maintain and enhance quality of our product offerings and carve out newer segments where quality is of paramount value versus a price focused clientele. We look forward to opening newer geographies with current focus being on the Indian sub-continent as well as the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

In 5 years, we see ourselves growing multi-fold in size and scale with the idea of being top choice of designers and clients alike for projects across geographies. We will continue to invest in people and technology in order to preserve our uniqueness and high differentiation, with continued spending towards profitable products and segments.

How would you like to enhance your market presence?

As a company it has been our sincere effort to make sure we become the most reliable and dependable lighting partner for designers and clients, and we have been working hard in this direction. To create this value, it is important we enhance our market presence and as discussed earlier we look forward to creating stronger relationships and partnerships within the industry.

Over the years we have been focusing towards building our back and have never really tried to make our presence felt. Now with expansion and growth in our minds we look forward to creating our presence by taking part in lighting fairs across the globe and participating in lighting events.

What brought you into the lighting designing?

I used to be an actress with Theatre Action Group (TAG), Delhi. In the mid-80s, when I got my first job, I decided to stop acting because I no longer had time for extended rehearsals. Barry John, our Director said to me: “Why are you quitting the group? Try your hand at something else.” So, I tried sound, costumes, backstage – but nothing caught my imagination! Then, our Lighting Designer left Delhi and Barry asked if I wanted to take a shot at lighting TAG’s next play. I said to Barry: “How can I do lights? I know nothing about it!” And his response was: “So, learn!” And that’s what I did – I spent hours in the British Council Library and the American Centre Library; photocopied many, many, many books; spent many hours playing with a torch – trying to figure out how beams work and what can be done with shadows. And once I lit my first performance, I knew this is it. I had found my true calling.

What is it that fascinates you about light?

I love that something you cannot physically touch can be so present.  That you can sculpt and paint with light. Create a physical space for a performer. Underline a heartbeat or a breath and at the same time highlight a leap or a spin. It’s fundamental to life itself – can we see without light? And it’s a mystery (is it a wave or a particle?) – it’s magic.

Nrityagram Photo: Nan Melville

Shiva Ashtakam Photo: Wildlight

What’s your lighting designing philosophy?

Light reveals and enhances – the choreographer’s intent, shapes, movements, stillness, rhythms, silence. Light underpins emotional shifts and highlights dramatic moments.

And even though, the Lighting Designer is integral to a dance performance, you are an artist who reveals and enhances a choreographer’s creation – you are not the creator.

Keep it uncomplicated. Quiet. Subtle.

What are the challenges you faced at the beginning of your journey in the field of lighting?

Being a woman in a “man’s” world. Everyone assumes you couldn’t possibly know anything about lights!

Surupa Sen & Bijayini Satpathy Photo: Nan Melville

Surupa Sen & Bijayini Satpathy Photo: Nan Melville

What does it take to successfully lighting a space?

Lighting is three-dimensional, but I believe there is a fourth dimension that’s equally important. The colours, the subtle shifts in intensity create a visceral response to a work that extends and deepens the impact of that work. For me the challenge and the quest are to find and bring to life that fourth dimension.

What was your most challenging experience in a project you’ve worked on, and why?

I worked with Ranjit Kapoor on “Prisoner of Malabar Hill”, which builds up to and ends with a storm. And Ranjitbhai said: “I don’t want to use water. Lynne, create rain with lights”.

Now, if I was a trained Light Designer, I might have known in an instant what technique I could use. But because am not formally trained, it took me weeks of trial and error until I discovered, in an accidental eureka moment, that the silver tinsel from my “chunni” was the answer I was looking for.

So, I made a curtain with silver tinsel, used a fan to gently move the curtain; and lit the tinsel with narrow beams (profiles) focussed from the sides with R80 (dark blue) gel.

Like I said, if I was trained, I might have found an answer quicker or maybe it already existed at that time – I just didn’t know where to look!

Apart from being an ace lighting designer, you are the managing trustee of Nrityagram – a unique dance village. How do you balance the two?

My heart lies in my work as Lighting Designer and that gives me the energy to deal with my work as a Managing Trustee, which again is something I am not trained to do. And since we didn’t have templates in India to manage the arts, here also I’ve had to reinvent the wheel as it were.

The biggest incentive and reward has been that I am a part of the extraordinary work that comes out of Nrityagram; that my lighting has contributed in some way to the look, the “luminosity” that characterises the Ensemble; and that I have worked with Surupa Sen, who I believe is one of the finest choreographers of our time.

Nirvritti

Samhara

What advice would you suggest to budding lighting designers?

Most people will not notice your lighting but everyone will be affected by it.  Keep it that way.

FASCINATION WITH LIGHT

I am always reminded of Uncle Ben’s famous words from Spider Man – “with great power comes great responsibility.” Light has that immense power and as lighting designers we have the ability to shape people’s experiences and perceptions. Mankind has always been fascinated with light especially because we don’t fully understand how it works. And as I watch my four-month-old daughter drawn towards the wall-lamps in the house, I try not to get excited about a potential lighting designer in the making, but remind myself that it’s just her looking for visual stimulation. It’s the biological, emotional, feel-good aspect of light that interests me and if handled adeptly, how light can drastically alter the way we live and function.

 LIGHTING DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

My philosophy is simple and may be summed up in a few words – give light where it’s desired; put a light fixture where it’s needed. At Design Matrix, we have always been champions of less light – not less than what is required but doing more with less; with fewer light fixtures, with lesser watts. And the rest is dependent on context and situation, on function and intent, on technique and technology, and the science and art of it all.

SUCCESSFULLY LIGHTING A SPACE (para)

Two things, vision and collaboration. While designing, the most important consideration is visualisation and to be able to conceive what you want the space to look, and therefore feel; only then can you design for that intent. Most projects are greenfield – so you’re designing on paper for the future without the luxury of seeing it come up alongside. So, without a proper and ‘sound’ vision, contradictory as it may seem, you’re just fooling around with people’s time, money, resources, efforts.

The second most important ‘secret’ if you may, to a successful project is collaboration. It’s something we have learnt from our exposure to international projects, forums, firms but often struggle with it in our home turf. An architect who is willing to listen and go along with you and take you along on the design journey, is more precious than a client who is vouching for you! The most successful of our projects didn’t necessarily have big names from the design fraternity. But what they did have was a team that was willing to collaborate – to listen, discuss and move forward. It’s very evident in one of our recent projects as it nears completion – the Max towers, at Sector 16B, Noida, part of the development known as Delhi One. Conceived by Gensler, USA and Esteva i Esteva, Spain, we came on board when concept was being translated to reality by the executive architectural firm Progressive Designs. The project not only defies the norm in terms of the simplicity of design, but stands out more importantly in the extremely well-detailed and integrated design – both interiors and façade.

SAVING ENERGY

I don’t believe in today’s time and age, saving energy is an option. It is the only way to go. And fortunately for lighting, newer technology has empowered us to do so. As lamp wattages drop down and light output goes up, we are better poised to do ‘more with less’ than ever before and why not! There’s a saying in our office – “Lighting, if designed, is always green!” It’s the lighting that has not been designed or thought through, that is frivolous in its usage of material and energy that we need to save ourselves from.

BREAKING INTO

The good news is that there is no reason and nothing to ‘break’ into. The percentage of projects that actually have a specialised lighting consultant on board is miniscule in the overall number of projects that get built and delivered. So, there’s space for everyone. And at the risk of sounding very clichéd, one just needs to keep the faith and get going when the going gets tough! You just need to put yourself out there and work, work, work.

SMART LIGHTING

Technology has never really made anyone a better designer. With the advent of AutoCAD people didn’t become better architects. Some would argue that capability went the other way. In the same way smart lighting is a tool in the designers’ hand – it definitely gives some flexibility in terms of being able to tune the light but ultimately it needs to be composed and thought through in order to be able to apply it successfully. As lighting designers, we design and try to verify it through simulations and mock-up or back it up with experience. And technology forms the backbone of all our designs. Harmeet Issar and Sanjeev Nangia – founder partners at Design Matrix are, ahem, both engineers. Harmeet in fact studied electronics and communications and dealt with LEDs before they became our go-to sources of light! So, at Design Matrix we are happily balanced in our aesthetic / design and technological expertise and hope that this difference and advantage is extremely evident in our design approach, our drawings and documents and execution of our projects. Vendors, manufacturers, even lighting designers who are allegedly competition have called on Harmeet to help solve their ‘smart’ lighting problems onsite in projects. And while it getting extremely intuitive, having an understanding of how smart lighting actually works is extremely crucial for a successful lighting designer.

REMARKABLE PROJECTS

Four of our most remarkable, successful or award-winning projects are included here and they are all memorable for varied reasons. In a sense they showcase also the width of our work and the depth of our expertise.

CHALLENGING PROJECT

All projects come with their own set of challenges. But at this point in time, we are looking for work that’s truly challenging and exciting. Such projects we understand are few and far between, and our daily bread and butter may not come from them. They may not be vast in scale – sometimes it’s the small boutique projects that are most rewarding to work on. There’s a lot of inspiring work happening internationally but that does not mean that we are not looking inward. But it would definitely be a project with exceptional design, a team that’s willingly to push the frontiers and a client thats willing and able to spark and sustain creativity.

TO BUDDING LIGHTING DESIGNERS

The awareness of the profession is of course much more now than what it was when I started out. For the generation getting into the discipline the foundation has already been laid, the stage, as they say, is set.  However, there is still a long way to go. As pioneers, not just us but the whole fraternity felt very strongly and it was, and is a conscious and collective effort to strive for the profession, its recognition, setting up professional bodies, bringing in international events, advocating the profession in design forums. And much work remains to be done. I would urge budding designers to use this base and build on it. Exposure is key. We are continually learning and relearning from our projects and also from stalwarts of the industry globally. Andre Tammes, who looks after Business Development at Design Matrix, whose personal contribution to the global emergence of architectural lighting design discipline is immense, joined us in our endeavours and in his words ‘to tell the world how good it is to have well-lit environments’.

The City Palace, Jaipur with Maharaja Sawai Mansingh II MuseumTrust

Even before we were architects, Rajasthan has taught us architecture! I remember so many school projects, excursions, holiday home-works based on its rich culture and heritage. Doing the lighting for the City Palace felt almost reminiscent of being back in school and college. The project came to us after more than a yearlong shortlisting process, and of course came with its own challenges of delicately handling the heritage structure.

The intention was to revive the palace for night tourism. The buildings needed very little design, only a lot of TLC. We kept it simple – the only play is in the use of varying colour temperatures, not colour; and an attempt at places to rekindle the romance of the flickering diya but through technology.

Intersekt Marmo

Intersekt by Marmo, New Delhi

Intersekt is an avant garde retail format by Marmo Home, a national level player of interior finishes and fittings. It is a project that we are delighted to be a part of. Designed by architect Kapil Aggarwal of Spaces Architects@ka, the showroom was already completed, lights installed and ready to be opened when the owner decided that something was not quite right!

The lighting conceptualisation, wiring for the automation, procurement of fixtures for 30,000 sqft of retail space was reinitiated and redone. The result is a retail theatre of sorts where the merchandise on display take centre-stage and the setting and surrounds seem to recede back.

Antara Senoir Living

Antara Senior Living in Purukul

Too often design for seniors has been restricted to barrier free access. But in this project several small, often surprising targeted lighting design interventions have been executed. The project stands out because of its truly holistic lighting design – the concept presentations did not   just talk about horizontal and vertical illuminance but also the dangers of glossy reflective flooring, the importance of window dressings and the need for more artificial lighting during daylight hours! The project was completed in 2017, DM came on board towards the end of 2012 and was with Antara in its journey since then, even as it passed hands from different architectural and interior design firms.

‘anant’, New Delhi

‘anant’, is a light art installation that we did at the iconic Le Méridien in New Delhi. In a sense it was a coming back full circle. We had recently completed the façade lighting for Sunshine Towers, Mumbai with the legendary architect Raja Aederi. It is the tallest steel structure in the country at 160m. And now we were back into the building that brought him so much fame for its truly avant-garde application of curtain wall glazing and its suspended restaurant 200ft level above the lobby. The installation is inspired by the context in which it sits – the 21-storey high inward-looking atrium – the multitude of experiences which surround it, magnified by the innumerable guest rooms stacked above it. The installation seeks to blur the boundaries between architecture, art, engineering, and lighting design, as one is surrounded by myriad echoes – infinite reflections of programmed sources of light, surfaces and people.

What sparked your interest in lighting?

Initially lighting for me was more about lighting up a space, a basic requirement to be fulfilled. But as our design complexity evolved, we discovered the power and potential of lighting. The realisation that with the use of lighting you can completely change how a space is perceived is what sparked our interest in it.

What made you take lighting more seriously and make a career out of it?

When we started accentuating material textures with lighting, we realised we wanted to explore it more because the effects were dramatic and the possibilities seemed endless. The right intensity and direction of light can be used to enhance or downplay design features. You can perceive planes differently. There can be highlights and shadows and you can see depths.

Are you self-taught or did you study lighting design?

Self-taught. I would rather say that our design experiments taught me.

What’s your lighting designing philosophy?

We like to reveal the making and coming together of our design elements as well as the functioning and working of the design through lighting. In our project “The Orange Extension”, we highlighted the corten steel joints with lights where the joinery detail with different sizes of grooves juxtaposes with a designed pattern of lighting. The lighting wasn’t just to light up the canopies but reveals the construction details and functioning of the extension. The lit-up joint lines highlight the functionally needed surface drainage channels on top of the canopies. The lights celebratethechannelling of rainwater into a collection plate, from where it’s discharged ceremoniously into the adjoining flower bed.

How has your work evolved over the years?

We tend to highlight our design parameters with lighting. The change in intensity and colour of lights adds a dimension to the planes of materials and textures and also tunes you to the mood and ambiance with the change in program. Be it architectural or decorative lighting, we used to work on multiple small light pockets within a space. Now we intend to make larger cleaner moves.

How is your work received internationally?

We have been very grateful to have our works received so well on international platforms. Our project “The Orange Extension” was pre-selected for taking part into the sixth DOMUS international award’s for restoration and preservationcompetition. “Aurelia-House Under A Pool” brought home an amazing second place in the category of the most innovative swimming pool at the swimming pool and wellness event organised by Piscine Global Europe at the Eurexpo in Lyon, France. In both the projects, lighting played an important role in highlighting the form of the design. This level of international recognition is very motivating.

What is the biggest lesson that you have learned since you started your company?

We were always schooled that there is one creative genius behind every project. But ever since we started practicing, we realised it’s not true. Every great design is an outcome of team effort and collaborative approach. It is never a one man’s job. Our projects benefit from our association and collaboration between our team members and consultants. Having an efficient and effective team is extremely important in the making of an impactful project.

What advice would you give to young lighting designers?

Lighting is not just a visual aesthetic aid. Always try to bring a balance between functionality and style. Understand the power of lighting and its role as an integral design tool.

What is it that fascinates you about light?

The fact that something so light can fill up a large space. From when I can remember, I have loved light and light sources. Some of my earliest projects at the design school, ended up as lamps around different shaped bulbs.

My favourite genre of lighting is ambient light. The way I design lamps is that it should create a mood for the space that it put in. Its only function should be to create a mood or an ambiance. When I set up Indi Store back in 1999, I designed the cocoon lamp. This lamp got its name from the shape that it was made in. Made from pine slivers, carefully peeled from a log and then fixed on to a pre-made structure and shaped like a cocoon. The thickness of the sliver created the quality of the light that came through it along with the gaps between each sliver. The cocoon lamp has gone through many avatars. We have them in the shape of a globe, a pendant, a post and of course the original cocoon shape. We sell them to this day and the lamp has become synonymous with Indi Store. We make them in three wood finishes: light ash, walnut and dark wood. We also make them in natural steel and stainless steel in 4 different finishes: gold, silver, copper and gun metal. Besides the cocoon, we have some beautiful lamps: The Luna, The Kudu – inspired from the Kudu of Africa, Woody, Chrysanthemum, Column, Monsoon, Patchwork and the latest in burnt wood and metal – Carbon.

What’s your lighting designing philosophy?

Lighting design has always interested me. My philosophy is very simple…my lights should look sculptural when they are switched on or off. My approach to everything I design has been that: It is an art with a purpose or function. My inspirations come from nature and what I see around me. The designs are simple and not fussy. When I conceive an idea for a lamp, its sole purpose is to decorate and create interest when it is switched on or off. I have excellent artisans who make every piece by hand and that adds a ‘human-ness’ to every product in the store. It makes the space feel warm even when the light is turned off.

What makes a great piece of lighting solution?

Depending on the purpose that the light has to perform, lights and lighting should be designed. If one manages to fill that criteria, then the solution is perfect. We work on different projects where we design lights for a particular requirement. Sometimes, it is to light up offices and at others it could be to create atmosphere in a home…sometimes it is an interesting chandelier at others it is a sculpture. I recently did an installation for Swarovski. It was called Deepa and was a 22-foot high sculpture. This had no light in it but drew its inspiration from the flame from a diya. The sculpture was an ode to Diwali.

Lighting technology is changing very fast. How do you keep pace with technology?

One reads and sees what is available in the market. It’s always an interesting challenge to design lights using the latest that is available. The shape of the bulbs, the type of light and the purpose it has to fulfil, become the brief for a perfect lighting solution. One of my latest lamps is called Monsoon. It is like a rain drops made in metal wherein some have a tiny light source and some don’t. This is possible due to the size of the LED bulbs available. Then there are bulbs which are so beautiful in themselves, that it isn’t important to cover them with a shade.

What are the current challenges of working with LED technology?

The only problem I have with the LED lights is that the drivers get spoilt very fast. We need to improve that as that can be pretty irritating as the bulbs blow out very fast. We have used a lot of LED bulbs in our store. Each time one bulb blows out, it takes a lot of effort to change them. Since these are more expensive than regular lights, it would be great if they were also more reliable.

What’s your greatest achievement?

The fact that I am able to do what I love and there are people out there who appreciate what I do.

I did my mechanical engineering from Mysore university and followed it up with a PG in product design from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. This was followed by a masters in industrial design from Domus Academy, Milano. I worked for Alessi before I came back to India. In my initial working years, I did a lot of interior design and furniture design for offices and homes. I needed something more to make me happy and keep me satisfied with my work. In 1999, I decided to open my own store so as to showcase my creativity. I designed and manufactured everything that I kept in the store. My philosophy was India Modern…I wanted to and still like to keep it contemporary with a timeless quality to everything that I make. At the time I launched Indi Store, there weren’t too many contemporary furniture stores in India. I continue to design for clients and we customise everything that we have as per a client’s requirement. Our pieces continue to be handmade keeping it real always. I work with a lot of stainless-steel, natural steel, brass and copper, besides wood and beautiful veneers from all around the world. I wanted to use something as industrial as stainless-steel sheets and pipes and convert them into pieces of art. I launched my first collection of 35 products in 2004, called ‘I went fishing’. This collection also had lights in them. Since then I have done 5 other collections and 3 of those have unique handmade lamps.

What’s your message for all budding lighting designers?

Understand your brief correctly and deliver the best possible design solution. It is important to be innovative and creative and keep abreast of all that’s happening around the globe.

Lighting to me is a story. A story that fortifies one’s style and personality in his/her space. I have worked in diverse verticals of retail and wholesale consumer goods and strongly feel that in every visible square inch the most important factor that amplifies the interior dynamics is the right lighting.

It was of great interest to me when I used to work on designs of lamps and furniture. But I used to get distracted from other categories and think of working on a new lamp design. Other than my deep interest in lighting, which was a cascading effect, I saw a huge potential in the industry primarily because it is unexplored and understated. Majority of the customers would delegate this task to their interior designers or architects. Hence, there are handful of players and designers who specialise specifically in this category.

Could you tell us about your initial days when you started off?

I was completely blank when I assembled my first lamp in the summer of 2015 and was elated when it lit. But since I started from scratch, I literally got tossed off from places didn’t even imagine.

Bootstrapped with no industry experience, lack of IT knowledge and no employees it was certainly one of the biggest challenges I faced while starting an e-commerce business. It was difficult to negotiate with suppliers or manufacturers to work on low numbers and match my thought process of implementing the right design.

Today, with over 700 happy customers, theblacksteel. com takes pride in successfully delivering commercial and luxury residential projects to the best properties in the world. We are very selective with our product range and this is why our customer opt us over others.

What drove you to start your own business?

There were two important factors here. It is a bit unfair to do a comparative analysis but after working for 7 years in the service industry, one’s decision making ability and entrepreneurial spirit gets pushed down to some extent. I synergised this as a bounce effect to start something of my own.

Secondly, I was very keen in industrial style of interiors. Prior to starting my business, I went online to search for industrial lamps and I was very surprised to see there are no domestic e-commerce platforms where I can order from. I felt there was a huge gap and if there is a chance that someone can bring such products to India, then why shouldn’t I make it happen?

Could you talk about few of your key projects?

For residential projects, we have worked with international and domestic clients to offer them all sorts of variations. Apart from India, we have successfully fulfilled residential projects in Europe, US, and Canada. The longest distance that our product has travelled is 14,655 kms to a customer in Ciudad De Mexico.

For commercial projects, we have worked with hotel chains, retail brands, restaurants and corporate offices. There is a lot of back and forth since the units are high and we can’t afford to go wrong with the design aesthetic and quality. We have in-house QC team that is taking care of every single piece moving out of the factory and ensures that every product is top notch in every aspect.

We have worked with many major players in the industry and we are meticulous in delivering what our customers expect from us.

What inspires you to pursue specific projects?

Every individual I’ve met has a precise and innovative requirement about the lamp they want and this is my driving force. Back when my career started, I was surrounded with fashion and lifestyle products. From selling world’s best polo T-shirts to working in luxury watch-making conglomerates, I learnt, there is a huge detailed process that followed in designing, manufacturing and sales of a product.

I think I was lucky to be a part of such a thorough process. It encouraged me to create something that will be an extension to my customer’s persona. There is a clear inclination towards intricate craftsmanship and our customers would continue to notice that in future.

Can you explain a bit about the creative process related to lighting for various sectors that you do?

We are currently working on 8 collections featuring about 10-15 designs per collection. On the offering is a mix of in-house designs and a thoughtfully curated e-commerce webstore. More than 60 per cent of our products are designed in-house and because we do not have technical expertise to manufacture few products, we source it. For example, Filament Edison bulbs which are a very important element in our designs but considering we cannot manufacture, we curate a collection of bulbs for our customers to shortlist. It is the popularity of our in-house designed products that is making most of the sales and by the end of this fiscal we are planning to decrease the curated collection as much as possible.

Any message for the budding lighting designers?

As aspiring lighting designer, be unlimited with your creativity because customers embrace designs that stand out. Be bold enough to say ‘no’ if you aren’t sure about delivering the requirement. You will be respected for an unfulfilled no, and not for a failed yes.

As a child, I was always fascinated by toys with lights. I would dismantle and reassemble them, over and over again till it worked. As I grew older, I became curious. I still remember the day when I had fixed the power button of the television at home out of mere boredom. I found the first chance to lay my hands on it when my parents had gone to a party and I dismantled the TV in awe and wonder.

Fortunately, in Gujarati and Marwari families, it’s a tradition to train kids at a young age. And I was not an exception. I was being trained to become a businessman who would handle one of the family businesses but I was never interested in mass-market products. I always liked niche products. As such, I started interacting with architects and interior designers in a bid to comprehend their views and aesthetic values.

One of them gave me a site in its completion stage whilst the fixing of lights was happening. In those days, interior designers used to prefer MR16 12v 50 w halogens. The interior designer who was designing the apartment had placed them in rows and columns, and I felt that she was overdoing it, but kept quiet, as I was young and new.

Fortunately or unfortunately, she couldn’t turn up for a mock up meeting but clients were there at the site and I had to ask an electrician to fix the dimmers and show dimming of lights. When the client asked for my opinion, I honestly told what I felt. Sensing my ingenuity, he gave me a chance. I rearranged the lighting and asked electricians to switch off the ones I didn’t want. I began aiming them towards the wall where the art was supposed to come, aligning them with the furniture. After the final setting, I started showing them different scenes by dimming and switching off lights. The client was mind blown and asked me to start playing with lights as career.

What drove you to commence your own company?

After being diagnosed with cancer in 2002 and winning against it, the idea of Light & Beyond was born. I started this company with my wife in 2009. Before this, I wanted to explore my market, learn mindset of people and ways in which installations were done back in India etc.

Light & Beyond was born to spread awareness about good lighting design. Make people understand that less is more. Make people connect with nature. Our entire thinking process of designing lighting for a space is based on our spiritual inclinations. Why? One may ask. It’s because we are designing for humans and humans need to feel good when they see or enter any space. Good lighting is always felt before being noticed.

I am grateful that I was accredited with CLD (Certified Lighting Designer) in 2016 and became India’s first and only, Asia’s second and World No. 17th CLD. For me this certification was synonymous with unequivocal global endorsement. As a lighting designer, I had to establish proficiency in at least five of the seven domains of practice that served as the yardstick of performance in this regard.

The seven domains namely goals and outcomes, collaboration, ingenuity, synthesis, science, stewardship, and human experience can be practically described as a comprehensive quantification of all the virtues that a professional in this field should demonstrate. Talking and writing about one, two or three qualities that every lighting architect should exhibit is one thing and to literally spell out seven daunting – (read specific) virtues is quite another.

I mean how can you divorce his ingenuity from his knowledge of the environmental impact of lighting i.e. that’s what ‘stewardship’ here is all about. How can one rule out the need to prioritise human experience in the whole process? How often do we realise the importance of all these virtues until and unless it’s not an esteemed program like CLD spelling it out for us?

That certification for me has never really been a stamp of ‘global authority’, but a means to rediscover myself in my professional space. To be able to demonstrate proficiency associated with at least 5 of these 7 domains was exhilarating! Yes, CLD has really helped me carve a niche in my own and international market. This March, I was named in 40 under 40 hottest lighting designers in the world by Lighting Magazine, UK.

How it feels being in the prestigious list of ‘40 Under 40’?

Notably, 40 Under 40 remains a prestigious international program acknowledging the most promising individuals contributing to the lighting design industry. This highly renowned program collaborated with global lighting brand Osram to honour the new breed of tech-savvy, ever curious, diverse and driven professionals. Founded in the year 2016, it seeks to inspire a whole new generation of passionate lighting designers to keep pushing the horizons for unmatched brilliance.

To be a part of such an illustrious line-up of awardees (class of 2018) is humbling and gratifying at the same time. To document my feelings in words would be a daunting prospect. I feel way more enthused to touch people’s lives with the work that I do. Heralding a change in the way people perceive lighting designs has always been a conscious endeavour. With the passage of time the pressing challenges that I’ve already talked about have started waning. With this award, I clearly see them dwindling into obscurity. This popular award will make more Indians wake up to this innovative and efficacious concept!

What are some of your landmark projects?

Light & Beyond was created to serve the needs of the architects and interior designers. Our work covers a diverse range of projects in India, Europe, UAE and the US. We’ve deployed creative and unique lighting and sound experiences at museums, show apartments, amusement parks, master planning of islands, master planning of cities, restaurants, boutique hotels, branded retail stores and ultra lounges. We are doing many projects to name the few Astitva by Primarc, The Altius by Empress & Amaya Realty, The Novotel, Kolkata, Private Residence in UAE, Restaurant in UAE, Irish Pub in Vienna, Valentino in Vienna, Private Residence Vienna, Sant Kutiya Gurdwara , Kolkata etc. We did Tricolour for The 42 is the new and upcoming project in Chowringhee, which is also the tallest project in Eastern India. The idea was to show how we can communicate through lighting to people silently even when the building is under construction. We are also doing Birla Planetarium in Kolkata – Asia’s largest and World’s second largest planetarium. The most exciting project we are working on is the master planning of an island along with super luxury yacht.

Would you like to share any message for the budding lighting designers?

Be honest, be ethical, be professional, give your 100%, never give up and always think from a customer’s point of view. Keep practicing and keep learning from your mistakes. Use quality products because your name is attached to the project. Keep educating yourself and be well versed all the new technologies.

I graduated from NID with a degree in Product Design (Industrial Design) after which, I worked in varied fields like furniture design, exhibition design, accessory design etc

In 2006, I got an opportunity to create some lights for an event which was showcasing some top international brands of lighting. The response to that was encouraging at various levels. My lighting portfolio started growing and as a designer I felt more satiated and involved.

Very soon, I was playing with both, Light & Art in the form of Light Installations

What are your views on product and lighting designing?

Design per se has to be functional yet aesthetically stimulating.

Lights have to accentuate spaces and its use. In other words, products / lights have to be meaningful and not for the sake of it.

Where do you draw inspiration from each time you design a product? Can you talk about one of your lighting designs and the process of behind it?

The world around is beautiful and full of inspiration, one has to be receptive to it. The trigger could be nature in any form, a situation or even at times a word.

However, some seem appropriate given the game plan. These are the ones which I put to test through R&D and prototyping. Sometimes, typically, in commissioned assignments, a highly constraint situation (architect’s brief, architecture, interior or the theme) brings in a challenge which makes the creative thoughts flow in a channelised format leading to exciting results.

One of the light installations – Orion

A clear night sky is so beautiful and delicate. We often see in the darkness of a night. We see the sharp shine of the stars and constellations in some random formations but often making our minds connect the dots into an abstract form that we recognise.  While we always see the sharp glow, we never see the source of the light which lights these stars….
Orion, crystal based installation, is inspired from the incredible interstellar formations

This light installation, made with over 7,000 crystals, also plays with the light and darkness akin to the night sky.

How has the lighting industry evolved?

In the past, Lighting has been ignored and underused. Today Lighting is considered as the fourth dimension of architecture. The fact is the impact of this medium can bring about a drastic & dramatic change in the quality of architecture and its function. This realisation amongst the present generation is leading to the rise in demand of quality lights, energy efficient sources & even lighting consultants. It is a positive trend and the industry is growing

What are the challenges you come across while designing a product?

Work is never a challenge. It is extremely exciting. It is what keeps me alive and kicking. The challenges are the associated issues, the paraphernalia. It is managing people, finances, and what we may call the ‘realities of the world’ that are challenging.

Your piece of advice to the upcoming lighting designers?

It is a very exciting field, provided you understand the nuances. Be innovative and dream big.