Speech at Maison

I am Vritima Wadhwa, a young 

Furniture & Interior Designer by profession and a very curious person by nature. I am twenty-two years old and was born and brought up in one of the fastest growing cities of the world and the capital of India, New Delhi. A city inspired, marked and influenced by the Mughal invasions and British Raj.

Growing up in a family of creative professionals inclined me towards design. The artistic nature of people around me enthused me to go and join the National Institute of Design in the year 2006, the country’s finest design school.The National Institute of Design referred to as NID was setup in 1961 with the help of Jawahar Lal Nehru and the Sarabhais, an affluent family of Ahmedabad and based on the study done by Charles Eames.

My learning at NID in three phases can be divided in three phases.

        1. The Enhancement of Skills, 2. Using these skills to perceive & understand the need of design around us. 3. Create opportunities for us through the acquired sensibility & knowledge.

In fewer words- we Enrich, Applied and Created.

A lot of you may ask, what got me to Maison et Objet. For my final project at design school, I worked through a small design studio in Ahmadabad called A Cube Inc. A team of three people, our project involved creating a range of furniture for an architect, based on the characteristics of his space. An indepth study of the clients work was undertaken to understand the subtle nuances of material usage, architectural elements and light quality used to create spatial experiences.

The study was hence used to conceptualize an idiom that compliments the client’s architecture and translate it to design a range of furniture. The important aspect that was kept in mind was to use all locally available materials. One of the pieces was a lazy lounge chair. The idea was to create a simple piece which one could lie back on, to relax or simply read a book. An inspiration from the human form, the Recline is a partial negative of the human body in a relaxed seating position. The chair accommodates several seating postures. The colour and bounce achieved from its metal framework adds the element of fun in the piece. 

Being from India, I’d like to talk about my perception of the existing nature of design there. Today an exciting movement of design has emerged in my country. The modern India is a stunningly illustrated exploration of cutting edge homes, bars and restaurants. The international influences have blended with the country’s cultural heritage, spirituality and mythology beautifully giving birth to Indian Modern Design.

A few years down the line, I see myself taking the traditional Indian principles of design and reinterpreting them in a modern idiom.  I hope to create an identity that is distinctly Indian and yet stimulates a balance with the global audience.