50 India Today HOME, February 2011 February 2011, India Today HOME 51

HOME

DESIGN

Brush in hand, a posse ofyoung designers is convertingmundane home accessories tocutting-edge lifestyle products

The thin line between art and design has long been erased by décorconnoisseurs. When out home-accessory shopping these days, beprepared to encounter savages with baleful expressions painted onto

bike helmets, vintage telephones daubed with ochre, and quirky chairs withBarack Obama painted on their backrests. You can even find faux-antique rail-way clocks, peppered with stylised doodles. With art-inspired lifestyle productsbeing the flavour of the season, the stores are chock-a-block with hand-paintedofferings that are both fresh and fun. We take a look at three designers who arewielding the colour-soaked magic brush, and having a lot of fun doing it.

of moneyC O L O U R

National Institute of Fashion Technology(NIFT), Delhi alumnus Rohit Kant’s designethos is a modern take on antiquatedhousehold articles such as hip flasks,canvas shoes, pocket timepieces and RoyalEnfield fuel tanks. The 24-year-oldproduct designer says transforming ordi-nary objects into spiffy home accessoriesis exciting for him. “It’s about addingrespect, peace and love to a mundane-looking product and giving it a totally newmeaning and identity,” he says. Kant’sofferings flaunt illustrations and sketchesin fluorescent hues. The bright coloursshow reality and the dark illustrationsshow the distortion. All his artworks are abalance mix of happy and the happier, heexplains. He creates both off-the-rackitems and customised ones. About hisbespoke creations, Kant says, “I aim atcompleting a story in people’s life, whichthey didn’t even know was missing.”

Kant’s pieces can take anywherebetween three to eight days to completeand start at `680 and are available at “ByRohit Kant” Store, T 49, Hauz KhasVillage, New Delhi. Tel: 09810396132.

VINTAGE CHIC

It’s clear that Hinesh Jethwani, like most Indians, is in awe ofcelluloid stars. Out to stem the decline of film-poster art in India,the computer engineer-turned-entrepreneur sells an assortmentof vintage posters and furniture with kitschy movie-related pic-tures painted on them. “Bollywood posters combine the conceptsof advertising, art and storyboard depiction,” he says. LendingJethwani support are some old poster and billboard artists,

whom the designer hasbrought together toform a collective calledIndian Hippy. The ‘Hip-pies’ use the traditionalstyle of mixingcolours and interest-ing poster-art tech-niques like usingknives to add textureand contour to the facesof their matinee idols.The brand has a line-upof hand-painted chairsand coffee tables as wellas neat fashion acces-sories that it retails froman e-commerce websiteto a global clientele.However, the pièce derésistance is the signa-ture’s customisationservice. “This involvespainting the patron’sface on a film poster of

his or her choice. So, it’s a combination of a portrait and posterand it’s a fantasy for many to be immortalised into a poster oftheir favourite film,” says Jethwani, who launched the signa-ture concept six months ago.

This one-of-a-kind service is a hit with filmlovers and Jethwani hasshipped customised Bollywood-postersto Italy, the US, UK, Dubai and a host ofother countries. Starting at `1,500, thebrand’s products can be bought online atwww.hippy.in.

52 India Today HOME, February 2011

BOLLYWOOD CALLING

HOME

DESIGN

54 India Today HOME, February 2011

HOME

DESIGN

Who said art is only appreciated when seen hung onwalls? Kalyani Ganapathy figured that there is morespace for art in our homes, than just the walls andshe initiated Kye. Ganapathy, the proprietor of Kye,is a former graphic-design consultant, who makesand paints on home furnishings and bags. “I put ina lot of detail by playing around with thin brushes,”explains Ganapathy. The Bangalore-based designerspends between two and three weeks on each piece.Though most of her motifs are inspired by nature,

occasionally, she is inspired by the textures oftraditional art forms like Madhubani and Gondwhich she uses in a modern context. “The southIndian-girl child also features in my work in a bigway. Other motifs that fascinate me are leaves andanimal forms like elephants and dogs,” says the 27-year-old designer.

Kye items are modestly priced between `800and `5,000 and can be picked up online atwww.surfkye.com. TANVI RUSTAGI

ONE WITH NATURE