Sleek Kitchens wanted a research and design centre where they wanted an atmosphere conducive to creativity for kitchen design.
We arrived at the design brief in consultation with the MD, where he felt, that along with work areas, spaces to bring people together to discuss ideas was much needed. That’s where the idea of the street adjacent to the work spaces was evolved. A place for chai and chats- a place which fosters innovation through interaction, a place where tomorrow’s kitchens get imagined today. The street edge, defined by a brick wall, had plants, benches on the street wall. Thresholds to each of the work spaces were defined by the wooden trellis. The paving, the stepped brick wall, the undulating wooden canopies, the seats spaced along the street, plants on the wall- the street articulates a place of coming together within this large volume.
An existing industrial shed with four large rolling shutters was to house these spaces.
We consulted our friend, Visual artist Atul Dodiya, who has produced several works of art on rolling shutters. He advised us to showcase paint on the shutters, since the parent company of Sleek Kitchens is Asian Paints Ltd. On the exterior of the shutters, we used a series of vibrant colours while the interior of the shutters was painted different shades of grey.
Sleek wanted the internal space to adapt to their evolving needs so we left the central space empty for their experimentation, displays etc. The rear wall had a painted mural that defined the raison d’etre of the Design Centre: the place where tomorrow’s kitchens get designed today. A local artist painted the mural designed by us on the rear wall as well as the paint on the shutters. The large custom-made light fittings tied the scattered space together.
