This story is about designing spaces for three beauty queens or legends that have created successful beauty companies in India and have given the world products which encapsulate Indian beauty regimes and scents of the yesteryear into beautifully packaged products for the modern world.
Design By Meta an architecture and design firm, began creating interior designs for the brand Forest Essentials in 2013 inspired by Rajasthani palaces. Their first design was the store in Khan market. Glimpses of architectural detailing like stone patterned flooring, Arched “Jali” walkways, Ornate metal work, corniced library shelving, brass detailing and coloured “Jaliwork” created the backdrop of the beautiful setting to browse and select products. With the successful completion of one such design an array of forty-five such designs were commissioned by the owners in a span of three years in the Indian subcontinent. This design was conceptualised in association with Talianna Studio.
“Biotique”, became the next brand who approached Design by Meta in 2015 to design their stores, keeping their brand ideology and colour schemes intact Design by Meta envisaged with creating a new chapter to their story of the brand. The green colour with the leaf formed inspiration to tell the story of the brand. The leaf became a concurrent theme in the design with customised glass chandelier’s, leaf carved consultation sink, customised artificial green walls with herbs like tulsi etc and the customised Lacquered glass (pantone green shade of the brand).
With a shot of colour and leaves, the design was fresh, invigorating and bold for the brand. In 2018, Design By Meta were commissioned to design for their upcoming luxury brand “Biotique Royal”, in two high street locations of Khan market and Mumbai International Airport. The designs which followed were contemporary, classic and timeless. The brand uses a blend of traditional techniques with modern technology. The interiors inspired this aspect drawing straight, sharp and modern lines with a touch of elegance and warmth to tell the story of the new brand. The use of materials like PVD (Poly vinyl Deposit) on metal and Wood veneer panels cases in a mix of soft fabric and lighting, with classic marble flooring, stepped golden cornices and the royal emblem logo shining on a golden wall coined the design.
Design By Meta had the privilege to work for Shahnaz Husain – the legend to put India on the map for Indian beauty products, for whom they created a shining gem. The use of mirrors, back lit display cabinets, artworks specially developed for the brand in association with Gulabo Design with the use of a pure white palette created a feeling of an explosion of senses in a beautifully crafted space. Both the stores are located in Select city walk Saket, New Delhi and their gem like quality always attracts the passerby to walk in and browse the products.
The fourth beauty brand Design By Meta have worked with is “My Glamm”. This brand is a modern make-up brand who currently does not have a physical store presence and has been selling online.
The interiors for this store were designed to be sexy, chic and minimal. The white and gold theme with curved edges created sensuousness in the design of the space. The beauty stations were designed for self-help with a palette of testers and an I-pad for self -discovery of products within the store. Encouraging women to engage with the product in an appealing space. Since the whole idea of make-up is to enhance a woman’s beauty, the design emulates this with the use of material and form.
In the end, Design By Meta’s designs bring forth the strength of the brand in their inspiration for the spaces they mould and experiences they create. Retail Design is all about creating unique experiences that captures the brand promise while purposely helping the customers to reach their own aspirations.
Abhishek Rustagi
Abhishek is an architect with more than a decade of work experience. Besides Architecture and design, he is an avid photographer and enjoys spending his time photographing nature and the outdoors or what catches his fancy. He has a keen interest in the construction aspect of the project and dedicates his time to building new and innovative approaches to the volume of work. He like to bring character and heart to his work and this is his speciality.
Nomita Sawhney
Nomita Sawhney is an Architect and Urbanist with 19 years of work experience. She has worked with SOM in NewYork and “TheWallace Floyd Design Group” in Boston, prior to being a Design Consultant to Jasbir Sawhney & Associates. Besides Architecture and design Nomita has varied interest in the design of products and the ideology of branding. She has been involved in the branding of several sucessful brands pan India, adding flair and dynamism to their design.