Rasam Fashion Boutique is a modern commercial building intended to serve as an upscale fashion retail store. The edifice of the building is somewhat a stage for an artwork depicting a beautiful painting, where tradition and modernity were delicately mingled with one another. With bright colors, semi-abstractions, and stylized human figures, soft-edge lighting would have further honed the curves and minute details of the art piece.
Project Name: Rasam Fashion Boutique A Fusion of Tradition and Modernity
Studio Name: Under The Arch
Location: Rajkot, Gujarat
Year Built: 2025
Duration of the project: 5 months
Area: 6000 Sq.Ft.
Principal Architect(s) : Ar. Shyam Gajera, Ar. Kunjan Akbari & Ar. Shruti Salia
Team Design Credits : Ar. Shyam Gajera, Ar. Kunjan Akbari, Ar. Shruti Salia, Kaushik Gohil, Meet Thummar
Photograph Courtesy: Frame 13.13
It applied the painting right to the texture of the building surface, establishing an in-touch and viewable connection to the structure. Down below, a large glass-walled and -doors storefront allows perfect visibility of the fashionable retail space and the mannequins inside.
Lighting is highly instrumental in the design of the boutique. Lighting up the storefront and the signage while highlighting the mural creates a welcoming atmosphere and captures one’s attention in the fashion exhibits.
The building’s design is asymmetrical, with a dynamic curved upper section that gives it a sense of movement and individuality. Framed by symmetrical planters, the entrance exudes warmth and a welcoming atmosphere. The layout includes prominent display windows showcasing the boutique’s collection, supported by sleek, modern shelving that is visible through the glass. Adjacent structures are minimalistic, ensuring the boutique’s unique aesthetic takes center stage.
Located in a very vibrant urban environment, Rasam Fashion Boutique transcends the definition of a retail store to become a space of artistic and cultural expression. It offers visitors a sensory and visual experience where tradition and modernity coexist seamlessly.
Timeless design is a testament in the entrance façade, dressed in sophisticated greys. The circles and arches give way to a rhythmic harmony. Inside the arch lies an artwork, beautiful and reflective of the boutique’s artistic vision, which has integrated art and architecture so closely that it creates an emotional appeal in the onlooker to come closer to the space.
Inside, the retail space opens up like a series of arched forms sculpted into the walls. These light gray arched shapes interact with light and shadow to create an interesting three-dimensional texture and, incidentally, work as a curated painting gallery. The display tables continue this motif of arched shapes to produce a unified feel that harmonizes well with the dramatic fashion pieces hung against this background.
The women’s fashion section changes the tone with walls that are painted warm pink and cocoa mousse. Smaller arches and the intricate painted details give a feeling of intimacy and craftsmanship, which is reminiscent of temple frescoes. This reinterprets traditional Indian artistry in a sleek, modern context, as every niche and doorway reflects the grandeur of temple architecture in a contemporary style.
Rasam Fashion Boutique is much more than just an experience for shopping. The combination of the colours, textures, and forms involved in it reflects the rich, vibrant, historical culture that speaks about being in this city while being perfectly modern for that retail experience that makes all come to one end: time transcended through history.
