Space Design

Minimalist Interior Design In The Indian Context

April 2, 2018

What is Minimalism?

More than a design ‘style’ from a visual point of view, minimalism is a principle – that of removing all unnecessary decor or features from an object and leaving only those that serve the purpose of the object. By doing so, the object is left in its pure form to deliver, without hindrance, that which it was created for in the first place.

To quote Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, “Less is More”.

Whether it be living a minimalist lifestyle or designing an easy-to-use website, minimalism is always about removing what is unnecessary and keeping what is essential. This allows for a clearer focus on what matters most.

What Colours Are Usually Used in Minimalist Interiors?

When it comes to minimalist interior design, a muted colour palette – most commonly black, white and grey – is usually incorporated, to emphasise the clean lines, give the feeling of space and keep the look modern and natural, omitting bright colours that can distract.

Such thinking would be hard pressed to find a spot in India, where we are known for our loud colours, ornate decor and intricate patterns.

But what if there were a middle ground? One that understands that the Indian market is ready to adopt the new and the modern, but perhaps not quite ready to let go of the warmth that we are accustomed to in our homes, and indeed, our way of life.

How Can Minimalist Interior Design Find a Place in India?

Zeitgeist’s design strategy when it comes to finding that sweet spot has been to use a Greige palette while incorporating modern minimalist interior design into various spaces, ranging from hotel lobbies to private homes.

Greige, which is basically a mix of the colours grey and beige, offers in its spectrum a variety of colours that are neutral enough to stay minimalist, yet have the warmth that appeals to the Indian consumer’s sensitivities.

With this strategy textiles and patterns can still be incorporated, as can an array of beautiful natural materials like various natural stones and fabric that India is so well known for.

In this sectional snapshot of a kitchen that was designed by Zeitgeist, we have incorporated clean lines and a greige palette, but have introduced copper fittings and accessories to retain an Indian feel.

In this laid back minimalist living room, we have incorporated a greige palette into the patterned decor elements and material like jute, keeping the room Indian, yet modern.

Design Strategy

The Tiniest Designers In The World

By admin on

October 11, 2017

- Design Strategy

Zeitgeist Design and Development is always looking for inspiration from the world around us. From choosing great colour schemes to creating spaces that are both progressive and sustainable, we believe that nature is the greatest teacher of all.

Biomimetics, a field close to the heart of Zeitgeist, enables thought provoking insights into some of the most effective designs on our planet – those that occur in nature.In today’s post we focus on ants and examine how these tiny creatures design remarkably effective systems.

This understanding could find potential application in the fields of:

ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING

If you’ve every paused to marvel at how diminutive ants design and construct colonies that are much larger than themselves and capable of housing innumerable residents, here’s something more to be amazed at.Researchers at Georgia Tech University have studied another phenomenon that occurs when fire ants are dropped into water.The ants are able to quickly adapt to the new environment and create a raft like structure that prevents them from drowning. The extraordinary part of this feat is that they use their own bodies as the building material!The ants link up and form a mass that is viscoelastic or able to resist flow under pressure, as well as return to its original form when stretched or compressed.Understanding how they do this could lead to the creation of adaptable, viscoelastic building material, which could be used to construct self-healing structures like bridges and buildings. Such structures would have the ability to auto detect and mend cracks, without human intervention.

DESIGN VERIFICATION & VALIDATION

A product that cannot deliver what it was designed to defeats its purpose.Design verification and validation are key to ensuring that concept meets practicality and is a vital stage between the design and rollout phases of a new product.Ants are known to be experts at finding the shortest routes to food sources, by employing Swarm Intelligence.Research conducted at Virginia Tech, focusing on how ants achieve this, could dramatically reduce the time spent on finding the most optimum solution, as well bring down the costs involved in the design validation process – significant in the age of complex electronics design, where applying traditional methods of verification and validation is becoming increasingly untenable.

ROBOTICS

Ants are able carry heavy loads, often several times their weight.

Research at the University of Ohio has revealed that the neck joint of the common American field ant is able to withstand pressure of up to 5000 times its body weight! The study of this astonishing capability could find application in the field of robotics, enhancing the potential of what could be done on earth and in space.

DESIGN OF ORGANISATIONS, COMMUNITIES & LOGISTICS SYSTEMS

The structure of any colonies has much to teach us about effective organisation and logistics design.

The division of labour in ant nests, which determines its structure and habits, is according to age and size. The effectiveness comes from each creature contributing what it is best at, while collectively choosing co-operation over competition.
Adaptability is key, with labour patterns and worker distribution altering as the colony grows and develops. Scaling up is thus more of a natural progression and less of an ad hoc activity.
The basic design of ant colonies, which uses vertical passageways for movement and transport, and horizontal compartments for work, storage and housing, sheds light on effective operations and logistics.

These are just a few design ideas that we can employ from the world of ants, which also teaches us to pause and realise that:

Sustainable solutions can be reached through adaptability to the environment rather than the exploitation of it.
Synergy can be achieved even amongst the tiniest of creatures, as long as they are working together for a common cause.
Utilising and enhancing the inherently unique features of a system can bring about ingenious solutions to large-scale problems.

At the core of Biomimicry is a respect for nature and the acknowledgement that we could potentially learn a better way from it… even from a seemingly insignificant little ant.