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      The Offbeat Sari exhibition celebrates “one of today’s most important global fashion stories”

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      The first sari to be worn at the Met Gala and sequins made from discarded X-ray film sourced from hospitals feature in the Offbeat Sari exhibition, which showcases around 60 contemporary saris at London’s Design Museum.

      The Offbeat Sari is the first UK exhibition to explore the contemporary sari, according to the Design Museum. The show opens today in a cavernous space within the museum’s subterranean gallery, illuminated by thin neon pendant lights.
      Hailing from India and wider South Asia, a sari is traditionally thought of as an unstitched drape wrapped around the body from shoulder to waist.
      The Offbeat Sari opens today at London’s Design MuseumIn recent years, designers have been reinventing the 5,000-year-old garment to serve young people’s growing interest in the sari, which has led to its revival, according to Design Museum head of curatorial Priya Khanchandani.
      “Women in cities who previously associated the sari with dressing up are transforming it into fresh, radical, everyday clothing that empowers them to express who they are, while designers are experimenting with its materiality by drawing on unbounded creativity,” said the curator.

      The first sari worn to the Met Gala features in the exhibitionSplit into various themes such as identity and resistance, the exhibition presents around 60 contemporary saris created by a range of established and emerging designers.
      Among the garments is the first sari to be worn at New York’s Met Gala in response to the annual ball’s 2022 theme, Gilded Glamour.
      Embellished with semi-precious stones, the tulle Sabyasachi-designed sari worn by Natasha Poonawalla features a statement train and was paired with a gold Schiaparelli bodice with protruding, orbit-shaped elements.
      Fashion brand Abraham & Thakore created sequins from recycled X-ray filmAnother navy blue sari by Abraham & Thakore is characterised by delicate sequins that were made using discarded X-ray film salvaged from hospitals – a design that aims to address the issue of sustainability within the fashion industry.
      Also on display is a purple georgette silk sari embroidered with shimmering acrylics, sequins and crystals. Founder of the #DeGenderFashion movement, author and comedian Alok previously wore the garment to highlight their belief that saris can be worn by anyone, regardless of gender identity.
      Photographs showing different ways of wearing saris are pasted across a blue wallContrasting textiles such as distressed denim and woven stainless steel make up other saris in the exhibition, highlighting the garment’s versatile evolution.
      Within the show’s “movement” section are a number of saris worn by young people while engaging in sports. These include a garment adorned with cherry blossom motifs that was donned during a cricket match as well as a polyester chiffon sari, which is among the outfits worn by a group of women who have begun to skateboard in saris – a growing trend, according to the museum.
      Sari wearers are increasingly wearing the garments to engage in sports, especially skateboardingThere is also an area dedicated to the craftsmanship involved in sari-making that explores how its history has transformed over the 21st century.
      “The sari is experiencing what is conceivably its most rapid reinvention in its history. It makes the sari movement one of today’s most important global fashion stories, yet little is known of its true nature beyond South Asia,” explained Khanchandani.

      “Genuine inclusivity in design is not a fantasy and need not be tokenistic”

      “For me and for so many others, the sari is of personal and cultural significance,” reflected the curator.
      “But it is also a rich, dynamic canvas for innovation, encapsulating the vitality and eclecticism of Indian culture.”
      There is also an area dedicated to materials and craftsmanshipChinese artist Ai Weiwei’s first design-focussed exhibition is another show that is currently on display at the Design Museum until late July. In other recent fashion news, designer Rick Owens has released a collection of wearable helmets that double as fluorescent floor lamps.
      The photography is by Andy Stagg. 
      The Offbeat Sari is on display at London’s Design Museum from 19 May to 17 September 2023. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
      Project credits:
      Curator: Priya KhanchandaniAssociate curator: Rashmi Varma3D design: Studio Mutt2D design: Stuthi Ramesh

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      Renesa completes “grotto-like” interior for Tin Tin restaurant

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      Indian architecture and interiors studio Renesa has completed a restaurant in Chandigarh with curving walls, ceilings and countertops blanketed in mosaic tiles.

      Tin Tin is a pan-Asian dining venue with an experimental menu, which New Delhi-based Renesa was asked to reflect in its design for the restaurant’s interior.
      The Tin Tin restaurant features curved walls and countertopsThe studio aimed to create a rich and engaging experience for guests, unfolding gradually as they move around the space.
      This is achieved by breaking up Tin Tin’s floor plan with curved walls and built-in furnishings that combine to from various different seating nooks and zones.
      A gridded mosaic covers surfaces across the restaurant”Sweeping arches, contoured ceilings and a juxtaposition amidst solid and voided structures dot the layout,” Renesa said.

      “These conjure focal nodes and morphing vistas as one lets the eye take in the space, only to reveal that no two sights within the interior volume can be identical.”
      Renesa designed the restaurant interior to reflect Tin Tin’s experimental menuThe fluidity of the restaurant’s internal surfaces is accentuated by the mosaic tiles that are arranged into a rough grid pattern across its walls, floors and openings.
      The surfaces were cast on site using terrazzo combined with slices of Indian stone in shades of jade, umber brown, veined white and greige.
      Renesa says Tin Tin’s “minimalist grotto-like feel” is a result of this homogenous materiality, which took a team of stonemasons and plasterers more than six months to complete.

      Renesa uses contrasting terracotta and terrazzo materials to create all-day cafe in New Delhi

      The built-in elements are complemented by a range of custom-made furniture featuring similar curvilinear silhouettes and a matching colour palette.
      The restaurant’s entrance flows into an open space containing a range of freestanding high tables and communal seating areas, offering an array of dining experiences.
      Custom-made furniture separates different dining zonesTin Tin also provides varying degrees of privacy, allowing it to be transformed from a fine dining space during the day to a lively lounge in the evening.
      A large terrace featuring the same decor as the internal dining space provides additional seating in the daytime, while at night the tabletops and bar areas are illuminated by spotlights from above to create an intimate atmosphere.
      The curved elements contrast with their gridded surface patternRenesa was founded in 2006 and is led by architect Sanjay Arora and his son Sanchit.
      Previous projects from the studio include an all-day cafe in New Delhi that juxtaposes terracotta and terrazzo surfaces, and a brick manufacturer’s showroom in the same city that is clad entirely in earthy-hued masonry.
      The photography is by Niveditaa Gupta.

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      The Circus Canteen interior is a “collage of unwanted items”

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      Local studio Multitude of Sins has created an eclectic restaurant interior in Bangalore out of a mishmash of reclaimed materials, including discarded bicycle bells and cassette tape boxes.

      Officially called Big Top but known as The Circus Canteen, the restaurant is shortlisted in the sustainable interior category for a 2022 Dezeen Award.
      The Circus Canteen interior is made of almost all reclaimed materialsMultitude of Sins sourced the components that make up the interior from a city-wide waste donation drive held over several weeks.
      The materials were then painstakingly curated into distinct categories, ranging from home appliances to toy cars, and used to design an eclectic interior featuring mismatched furniture and flooring.
      Visitors enter through a series of scrap metal archwaysLess than 10 per cent of the materials used to create the interior were sourced as new, according to the studio.

      “The Circus Canteen [was informed by] the concept of creating a collage of unwanted items with a curatorial spirit,” Multitude of Sins founder Smita Thomas told Dezeen.
      Multitude of Sins created booths out of mismatched objectsVisitors enter the restaurant through a bold scarlet door decorated with unwanted bicycle bells and humourous hand horns, which is accessed via a series of labyrinthine archways made from teal-hued scrap metal.
      The archways are illuminated by alternative chandeliers composed of dismantled bicycle chains and old vehicle headlights.
      Some of the restaurant tables are decorated with old CDsInside, the two-level dining area is made up of custom tables and seating that double as a set of striking installations.
      Salvaged objects used to create these booths include abandoned sofas, obsolete bathroom ventilators and colourful coffee tables created from old oil barrels sliced in half and topped with glass surfaces.

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      “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” acknowledged Thomas. “We have seen and felt this phrase come to life as we pieced together The Circus Canteen.”
      The restaurant’s flooring is a jigsaw puzzle-style mosaic of sample tiles sourced from ceramics stores, while a kitchen serving hatch is framed by a colourful collection of outdated cassette tape boxes.
      A serving hatch is framed by cassette tape boxesPrompted by the desire to create an eatery interior with a minimal carbon footprint, Multitude of Sins’ project responds to many designers’ growing concerns about the wastefulness of their industry.
      “The creation of each element – from custom lighting and flooring to art installations and furniture – was attributed to the mercy of the waste donation drive,” said Thomas.
      “It reminds us of adapting skillfully, to reinvent with agility.”
      The Circus Canteen intends to address wastefulness in the design industryThe Circus Canteen is part of Bangalore Creative Circus – a project formed by artists, scientists and other “changemakers” who host various community-focussed events in the Indian city.
      Other eateries that feature reclaimed materials include a restaurant in Spain with elements made from upcycled junk and site construction waste and a cafe in Slovenia defined by recycled components that create a mix of patterns and textures.
      The photography is by Ishita Sitwala.

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      Play Architecture tops restaurant in India with undulating tiled roof

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      A wavy, tiled roof formed by intersecting catenary vaults shelters this lakeside restaurant, designed by Bangalore-based Play Architecture for the Deva Dhare Resort in Karnataka, India.

      Perched above a narrow stream on recycled steel stilts the structure, which has been shortlisted in the hospitality building category of Dezeen awards 2022, provides both internal and external dining areas for the 10-acre resort.
      The Deva Dhare Restaurant is topped with a vaulted tiled roofNestled in the forests of Sakleshpur with expansive views of the Western Ghats mountain range, Play Architecture sought to create a form that would “weave and integrate seamlessly” into the landscape, making use of local materials and labour.
      “The dining space is located on an extremely ecologically sensitive zone, where one needs to touch the ground gently,” explained the studio.
      “The design approach is bottom-up, where the construction process and choice of materials address the local climate, ground conditions, flora and available local labour.”

      The restaurant sits over a small stream in a Sakleshpur forestTo create a column-free interior, a dramatic, unreinforced catenary vaulted roof spanning 16 metres was created, using five layers of 15-millimetre clay tiles typical to the area.
      This roof sits atop a granite and steel deck slab, supported by the structure of thin, green-painted steel columns beneath and accessed via two stone staircases at either side.

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      “The form shows how the forces flow through the structure, and the resistance of the form allows large spans to be built with small thicknesses, saving on materials and labour,” said the studio.
      “More over, the focus of this research was to stay away from sophisticated software solutions and find geometric, logical means and hands-on methods, empowering unskilled labour to apply the idea on a day-to-day basis.”
      Four glass-covered openings under the wavy roof offer views of the surroundingsFour arched openings at either side of the restaurant are filled with full-height glazing framed with black steel, providing views out in every direction.
      To the east and west, glass doors provide access out onto two terraces for overlooking the lake and stream, and to the north a short corridor leads to a standalone bathroom block.
      The curved roof is formed of intersecting catenary vaultsThe granite slabs of the platform have been left exposed throughout, creating a continuity between the interior and exterior, and some have been replaced with glass to provide views of the stream below.
      “The project is a simple, straightforward demonstration of the strength of an idea…with a sincere effort to express the material and construction tectonics truthfully,” said the practice.
      Other projects shortlisted in the hospitality building category of Dezeen awards 2022 include a copper-clad shelter for a teahouse in China by Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, and a boutique hotel in Mexico by Alberto Kalach topped by barrel vault roofs.
      The photography is by Bharath Ramamrutham.

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      Renesa uses contrasting terracotta and terrazzo materials to create all-day cafe in New Delhi

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      New Delhi-based architecture and interior design studio Renesa juxtaposed terracotta and terrazzo materials to design a space that acts as a cafe by day and a bar by night.

      The eatery, which is called Rosie and Tillie, was named by its owners – chefs Anukriti Anand and Vicky Mandal – who wanted to create a hybrid open-plan brunch and cocktail bar.
      Curved booths run down the middle of Renesa’s cafe in Delhi”The cafe expatiates on the dichotomy of a woman who goes by the name Rosie in the morning and Tillie in the evening,” Renesa head architect Sanchit Arora told Dezeen.
      “While chef Anukriti Anand, an expert in bakery, wanted a space that could be called a daytime cafe with cakes and coffees and beverages, they also wanted something that could serve yet another mood; one of night, exclusivity and sombreness,” he added.
      The studio implemented a contrasting rust and white colour paletteNestled in a former Indian restaurant in a shopping mall in New Delhi’s Saket neighbourhood, the cafe features terracotta, warm white terrazzo and curvilinear architectural motifs.

      Customers enter Rosie and Tillie through an outdoor seating section that is decorated in the same materials and colour palette as the cafe’s interior.
      Once inside, guests are welcomed by a row of rust-coloured and creamy white booths upholstered with plush white seats, which run through the centre of the 1,700 square-foot space. These add texture and warmth as well as privacy for diners.
      Booths and walls are clad in the same tilesRenesa, which recently completed a brick-clad showroom interior in Delhi, made the sculptural “spine” that divides the space into different zones the focal point for the mixed-use site.
      “We took an axis as the starting point for our project,” said Arora. “A curvilinear spine divides the space not just spatially, creating efficient zones, but also metaphorically, animating the personalities of Rosie and Tillie.”
      The studio threaded white terrazzo throughoutEach booth has a circular table in its middle where customers can dine on menu items such as french toast, buffalo chicken burgers and American-style pancakes.
      During the evening, they can sip cocktails while sitting on high stools at the main bar counter towards the back of the room.

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      One half of the room is lined in pale flooring and has an earthy red paint applied overhead, while the other half of the room is decorated in the opposite colours.
      Red brick tiles along the walls envelop the space while industrial looking metal lights hang overhead along the length of the plan, uniting the two sides of the space.
      The space has a mixture of traditional table seats and bar counter options”The perimeter of the floor plan is dotted by dining nooks that make way for communal dining in intimate groups illuminated by bespoke luminaires that are artistic installations in their own right,” explained Arora.
      “The hybrid of experiences ranging from the daytime bistro-esque identity morphs effortlessly into the moody lounge by evening via the vocabulary of materiality and lighting that render the venue in a binate mien void of physical demarcations,” he added.
      Other recent cafes featured on Dezeen include a serene eatery in Melbourne called Au79 cafe by Australian studio Mim Design and the Connie-Connie cafe at the Copenhagen Contemporary art gallery which Danish studio Tableau and designer Ari Prasetya filled with wooden chairs by designers.
      Photography is by Niveditaa Gupta.

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      Mind Manifestation lines self-designed studio in Pune with perforated bricks

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      Indian practice Mind Manifestation has set up its studio in a converted apartment in Pune and designed the interior to reflect how the local landscape changes colour from season to season.

      Pale green lime plaster and perforated bricks transform the 120-square-metre flat into a workspace that is both compatible with Pune’s tropical climate and reflective of the grassy hillside on which it is set.
      Perforated bricks line the reception area of Mind Manifestation’s studio”The material palette has been tastefully chosen so as to match with the different shades of the hill throughout the year,” Mind Manifestation explained.
      “Thus nature flows through to the indoors and the space becomes part of nature.”
      Seating in the reception area is crafted from recycled cardboard tubesThe office is fronted by a small reception area, where both the floor and desk are lined with perforated bricks.

      Here, visitors can sit and wait on a bench that curves around one corner of the space, fronted by recycled cardboard tubes.
      Just behind the reception desk is a door that leads onto a small terrace, which is also floored with bricks to foster a seamless connection between the studio and the outdoors.
      The window seat looks out across a hillsideBeyond the studio’s entrance area are a few rows of oakwood desks with cane-backed office chairs. There’s also a deep-set window seat that offers views over the sunny eastern side of the hill.
      Walls here and throughout the rest of the office are washed with lime plaster, specifically selected by Mind Manifestation for its breathability. The floors, on the other hand, were poured over with terracotta-coloured concrete to match the bricks.

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      To one side of the plan is a large meeting room centred by a wooden table. The same cardboard tubes that feature in the reception were used here to clad the table’s cylindrical base and to create a textured wall feature.
      At the back of the space is a chunky concrete ledge where staff can recline as well as a shuttered window.
      Green lime plaster covers the meeting room’s wallsAdditional work areas can be found towards the rear of the floor plan, along with a more casual meeting room where staff can gather for brainstorming sessions or team lunches.
      This room is fronted by a series of perforated brick screens that allow cooling winds to pass into the interior. Bricks were also used to build a block of tiered seating at the back of the room.
      Perforated bricks also create screens in a secondary meeting roomArchitecture and design studios often take on the responsibility of creating their own offices.
      In London, the couple behind local practice 2LG Studio established a workspace in their four-bedroom home, while Esrawe Studio set up its Mexico City office inside a former dance hall, taking care to preserve the building’s weathered ceiling trusses.
      The photography is by Hemant Patil.
      Project credits:
      Architecture: Mind ManifestationLead architects: Anand Deshmukh, Chetan LahotiDesign team: Pranjali Ekre, Dipti Kanade, Vidisha Paltewar

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