Think local, craft contemporary
Inheriting an empty shell building in JP Nagar, a prime residential area dotted with swish restaurants and brewpubs, the clients approached Sandeep Khosla and Amaresh Anand, Principals at Khosla Associates with an ‘India Modern’ theme. The 160-key hotel was to be designed in two phases – the lobby, all-day dining restaurant, standard and club rooms and the banqueting facilities in Phase 1 and a rooftop specialty restaurant, pool deck and bar in Phase 2.
Sandeep Khosla, Founder and Principal of Khosla Associates, outlined their philosophy in conversation with Hotelier India, noting, “We wanted a non-intimidating atmosphere in the hotel, even though we were upping the design ante. Our mandate was to bring in a fresh lease of life. With this big responsibility of aiding greenpark by giving them a unique design direction, we felt that this direction should be ‘Indian’. And for it to be truly Indian, we must work with the crafts and arts of the country.”
The designers were thus keen on ‘thinking local’ for the hotel, in terms of materials, furniture and accessories – even reducing their carbon footprint during the construction process as far as possible. A local carpentry and metal workshop worked on the fit-out of all 160 rooms, as opposed to the business hotel norm of placing bulk orders to China. As Khosla elaborates for Hotelier India, “Every piece of furniture, accessory and artwork was sourced from India. I believe that this is a simple yet important choice to make when it comes to being sustainable.”
Oozing fresh appeal, pops of refined colours and textures grace the white shell of the design. Expansive and filled with light, this vocabulary extends to the all-day dining restaurant. Here, dramatic biophilia comes into play, with an array of planters serving as the backdrop of the booth seating. Reinforcing the ‘green’ in greenpark, a stark connect with all things natural is key to the design grammar here.
Articulating the axes
A voluminous vaulted roof serves as the most arresting element as one enters the hotel. At an astounding 130 feet in length and 30 feet in height, the linear marvel runs along the north periphery of the lobby. Shingled in layers of plywood, it was conceived by Khosla Associates and crafted in collaboration with local studio SFA Works. “We like manipulating roof elements in our designs. When we saw the shell of the hotel and the voluminous entry, we felt that the space was rife with opportunity for exploration,” says Khosla, divulging that it took various attempts of experimentation and sampling with form and texture to finally arrive at this outcome which is now the designers’ favourite part of the project.
Visually eye-catching, the statement element runs from reception to restaurant and unifies the space, while a single strip of light underscores this axis. Stunning double-height windows bathe the space in natural light, re-establishing an unmistakeable connection with the outdoors.
Perpendicular to this, another linear axis leads to the reception, espousing fluid grace. Clad entirely in brushed brass and Banswara marble, the 14-feet-long reception unit is a
vision in itself, with a form that ebbs and flows. It floats sensuously, foregrounding a walnut wood and polished cement bookshelf housing a plethora of curios. With keen attention to detail, each book adorning this bookshelf was handpicked by the designers. Flanked by clusters of mid-century seating, the zone is effortlessly elegant. Sheets of white terrazzo anchor the space, accentuating the rhythm of hand-polished cement columns and a playful criss-cross of bespoke pendant lamps.
Artistic alliances
Conceptualizing the space, the designers questioned the very core of what the term ‘India Modern’ means in the present context. “We therefore chose to explore and celebrate the immense talent of contemporary design studios across the country, working on contemporary products and furniture that explore local material and craft,” divulges Khosla, reiterating the spotlight placed on local artisans and design practices.
Graphic designer Tania Singh Khosla brings the renowned KR flower market of Bengaluru to life with a delightful 18-feet-high hand-tufted wall rug that adorns one end of the lobby. Brimming with cubist appeal, the carpet juxtaposes architectural details with dramatic top views of the flower-sellers – including the vibrancy of local flowers like marigold and jasmine – and was manufactured in Mirzapur by Jaipur Rugs.
For the sculptural communal walnut table right in front of it, Vayam Collective collaborated with Khosla Associates and toy manufacturers in Channapatna, creating colourful turned wood lacquerware legs.
Backed with an exhaustive list of brilliant art and craft, incorporated from various corners across the country, the hotel is a stunning composition of ‘curated delight’. Bone inlay work from Jodhpur, wood marquetry from Mysore, lacquerware from Channapatna, textiles and cane from Nagaland, carpets from Mirzapur and papier mache from Kashmir are just few of the pieces of art one will find as the round the corners here. Keeping the curated approach as transparent as possible, an open source design brochure in the lobby lists all the products on display, providing a platform for the artists.
A concoction of creative comfort
The mid-century forms, colours and textures continue through the rest of the hotel, adding a dash of this eye-catching scheme in all the rooms. Quirky, cubist and colourful, they infuse a sense of delight and playfulness in every frame. While the aesthetic remains constant through the spaces ensuring cohesion, the design zeroes in on the functionality and convenience of customers in a business hotel. In fact, a lot of the conversation surrounding this redefinition was born from the simple question – ‘what does a comfortable room really require?’
“A lot of thought was invested in re-looking at the essentials of a business hotel room. We thus did away with closed cupboards favouring an open cupboard scheme, eliminated a standard desk and chair and introduced a sofa and work table instead,” Khosla tells Hotelier India, bringing to light the customer-centric design here that is one of the biggest touchpoints for a successful hospitality design.
Fresh and zesty motifs of flowers also recur through the entire hotel, tying the spaces together. Contextual artwork by TSK Design further enlivens the décor of the lift lobbies and rooms. Involved in a complete rebrand of greenpark hotels, the graphic designers extended circular branding elements of the logo into the hotel artwork, reiterating the flower market theme, with a smattering of malipus and marigolds across the rooms and lift lobbies on each floor.
With their blue and aqua colour scheme, the banquet halls are a study in artful design. The playful array of half-cut domes emanate a gentle glow, reflecting matt gold tones while the mid-century carpet designed by Khosla Associates offsets the oak-finished walls and the vertical padded inserts of blue chenille.
When asked about his experience designing this hotel, Khosla notes, “This design was actually a very interesting endeavour for us. It is far from a generic business hotel. Since we were curating objects from all over the country, it was important to have diversity but to also ensure that these elements speak with each other, and tie into the whole language of the hotel cohesively. In fact, for us, it was really quite similar to how you would approach peppering a home with these objects, despite this being a hotel. ”
“In making the design truly ‘India Modern’, every piece of furniture, accessory and artwork was sourced from India. We believe that this is a simple yet important choice to make when it comes to being sustainable.”
Sandeep Khosla and Amaresh Anand of Khosla Associates
Going forth, Sandeep Khosla of Khosla Associates expounds that the elements, philosophy and visual language of this hotel would probably extend into other greenpark hotels, and give the brand the impetus to take cues and incorporate them into the existing hotels as well.
As of March 2023, the grand hotel that is redefining business hospitality has already opened its doors to its brand new Bengaluru ‘India Modern’ hotel.
