About the Client:

Balaji Silks has been a famous and successful brand in Mumbai operating for over 20 years. They approached us for setting up their first ever retail showroom and subsequently 3 other showrooms that would roll out soon. Their brief was simple - they wanted to set up showrooms that are unique and easily distinguishable from all other silk saree showrooms across India. They wanted their first showroom to create a buzz in the silk saree industry. They wanted their first showroom to catapult their brand into the league of top retail brands. 

What they desired:

With a brief like this, where the client wanted everything or nothing, we began with an intense case study of silks saree showrooms of India. We realized that most showrooms undermine the grandeur attached to the silk sari by creating showrooms which are overtly pompous & over the top opulent. This undermines the natural richness which a silk saree exudes. Due to this, the customer comfort timeline within the showroom is reduced considerably.  

What we did:

The rigorous concept generation process for this project took us 3 weeks wherein we stripped off every preconceived default idea attached to a saree showroom. We evolved the design around the space's main element  - the saree. We wanted to let this element drive the entire design process. Taking cue from the fact that the stars shine the brightest against a dark sky, we wanted the space to be underplayed with subtle colour palette such that the sarees and their colours would dazzle the most. 

We followed a non linear, organic design methodology for this project where we derived every element within the space from the meandering form of the fabric. This has been translated in the layout, staircase, display, counters, etc.