CONCEPT
Ekaraa is a 6,600 sq. ft. jewellery flagship in Mumbai, designed around a central architectural challenge: to make a layered and technically complex retail environment feel effortless.
Its ethos centres on the jewel, the people who experience it, and the staff who bring that experience to life. Hence, the plan orchestrates three simultaneous journeys: the customer, the staff and service team, and the secure movement of jewellery. Each follows its own route and intersects with the others only where required. Security, storage, hospitality, services and technology are absorbed into the architecture, allowing an immersive retail experience to unfold without interruption.
The customer journey moves from everyday collections towards increasingly private and ceremonial spaces, culminating in the bridal lounge. Along the way, the architecture shifts between restraint and spectacle. Layered views invite discovery; sculptural moments heighten the sense of occasion, while quieter spaces allow the jewellery to remain central.
The flagship was conceived like a diamond: not through a literal interpretation of its form, but through precision, layering and the relationship of each facet to the whole. Planning, material, craft and engineering work together as one composition. Operational complexity recedes, bringing the jewel and the human experience to the foreground.
DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS
Three Interlocking Journeys. Customer circulation, staff movement and secure jewellery transfer are coordinated within one plan.
A Layered Retail Sequence. Open, approachable displays lead towards intimate consultation and the ceremonial bridal experience.
An Architectural showstopper. The Jewel Tree, elliptical display and suspended installation introduce whimsy, orientation and wonder.
A Transforming Bridal Threshold. Curved sliding metal jalli panels designed with company logo, shift between private enclosure and ceremonial entrance.
Integrated Display Architecture. Metal, glass, lighting, wiring, and RFID are coordinated within layered architectural assemblies.
Hospitality for a Diverse Audience. Informal consultation, discreet service and a landscaped pause outside the bridal lounge accommodate individuals, families and children.
ARCHITECTURE IN SEQUENCE
Ekaraa welcomes different people and purposes: an everyday purchase, a family visit, a bespoke consultation or a bridal celebration. The plan arranges these experiences as a progression. Curved circulation and layered sightlines keep the space open and inviting while allowing its more private areas to emerge gradually.
A parallel route connects staff, storage, and hospitality functions without bringing service activity into the customer’s view. A concealed connection between the strong room and bridal lounge allows high-value jewellery to reach private consultation without crossing the principal retail path. The three journeys share one footprint, yet each can proceed with clarity and ease.
Hospitality is designed into this sequence. Side-by-side seating encourages conversation around bespoke pieces, while a concealed pantry and mobile cart support attentive service. Outside the bridal lounge, a bench within a landscaped composition offers a place to pause and space for children while parents shop.
RESTRAINT, WONDER AND CRAFT
At the heart of the flagship, the Jewel Tree, elliptical display and suspended installation form an architectural showstopper inspired by the runway couture. Its magic mushroom form brings Ekaraa’s brand colour into the space, while its layered, visually open composition reflects the brand’s transparency and the depth of a diamond. It creates a moment of whimsy and wonder that expresses Ekaraa’s four Cs: creativity, credibility, craftsmanship, and customization.
This sense of occasion intensifies towards the bridal lounge. Curved sliding jalli panels designed with brand logo provide privacy when closed and open to create a ceremonial threshold. Inside, brides can try on curated couture alongside the jewellery. A dedicated changing room supports this intimate, pre-ceremonial experience, allowing them to see and feel the complete bridal ensemble.
Metal, marble, glass, mother-of-pearl, leather, mesh and handcrafted surfaces are layered for differences in reflection, depth and touch. Their composition shapes atmosphere and transitions while forming the displays, enclosures and thresholds through which the store is experienced.
ENGINEERING THE EFFORTLESS
The diamond concept extends to the precision of its construction. Curved sliding panels, suspended elements and integrated displays depend on accurate alignment, structural support and coordination across materials and trades. Lighting, wiring and RFID are built into display assemblies; building services, security and storage are accommodated within ceilings, walls and joinery.
Just as carefully designed are the qualities that cannot be measured in a drawing: when a view opens, where privacy begins, how a family pauses, and how staff deliver hospitality while jewellery moves securely behind the scenes.
Ekaraa brings these visible and invisible layers into one composition. The jewel remains the focus, people shape the journey, and the staff and systems behind it make the experience possible. Like a precisely cut diamond, the clarity of the whole depends on the resolution of every facet.
EKARAA
LAYERED & ENGINEERED LIKE A DIAMOND
Competition Submission | Storeyboard Design
PROJECT INFORMATION
PROJECT NAME: Ekaraa
PROJECT TYPE: Luxury Retail | Diamond Jewellery Flagship
LOCATION: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
BUILT UP AREA: 6,600 sq. ft.
PROJECT STATUS: Completed
DESIGN FIRM: Storeyboard Design
PRINCIPAL DESIGNER: Swathy Sivaraman
DESIGN TEAM: Storeyboard Design Studio
PHOTOGRAPHY: The Matter Studio
SCOPE: Interior Architecture | Interior Design | Retail Planning | Workplace Design | Lighting Design | Custom Furniture | Brand Experience | Turnkey Design & Execution
