An opulent design effort
Ashish Bajoria and Suman Kanodia of Scarlet Splendour merge design with luxury to create products that appeal to international clientele as well.
From an early age, the sibling team — Ashish Bajoria and Suman Kanodia — were always inclined towards art. As they grew older, they collected curios and artefacts from their travels. No wonder then that the two decided to make this their vocation in design. Ashish recalls, “Even as kids, we were fascinated by designs and collected objects in quirky shapes and forms. Everything we own today, even a pencil, is design oriented,” shares Ashish about their passion for design and aesthetics.
Formed in early 2014, the duo started their design practice, Scarlet Splendour Designs. One of their early successes came when their first collection was showcased at the Milan Design Week in 2015. Since it’s early days, the design firm has created over 10 collections, which include furniture, lights, accessories and artefacts.
The designers also showcased their latest collection comprising furniture, lamps and décor at Milan Design Week this year, which is considered to be the Mecca for design lovers. Talking about her experience, Suman says, “The whole city comes alive with fascinating events, new and established designers and their enthralling products. Visitors to the fair are not merely consumers but trade stalwarts and trend forecasters with keen design sensibilities. They embrace unique designs and high quality. The same is true of design lovers in India as well.”
Luxury continues to be the focus in these collections. So their latest work titled Mandala, Suman says, “is all about connecting the ordinary to extraordinary”. The debut product, Lotus Sanctum, is inspired by the “purity of the lotus” with use of brass and resin. Inspirations are many and varied for the duo, as is seen in their different collections. Their Vanilla Noir collection, for instance, was inspired by Indian handicrafts of bone and horn inlay.
Another collection, The Luce Naga, captures the fluidity of the serpent’s movement in fine ceramic. The collection titled Karesansui is made to resemble the karesansui or dry landscape gardens that are an intrinsic part of Japanese culture. Suman says that the team is designed by anything and everything that blends design and luxury. She says, “Ideas or inspirations can strike anywhere. It may be simply walking down the street, travelling or indulging in a hobby.”
It helps that the duo’s design sensibilities complement each other. “Our mutual love for design, and similar tastes helps us know exactly how the other person works, thinks and conceptualises things,” admits Ashish, who successfully ran an engineering business for over twenty years. Ashish reveals that Suman’s expertise as an interior designer for more than two decades has helped. He says, “Her strength lies in space planning, and she brings it together with her knowledge in interior designs.”
There are several international designers the duo admires. Ashish states, “Be it Antoni Gaudí, Jamie Hayon, Marcel Wanders, Zaha Hadid, Nika Zupanc or Matteo Cibic — there are several designers across the world who are doing trailblazing work in the field of design.” Although the duo pays great attention to detail, a functional product is what they aim at. Suman says, “Design is a way of life; it is inherent in everything we do. Great design is something that not only looks extraordinary but is functional too.”