Resort Rugs by Shivan & Narresh are great conversation starters and will lend an artful edge to your home. t2 chatted with Narresh Kukreja, creative director, Shivan & Narresh, and Shivan Bhatiya, head designer, Shivan & Narresh, on the making of the collection and more.
Resort Rugs looks lovely. Is this is the brand’s further foray into the home space?
Narresh: Home for us has always been our personal sanctuary and more so this year. The recent lockdown motivated us to go back to our drawing board and find inspiration within the space around to create offerings that would spark everyday joy. As designers, dressing up a house extends to a far deeper aspect than just cluttering the space with physical objects. Revival of our Resort Rug series in new and refreshing prints is yet another step towards reinstating the true Shivan & Narresh lifestyle. Each rug has been meticulously designed in hero prints from the brand’s archive, keeping in mind their adaptation to minimal spaces and contemporary design.
Can you take us through the beautiful art prints?
Shivan: Drawing from the picturesque eminence and pulsating energy of cities like Seychelles, Japan and Seoul is what brings the Shivan & Narresh prints to life across our Home vertical. Illustrated across 10 unique patterns from our iconic brand series over the years — CamoHeart, Kurt, Hututi, Oriri, Gardenia, Dame, Vann, Mujigay, Nebulous & Palmera — each of them have a story to tell and are a distinct rendition of resplendent hues, travel sojourns and intricate motifs that lend striking accents to modern spaces. Keeping alive the spirit of escapism, the artistry focuses on reminiscing quaint nuances of nature, history and culture, viewed from the kaleidoscopic lens of art and design.
What kind of a home do you see these rugs in?
Narresh: As a brand, we have always thrived on creating experiences rather than just a product. There is an undisputed sense of art, boldness and sophistication that is universal to our holistic design DNA. In order to choose the right rug for the right space, scale is the most important, especially to determine how loud or subtle you want the style to be. If it is a smaller setting, then exploring subtle art prints in softer hues is often more appropriate. Larger open spaces allow more room to play with prints and colours that are bold and vibrant, keeping the ambience energetic and artful.
Additionally, there is also an underlying sense of conversations attached to anything that we design — the moment these rugs are fit into any spatial setting, they elevate the room with their eccentric style and spark curiosity. Thus, each print exudes invigorating colours and patterns to create a salient balance that adds the perfect touch of artful maximalism to modern homes and minimal spaces.
Why are rugs great accessories? Can you tell us some unique ways to use the rugs?
Shivan: When styling a space, rugs serve as the perfect support to build a design from the ground up. They work as an anchor and provide the base layer for the entire room, effortlessly helping in defining and distinguishing the look and feel by adding depth and texture. Breaking away from the usual monotony, rugs can also work as unique artworks that tie all other decor elements together and set the style and tone for a space. Take them outdoors to a beach or garden for a picnic, use as a throw over the couch or bed, dress an ottoman and dining table or simply layer across the floor — this statement accessory is designed to add tangible beauty to any nook and corner of the house.
Do your houses too feature a lot of rugs?
Narresh: Yes, we do use a lot of rugs at home, mainly in the form of table throws. Depending on whether it’s a dinner, brunch or breakfast, the rugs change, in sync with the table setting around them. So from the florals to the decor, everything changes in tandem with the rug setting. We use them a lot in the dining space. We also use our rugs as throws sometimes for entertaining, picnic with friends, etc. as they serve as the perfect accessory to sit outdoors.
Tell us about your house transformations in the last year-and-a-half?
Shivan: One of the biggest transformations in the last one year was a botanical bar and botanical patio added to the house. I think close to around 200-250 plants and trees and ferns and palms were called from all over the country and this entire space was curated.
What are your other favourite home accessories?
Narresh: Other favourite home accessories include our table linen, which we introduced last year amidst the lockdown. They’ve been used a lot as styling accessories in the dining space and to create interesting settings every now and then. Candles, of all shapes and sizes, even the gigantic ones and in exotic scents. Lastly, fresh flowers that we change every week as per themes and mood, which Shivan is personally very inclined towards. That is again one of our must-haves in home decor and accessories.
Which city or country is a paradise for home shopping?
Shivan: Sri Lanka is outstanding for home shopping, and so are Bali and Singapore. All these are amazing places for home decor and offer the best variety in extremely unique and distinctive items.
What are you working on next?
Narresh: The coming months include the launch of an eclectic mix of luxurious lifestyle accessories that would help our audience narrate a personal story through their home. For the connoisseurs who like to entertain, our lifestyle repertoire will include a vibrant mix of decorative cushions followed by an exclusive range of porcelain collectibles that will blend luxury, comfort and style to breathe life into one’s home.
Dame Rug
Gardenia Rug
Rose Hututi Rug and Dove Hututi Rug
Vann Rug
Palmera Rug
Praslin Table Linen
Image: Sourced by the correspondent
