Simple, soothing with a touch of romantic luxe that has the call of the “calm” at the core. That’s a range of furnishing fabrics by the The Pure Concept Home & Design Studio launched in collaboration with Nilaya by Asian Paints. Chanya Kaur, founder — The Pure Concept Home, “a 360- degree concept store and design studio” from Mumbai, decodes the collection, the collaboration, the decade gone by and how homes are changing in the new normal.

The collection looks luxurious and beautiful. How did the collaboration come about?

The Pure Concept is a well-known name. Co-founded in 2012 by Dalbir Singh and me, over the years, it has been nurtured into an internationally successful brand with quality and creativity being the driving force behind producing unique furnishing fabrics for the home. As a result of the collaboration, two quintessential brands, namely, Pure Fine Furnishing and The Pure Concept, have been rebranded to coexist with Royale and Nilaya respectively, two of the most loved brands from the Asian Paints’ label denoting luxury and exclusivity. The collaboration entails Asian Paints managing the complete sales and marketing of these ranges while The Pure Concept focuses on design and production.

A glimpse of the beautiful flagship Kala Ghoda store where you will find the Pure Concept Home for Nilaya by Asian Paints curation Sourced by the correspondent

Take us through the collection...

The Pure Concept speaks the language of design and textures. We believe that designs should bring a sense of calm to any place. For our collaboration with Nilaya by Asian Paints the motive was to bring to life a sense of calm and happiness, a feeling of belonging. We created four collections for the same, which are Yukta, Purity, Concept Essentials 3 and Concept Essentials 5. A mix of old and new is how we would like to describe Yukta. There’s a modern twist with bold colours, and a hint of vintage elegance, with velvets. This collection harmonises Indian textiles with French-inspired paisley prints. If your heart is set on vintage beauty, our Yukta collection is the best fit for you. Purity is inspired by the untarnished allure of the white palette. It is an exquisite versatile range of fabrics that looks good in each and every home, in each and every style. Concept Essentials 3 and Concept Essentials 5 provide a wide range of colours in beautiful textures, and have the modest, yet versatile strength of high quality linen.

Was there a particular brief from Nilaya by Asian Paints?

Asian Paints wanted to further help the consumer make their dream homes come alive; through a range of furnishings which would suit various design preferences, giving a wide variety of options. The partnership with Asian Paints gives us an opportunity to further expand our design and quality standards to match all segments of the market. The collections are inspired by the idea of providing timeless and exquisite designs to the consumer.

What kind of homes did you keep in mind while designing them?

The collections are for whoever wants classic elegance in their homes, with a touch of modernity. We have designed these collections keeping in mind the practical needs of people today. But, through the vintage feel of our velvets, and other special textures, our aim was to enrich the sensorial experience, so as to make one’s home the best place it can be.

How are more and more people furnishing shopping for their spaces?

Today, customers are more well-informed and have greater clarity of vision for the kind of space they want to create. They want to invest in classics, but also leave generous scope for modern eclecticism. They are certain about the need that whatever they buy should last long; but at the same time, they want to mix and match and have fun with unique additions, such as, say, prints. I think today’s audience is adventurous, in terms of taking ‘creative risks’ but they definitely add balance to the mix with basics. With greater and easier accessibility to nuanced know-how about interiors, our audience often comes well-researched and prepared.

Sourced by the correspondent

How do you see people rethinking their living spaces because of what we are going through right now?

The pandemic has made homes, and the idea, or rather sentiment of home, the epicentre of one’s life. People prefer cosy homes that tell their story, and that speak about them more than anything else. Homes have become accommodating — what people would prefer to do outside the home, has now found not just space, but also ingenious creative expressions, inside the home. People prefer calm aesthetics, with modern prints and eclectic boldness balanced with intelligent restraint, through their spaces.

What would be your top tips for furnishing shopping?

Choosing fabrics for their durability is essential. Of course, the fabrics should be based on the colour scheme of the rooms, but each room should have different fabrics, according to the function that room serves. It’s also important to consider the more subtle details. Even the weave of the fabric can make all the difference. For example, a more loosely woven fabric will allow more light through it.

It’ll soon be 10 years for the brand. What have been the learnings?

We’ve celebrated huge successes and we’ve suffered failures, frustrations, and mistakes in this 10-year journey. But we’ve always tried to use our missteps as an opportunity to push ourselves, adapt, learn, and grow.

Can you give us a sneak peek into your living space?

It’s a simple and a minimal space but at the same time very cosy and relaxed.

Since summer is upon us, let’s end with some summer cool furnishing solutions...

Summer moods are more often synonymous with the idea of freshness. So a light, vibrant, palette of mood-uplifting colours and playful prints is a great way to refresh your spaces for summer. It would be apt to choose colours and prints that mirror natural beauty, and bring the same inside your home. Also, natural textures like jutes and linens will work well for the season.