There is a charming warmth about Vinita Chaitanya. Much like the spaces she has designed over three decades with her “contemporary classic” aesthetics. Her full-throated laughter, candour and trust immediately endears you to her. And when she tells you she will chat with you over jhalmuri, you know there is still a Kolkatan in her. “I studied for a bit in St. Thomas’s and stayed in Alipore and I know Bengali,” laughs the celebrated interior designer. Vinita has just collaborated with Jaipur Rugs for a her first ever line of carpets, Inde Rose, a collection full of luxuriousness, decadence and which looks like paintings. The coordinated silk carpet pairings comprise five carpet pairings, each with one ‘graphic-heavy piece and a visually lighter one to complement it’. Each carpet is made in silk, with 121 knots per square inch, ‘and employs a sculpting technique locally known as gultaraash — literally, the pruning done by a gardener’. In The Telegraph chat, Vinita, tells us about her experience and what to expect.
How was Inde Rose born?
It was actually one of my meetings in Jaipur where I went and visited them. We were actually ordering out some carpets for some other client, I remember. I stayed back and we had dinner at the Rambagh (Palace). We were discussing collaborations and they said why don’t you do something for us. It was as easy as that. I thought about it and said if you bring the entire ethos on to your carpets, I’d love to do something as dramatic as this. It actually started with a lot of flora and fauna and of course Jaipur Rugs, from where they are, the whole Rajasthan architecture as a symbolism came in. But I was very keen not to go the exotic, old-world, royalty way. Even if it was maharani, it had to be modern maharani, which is why even in the imagery, at the photo shoot, though we are at a palace, I wanted to stay contemporary... of course very India proud.
I also wanted to bring in some sort of characterisation and movement and the elephants came into play. I thought that was really charming. Then the Rajasthani chhatris came into play. The most wonderful part was of course that they were very open to add these kind of layers. In terms of technique, I had no idea how far the crafts can go. That came from their side saying that ‘look we can do this’. All I knew that if I was using it, it had to be 80 per cent silk, 20 per cent wool....
In India we have so much colour and even if you were to put a simple table on this, it would completely change the look of the room.
At one point, when they started weaving the first carpets and it was for my client... I just showed it to him and he was from Rajasthan, a Jain, and he said ‘in our religion, we can’t step on any living animal’, like the elephant. So, I said I would customise and remove the two elephants. Then I said it is a large room and I wanted to get a coordinated carpet and did not want to go matchy-matchy. This was more than a year-and-a-half ago and I told him that I’ll do a coordinate. That’s how the whole idea of the coordinated carpets came in. The rooms have become so large and getting off the bed on to a marble floor doesn’t make any sense. I’d like to have something warm under my feet.
Then we decided to do this whole thing for all our rugs and we do have the option of removing the elephant and keeping the design the same. We have the option of only the foliage or the jaalis. For the launch, we did it as pairings, but otherwise you could have three to four options in each carpet and I am actually planning that for another client of mine.
I told Jaipur Rugs to do the research for these carpets... has anybody else in the world done coordinated carpets, ever... nobody has done it. I told them this was the hugest USP and to just go with it.
When I was doing this shoot at Suryagarh, I kept saying... we can do cushions, throws... because that’s how I work. I kept saying we can take this to a huge lifestyle experience. It was just that they didn’t have the time and couldn’t find the medium and the artisans... so, I said... okay, leave it to what you are good at and execute and then maybe we collaborate with somebody else, which is their expertise and do pashminas....
For me, it is the whole experience. At one point of time, I said I wanted to do loungewear. I was going crazy! (Laughs)
What was the process like?
It’s a huge process. The renders are actually the simplest. Then you start working on the colour weave, the shading and then there are millions of colours to choose from. It’s crazy. The grading... it’s madness. It was Covid (times), so we were doing it on the computer. Only when the swatches started coming out, I told them send me the wool and silk swatches, so that I could see the colours. I was particular that yes I wanted the Jaipur bit, but I did not want the gulal pink and I wanted the carpets to be international. Sometimes in India, our work is too kitsch. In the villages, it is a natural form for them, but when we try to copy that we go a little mad. You need to do something which is made in India and India proud, but we need to respect it. It can be on the wall or the floor. Even if you are walking through spaces and spaces, you can just put them through a corridor and they’ll all connect to one another.
It looks like a painting...
It is stunning. I don’t think they ever experienced this level of craftsmanship themselves. For them also, to take it to this level was a huge first and they have really done it fabulously. For me, after seeing so much over the last so many years of my career... for me to feel like this... I needed to feel that goosebump. I felt it with them. It is very difficult at this point to make me feel enamoured by something.
Do you use rugs in your personal space?
No, not in Bangalore... but Coorg kind of gets nippy to the feet. I do prefer rugs there.
How are spaces changing, especially in the last couple of years, how are people viewing their personal spaces?
A lot more with open eyes. There is a lot more willingness to spend. There’s a lot more comfort to be brought in... any level of comfort. Earlier, if I would say place a rug below the couch, they would say why... I’d say it would feel warm to the feet... or use velvet instead of linen... everything is experiential, comfort, cosy spaces. Each one wants a personal space.
What can you tell us about doing up Deepika Padukone’s home?
We have an NDA. We have done many projects for her in the past. From where she started to where she is now, she completely knows her mind, is a professional, clear and loves interior designing. Ranveer Singh is a lovely person, generous.