Headed by Ar. Vinod Mehra and aided by his children, Ar. Neha Mehra and Ar. Kartik Mehra, the firm is a unique blend of two generations. VMA has bagged several awards for innovative designing, material and planning. AICA awards for Simran International, AGPPL, Ashoka School Foundation, Nasik, are some of the remarkable achievements that have added to its glory in the recent years.
Some of the recent projects commissioned by VMA include Ashoka Education Foundation in Nasik, “Royale”-a Residential complex in Nasik, Row Houses and Bungalows at Lonavala; “Vavci” – fashion boutique, Amritsar; Commercial building for NIBR, Andheri; Factory for Nayasa Plastoware,Daman and residential interiors of flats in the suburbs of Mumbai to name a few. Design Matrix explores some of the latest proj- ects undertaken by VMA.
AGPPL Office
Minimalism is a design concept that strips things down to their bare seeking to bring out the core of interiors, enhancing their functional- ity while minimizing the unnecessary details. Adhering to minimalism, VMA designed an office space for an eminent persona from Mumbai, a writer, director and producer, associated with Bollywood. Belonging and dealing with the cream of the society, the client brief included cre- ating an elite office to be designed aesthetically and practically.
The client’s mindset revolved around making his office a second home, a place for work and leisure. The 29,00 sq ft of cen- trally air-conditioned space was designed with a main cabin, private study, a confer- ence room with an entire glazed curve; the reception and service areas within the interiors. Following the same design concept, the designers successfully cre- ated each space differently. One wall was glazed, exposing each and every cabin to the nature outside. The office being on the fourth floor of a glass building, the glass façade directly faced the Gulmohar tree planted outside, adding to the colour required during the day. Automated blinds with semi transparent and opaque mood were used, allowing the client to control the illumination and privacy level accord- ing to his frame of mind. For making the space incandescent, Leds, Halogens majorly accompanied with indirect LED lights were used in lighting the entire office. This illumination created warmth and character to the space at the evening and the night time.
56 DESIGN MATRIX NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2013
Vavci, Fashion Boutique, Amritsar
Visibility, accessibility, desirability hold the key to a well- planned showroom, thereby allowing the customers to admire the product and purchase it. Keeping this in mind, VMA planned the re-creation of the extravagant space – Vavci, a fashion boutique at Amritsar. Describing the fun- damentals behind this design, Ar. Vinod Mehra explains, “Allocating spaces for various utilities in an existing load bearing structure was quite a challenge, thereby allowing us bare minimum shifting of walls. Making its way through the readymade garment section, delivery section, ethnic sec- tion and fabric showroom on the first floor provides each space its individual appreciation. The result was an almost instantaneous transformation of space into a reminiscing artwork.”
Being in the business for over a decade, the client had established himself well in the field of fabric designing for men. To create a place with huge display was the real chal- lenge faced by the designers. This challenge was overcome by creating separate areas for display of each type of cloth- ing. The ground level catered to readymade, ethnic gar- ments with their accessories, and the first floor catered to display of fabrics for making shirtings, suitings, and their accessories. Segregating them was important in order to divide the display of space aesthetically and technically for promoting sales.
To create an inviting, productive space, the colours mainly used were golden yellow, browns, deep red and off-whites as per their respective significance. The use of gold and yellow elements signified bright,cheerful as well as somber and traditional feel whereas red symbolized joy, life, energy and creativity.
Various finishes such as wood, glass, mirrors, wallpapers and paints were used in designing the boutique, making the artistic design much richer. Elaborating further, Ar. Vinod Mehra adds, “The rich warm veneer across the showroom with an unlimited palette of colors, current yet classical, allowed us to play with the derived conceptual forms and capture the special effect visualized by us. Lighting creates space and an extensive range of dramatic and task lighting was used to bring out the products in the showroom. Chandeliers were mainly used for creating drama and concentration”.
Mirrors have been used to enhance the airiness of a room, casting accents in specific areas by reflecting particular pieces within that room, such as beauti- ful furniture and decorative accessories. A feeling of openness and light was created, especially in places where the room was normally not noticed. The glamorous gath- ering of mirrors reflected light in a shim- mering aura of sophistication throughout the showroom. Random grids of various sized mirrors that literally mix and mingle like a society gathering were used in the ethnic lounge creating a multitude of space.
Office-cum-showroom for Simran International
A leather manufacturer and exporter by profession, the client was looking out for an office-cum-showroom in an enclosed area. His requirement was to create an office, designed practically with the perfect lighting arrangement; creating an environment that enhances and compels the buyers to appreciate his product lines. The functionality of space was well-defined by the client and his requirement for a self-suffi- cient office was catered to by VMA.
Adopting Ar Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s motto ‘Less. is more, a 2,500 sq ft floor space at Gurgaon, Haryana, was neatly planned into conference and display areas. Three spa- cious conference rooms were designed with individuality by a mirror screen. Well-flushed metal screens with punctures were laid functionally to suit the utility of the adjacent confer- ence area. A special S.S matt finish jali was crafted for hang- ing the shortlisted jackets during finalization of orders by the client and buyers.
Another requirement included designing a well lit com- fortable spacious cabin for the Managing Director. This space was smartly designed with a translucent glass partition for a complete overview of the showroom. A self-sufficient pantry, restroom and a luggage room was also designed as part of the enclosed space.
A complete display of garments was designed on periphery of the space, with balanced well lit niches bringing out the colour in the space in the formal brown and white hues. The purest colour ‘white’ added to a minimalist inte- rior design look for smooth walls, floor and furniture. Brown was used to create a sense of spaciousness and stylishness, and it conveyed a feeling of warmth, honesty, earthiness and wholesomeness with simplicity and friendliness. The texture on the wall created by P.O.P grooves and mouldings evoked a sense of movement and rhythm within the space.
Furniture being an integral part of any design, classy, streamlined and modern furniture was designed in natural woods and leather, ultra-modern chrome, glass and stainless steel. With the idea of providing a natural feel to the ambi- ence, dark wooden flooring added warmth and sophistica- tion to the design. White illumination, being ideal for the identification of colour and material, was intensively used to avoid formations of shadows and create an even distribution of light in the complete showroom.
The use of leather paneling was a part of the design scheme giving the space a solid wholesome look, bringing orderliness and convention.
Revamping of residential interiors
“A chance to redesign one’s own creation that was done 30 years ago is a rare opportunity that an architect can get. It happened when a 4 BHK bungalow of 3,300 sq ft at Shere Punjab, Andheri, needed re-designing with respect to interiors,” com- ments Ar. Vinod Mehra, while describing the renovation process involved in the residential project at Mumbai.
A blend of classical and modern style was suggested to the client for creating a space traditional in approach and modernized in outlook, main- taining the old charm of the property and the requirements of younger generation. Various materials such as stones like Travetino and Satvario, recent sanitary fittings, trendy tiling, wooden flooring, veneers, wallpa- pers, paintings and artifacts were extensively used to bring in life to the space. Focus lighting including LED, halogens and chandeliers were used to create different moods to beautify and suit the utility. With the constants being luxury and elegance, the aim behind this design was to create a new fashioned look in each room, with a creative process, and this objective was successfully fulfilled by VMA, resulting in a space that is wondrous yet comfortable.
Twin bungalows at Varsoli, Lonavala
Holidaying at hill stations is indeed a pleasant experience. VMA has recently designed twin bungalows at Lonavala. With a plot size of 5,250 sq ft, two luxurious 3 BHK bungalows were planned as G+1 structure, with a garden at its terrace level.
The concept was to provide the twin bungalows an elevation of one big bungalow for achieving a grandeur feel. Straight line geometry, with a contemporary feel, was the thought for its initial conceptualizing. A combination of stone cladding, textured paint and large French windows was used for the exteriors, with balance between soft cape and landscape in the setbacks. Double height living dining room was designed creating a feeling of space leading. Idyllic moments could be cherished in the landscaped gardens in the front and rear of the bungalows.
About Ar. Vinod Mehra
Graduated from MS University Baroda; inspired and appreciated by his principal, Ar. Suryakanth Patel; Ar. Vinod Mehra owes him the credit for his initial career growth and development. Throughout his college years, Ar. Vinod Mehra invented his style of innovation and presentation, thereby developing a range of versatile projects in India and abroad right from hospitality sector to industrial, from commercial and residential to institutional and so on. Some of the reputed brands that Vinod Mehra has been associated with over the past 40 years include Hotel Airport Garden (Sri Lanka), Hotel Sun-N-Sand (Mumbai, Shirdi), Ashoka Towers (Nashik), Cello Pens industries (Daman, Haridwar), Flair Pens Industries(Daman, Dehradun) and Asian Plastoware Industry (Daman).
Grabbing the right opportunities, and through hard work, discipline and sincerity, he paved his path towards progress and achievements. Sharing his insights as a designer, Ar. Vinod Mehra states, “Anything and everything around us influence while designing, it may be a chair or a building; natural scenic beauty from a tree to its leaf, from fashion to the colors involved
in it; it is just a matter of time when the thought is converted into a concept and implemented for execution.”
www.vinodmehraandassociates.com