Design

Masaba Gupta’s Hyderabad store reflects her quirky Indo-chic sensibilities

MAR 20, 2018 | By Reecha Kulkarni
(L-R) The cafe is an extension of the store, and wears an Art Deco meets Pinterest aesthetic;The showroom is the eccentric designer’s biggest one yet – 4000 sq. ft. of off-white walls, gold detailing and a cosy coffee shop to refuel;Two Storey Design Studio came up with a fusion scheme of “modern and vintage” to integrate the Good Cow Cafe into the store;The spaces seamlessly flow into each other with contrasting styles, keeping shoppers hungry for both hybrid saris and good coffee.

An animated caricature of Masaba Gupta, complete with quirky jewellery and dewy gold blush, greets you at her Hyderabad flagship store. The showroom is the eccentric designer’s biggest one yet – 4000 sq. ft. of off-white walls, gold detailing and a cosy coffee shop to refuel. Hyderabad firm Two Storey Design Studio envisioned both spaces, with an art deco/ Pinterest vibe taking over the Good Cow Café that leads to racks of jewel hues, the designer’s signature pop aesthetic and Indo-chic garments in the all-white store. While the space wears the standard black and white spotted in all Masaba stores, there were subtle differences that localized it to Hyderabad. “One of the really fun things we pulled off was a spin-off of her most popular print: The Cow. We collaborated with a fabulous local artiste who created a different version of the cow, by using local techniques with metal – known as ‘Pembarthi work’- intrinsic to the Telangana region,” says Soumya Jagarlapudi, the co-founder of the firm.

She also mentions that this was the first time the fashion designer was integrating a café within her store. “Masaba’s style is quirky and chic and that is the mindset with which we approached the design of her store and café,” she explains. “We came up with a fusion scheme of “modern and vintage”, where we incorporated independent art into the café, while the store features metallic cow figurines, ornate partitions and white textured paint,” she says. Our verdict? The spaces seamlessly flow into each other with contrasting styles, keeping shoppers hungry for both hybrid saris and vibrant prints, along with wholesome salads and a healthy dose of caffeine. Where: Rd Number 21, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, Telangana 33