Raise a Toast: EDIDA India 2014 Winners

Our round-up of the innovative and the inspirational; the simple and the superlative – the movers and shakers of tomorrow. Presenting winners of the 13th ELLE DECOR International Design Awards (EDIDA) India, 2014. You can participate in EDIDA too! Click here to know more

Designer of the Year: Bobby Aggarwal 
He works with distressed and vegetable-tanned leather using an array of innovative staining techniques to create handcrafted and finished pieces. Bobby’s range for Portside Cafe was chosen for its distinct style and understated elegance. Website: www.portsidecafe.com

Young Talent (Joint Winner): Valay Gada
Traditional and scientific narratives marry modern perspective in Valay’s work. A tryst with textures, the Xylem Lamp has a pattern that resembles vascular tissues in plants. He won an exclusive invitation to showcase at Ambiente, Frankfurt in February 2015.Website: www.cobaltdesigns.in

Young Talent (Joint Winner): Attiq Ahmed for Origine Fine Art
Pakistan’s Attiq Ahmed imagined a collection that takes cues from both colonial and Mughal eras, where he relies on his contemporary aesthetic to create intuitively, “Made in India” works. Website: www.facebook.com/Turning-Tables-by-Attiq-Ahmed-326578844214999

Bedroom (Joint Winners): Asim Merchant and Punit Jasuja
In solid Burma teak, the Drey bed by Asim for Red Blue & Yellow is a lair of sorts that invokes drama from both outside and inside. Punit’s hand-painted bird, butterfly and horse cushions for Second Floor Studio recreate avian prints by the Audubon Society, a creature from a lepidopterologist’s lab and a majestic beast. Website: www.redblueyellow.in, www.punitjasuja.com

Table Top: Aditi Sharma, Malavika Singh and Gopendra Singh for Zolijns
This series of concrete tableware by Gomaads comprises trivets, spoon separators, bowls, platters and trays made by slightly altering the composition of concrete leading to lighter products. Website: www.gomaads.com

Furniture (Joint Winners): Anjali Mody and JJ Valaya 
Made of timber and brass, Cosmos Cluster by Anjali is a versatile set of coffee tables that can be arranged in a spread-out fashion or a more intimate setting. Veteran fashion designer JJ Valaya heralds unique design brilliance with the Mizwid Dining Table, depicting the scene of a Moroccan palace for a superlative experience. Website: www.josmostudio, www.valaya.com

Fabrics: Chanya Kaur 
From the Mademoiselle Deux collection by Chanya of The Pure Concept, this Polka Mushroom is a structured sheer made of polyester and cotton. The intricate detail machine embroidery in white and faint hues resemble minute rice grains on closer inspection.Website: www.thepureconcept.co.in

Kitchen: Valerie Barkowski for No-Mad
97% IndiaRevisiting the traditional Indian serving utensils, Marrakech based Valerie envisioned these trays made of stainless steel and coated with PU. Attention to detail has led to handles being strung with cotton cords in matched or complementary colours.Website: www.valeriebarkowski.com, www.no-mad.in

Bathware: Husna Rahman
Fulcrum Studio’s Husna imagined washroom units using Bidri. With the aim of reviving a 500-year-old South Indian metal art form, a blackened alloy of zinc and copper are beaten into thin sheets of tiles and further inlaid with pure silver. The inner layer of the washbasin is clad in waterproofed stone or ceramic as per order and the rest of the system is entirely bespoke. Website: www.thefulcrumstudio.com

Flooring: Sian Pascale for Bharat Floorings and Tiles
The Japanese Line of handmade cement tiles is a result of Australian interior designer Sian’s explorations into ceramics, painting as well as yoga and meditation. Each pattern explores the concept of lines in differing scales and can be applied to flooring and wall surfaces in a range of pre-decided colour combinations. Website: www.cargocollective.com, www.bharatfloorings.com

Lighting (Joint Winners): Shafali Choudhrie Diwanji & Gautam Seth and Prateek Jain 
The Dome light by Shafali of Studio SCD is hand bent steel on a solid teak wood frame with rivets and felt lining. Grosgrain ribbon edging lends additional effect to the largely industrial look. Klove Studio’s Gautam and Prateek made a visually striking fire torch-Esque Curve Marshaal out of a single piece of hand blown glass. Website: www.facebook.com/ScdDesignStudio, www.klovestudio.com

Wall Finishes and Coverings: Ruchika Grover, The Ishi-Kiri Collection for Odyssey
Stone, Architecture and Design is inspired by origami and exploits pleats and creases in a multi-dimensional way to create dramatic installations. Website: www.odysseystone.com

Student of the Year: Manpreet Singh from NID, Ahmedabad
A furniture and interior design student, Manpreet created the Wood Wave screen by adding value to discarded waste off-cuts produced in factories. She used 15-17 mm strips of reclaimed timber like sheesham, white ash, Burma teak and others to furbish a modular structure that can be innovatively arranged in various configurations. She won a three-week design scholarship by Istituto Marangoni, Milan. You can participate in EDIDA too! Click here to know more