Lifestyle

This Bengaluru-based design studio makes sustainable lamps from upcycled elements

NOV 5, 2018 | By Nitija Shastri
CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT Beautifully handcrafted lights in the Oorjaa store; A playful blend of lights against the dark hued walls; Raw, concrete walls greet you at the entrance of the Oorjaa store; Natural handcrafted lights at the Oorjaa store.

Are you planning to revamp your home for the festive season? Ring in the celebrations with a range of beautiful, eclectic lights from Oorjaa – a sustainable brand founded by Jenny Pinto in partnership with Radeesh Shetty of The Purple Turtles. A store-in-store, this 750 sq ft space is set up within The Purple Turtles, in the ever-bustling Garden City of Bengaluru, designed by Smitha Zachariah of Zachariah x Piers. Expect to be spellbound by lighting forms, that range from sculptural and contemporary to the sublime. “Oorjaa lights are so distinctive, they deserved an exclusive space within The Purple Turtles,” says Radeesh Shetty, Founder of Oorjaa.Raw distressed concrete walls greet you at the entrance that quickly shifts to deep midnight blues against the backdrop of gorgeous paper lights that surround you with their warmth. On the opposite side is a very contemporary range of sleek lights made from cork. Read up about Oorjaa’s material story on the wall slabs built at the centre. Walk further in and be ready to be enticed by a stunning display of their Wabi Sabi collection of faux concrete lights. Why faux? We wondered. “We have developed a new material in the OORJAA studio, that emulates weathered concrete but unlike concrete, is really lightweight!” Jenny Pinto elaborates. The design studio also handcrafts their lights from locally sourced waste materials like banana fibre, stone quarry waste and waste cork. these are processed in-house, using low energy, eco-friendly materials and then handcrafted by a team of trained artisans. Their signature collections include Elements, a range of organically shaped handmade paper lights and Wabi Sabi, a range of lights inspired by the Japanese aesthetic of weathered imperfection and minimalism. Worth a second glance is also Uncork, an articulate representation of contemporary forms using upcycled waste cork. Oorjaa has certainly set the benchmark for creating an art of upcycling waste! If this doesn’t delight you, their lovely lights definitely will. Website: www.oorjaa.inAddress: The Purple Turtles, 128, 1st Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur, Bengaluru, Karnataka 560008