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Jaipur Collection: A Spectacular Unison of Tradition with Modernity

The Jaipur collection, a design narrative by Within, is an untold story of the vibrant pink city of India. It celebrates the spirit and heritage of the city, drawing inspiration from its architecture and blue pottery - a traditional craft of Jaipur. Each of the seven pieces of the Jaipur collection is an out-and-out reflection of the culturally rich city, encapsulating the essence of the forms of the splendid city palace and the hues and motifs of the traditional craft of blue pottery. Handcrafted impeccably, each piece is made in India and finished to perfection. Jaipur is a work of art, a collector's reverie.

The purity of white marble and the beautiful blue of lapis lazuli come together with India's extraordinary and timeless crafts - stone inlay and stone overlay. Stone inlay is a traditional craft of India, in which delicate precious stones are inserted into the base stone to create a pattern. Stone overlay, on the other hand, uses slivers of stone that are pasted on any surface to create patterns. Both these crafts require expert hand skill, which is a legacy passed on from generations of master craftsmen.

All the pieces of the luxury collection Jaipur are designed as pieces of art used to enhance any entrance way, foyer space, or any other luxury space. These art pieces are interactive in their own ways. The Jaipur sideboard surprises us with a glimpse of pink when one peeps inside the shutter, reminding of the pink sandstone of Jaipur. The Jaipur chandelier and pendant, when lit, bring alive the traditional patterns crafted with lapis lazuli on the glowing white marble. The Jaipur mirror comes with an option of backlit knobs. Also, the Jaipur sideboard is designed such that it can be dismantled, and each leg can be assembled and fixed to the top.

The project started in June 2020 in Delhi and finished in April 2021 in Delhi and was exhibited in India Design ID in May 2021. A field trip to Jaipur was the beginning of the research for the Jaipur collection, to enable the team to breathe in the context and its true spirit. The vibrant culture has so much to offer, and the aim was to experience it directly. The Mughal and Rajput Architecture of the region was truly inspiring, but the geometry and proportions of the Hawa Mahal left the team in awe. The form of the collection has been derived from the honeycombed structure of the Hawa Mahal façade. We were mesmerized by the colors and patterns of blue pottery and so followed a visit to the local craft village of Kot Jewar to understand the process of blue pottery. Many samples were brought back to the studio to study its strengths and shortcomings. While in Jaipur, we witnessed a surprisingly huge number of peacocks in the Rambagh Palace, where we stayed, and that too inspired the motifs of the collection. Bringing back photographs and videos depicting colors, motifs, architecture, and samples of local crafts such as blue pottery tiles, knobs and bowls, inlay work, Tarkashi, sandstone and white marble ( local stones ) helped us put together the concepts and material board in the very beginning. Dialogues with local craftsmen helped with the understanding of crafts, techniques, and materials. Once the early sketches were ready, we ordered blue pottery tiles for the collection, but during the design development, white marble and lapis lazuli were preferred to fit the narrative.

In the early stages of design development, blue pottery was chosen not only as the inspiration, but the tiles were also conceptualized as a part of the material board. But, after numerous rounds of prototyping, we found the tiles to be too fragile, and hence, white marble, a stronger material that would give the same ethnic feel as pottery was chosen and in the process, another traditional craft technique of inlay and overlay work (Parchinkari) was used. Another challenge we faced was the weight of the Jaipur console due to the heavy brass framework. This too would be a hurdle in the transportation of the piece. Hence, the Jaipur sideboard was redesigned such that it could be dismantled, and each leg could be assembled and fixed at the top. The inlay and overlay work on the curvature of the knobs and bowls has been painstakingly elaborate and added many more weeks to the completion of the pieces.

The Jaipur collection, a design narrative by Within, is an untold story of the vibrant pink city, home to a rich cultural heritage; majestic architecture, colorful rituals, and ancient crafts. It celebrates the spirit of the city, drawing inspiration from the architecture of the city palace, Hawa Mahal, the palace of breeze with a honeycombed shaped facade and blue pottery, a traditional craft of Jaipur. Encapsulating the essence of Jaipur, the collection in white marble and lapis lazuli is a spectacular unison of tradition and modernity.

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