Chennaibest.com speaks to Arvind Rangan, of Kumar
Arvind Varuna, Architectsand Interior Design Consultants,
about the trends in interior designing in Chennai.
Interior designing in Chennai. How evolved
is it?
Chennai
started looking at interiors seriously only over the last 15 years,
and with the advent of the software boom, it has evolved seriously
only over the last five years. Its become very competitive now.
Also, the coming of MNCs like Ford, Hyundai and others. Being
a friendly state, all foreign banks are present here. You get skilled
manpower, so for most MNCs the South is certainly a preferred destination
over the North. Even in the South, Bangalore is probably much more
evolved than Chennai, but Chennai seems to be preferred even over
Bangalore for a host of reasons, like the power situation, less
congestion etc. The Government has been very encouraging, in terms
of welcoming foreign investments into Chennai. What with the Tidel
Park and now the Tidel – II, and Ford’s IT
initiative for the whole of Asia Pacific, being headquartered in
Chennai… So these I think are the main factors that have contributed
to the evolution of interiors in Chennai.
Stylistically, what are the current trends?
For
homes, it usually depends on the individual’s taste. But in
offices, interiors have now become pretty standardised. Office interiors
are basically simple, soothing, functional and modern, quite comparable
to international standards, as most Companies are now demanding
very high standards. As far as drawing from traditional art is concerned,
we do throw in some artwork, that is based on traditional themes.
But most offices prefer the modern look. There are however, exceptions
in the form of MDs of some companies, who want their rooms done
in the traditional styles; the offices may still be done the modern
way.
How do you go about deciding the ‘look’
that you will give a place? And how do you balance functionality with
aesthetic requirements?
Functionality is of prime importance. The aesthetics follow functionality.
We do not design offices with aesthetics in mind. We do keep in
mind things like colour schemes, incorporating modern themes etc.
Now the availability of different materials has increased significantly,
particularly metal… You have metal, powder-coated metal, mild
steel and several paint finishes. So, different materials are available
now and so the options are wide. But as I said earlier, office interiors
are more or less standardised.
We
have to take into account factors like simplicity, easy to assemble/knock
down, ambience, air-conditioning, lighting etc. Air-conditioning
is no longer a luxury, it has become a necessity. Nowadays security
systems… physical security, access controls and fire alarms
have become important factors that an interior decorator has to
take into account. And then we have to take into account the fact
that increasingly in most offices, hierarchies are breaking down.
You might be sitting inside a cabin, but you want to see others
work, you don’t mind others seeing you work. So you have this
open office plan, yet you need some amount of privacy.
5:49:54 PM 
Chennai
started looking at interiors seriously only over the last 15 years,
and with the advent of the software boom, it has evolved seriously
only over the last five years. Its become very competitive now.
Also, the coming of MNCs like Ford, Hyundai and others. Being
a friendly state, all foreign banks are present here. You get skilled
manpower, so for most MNCs the South is certainly a preferred destination
over the North. Even in the South, Bangalore is probably much more
evolved than Chennai, but Chennai seems to be preferred even over
Bangalore for a host of reasons, like the power situation, less
congestion etc. The Government has been very encouraging, in terms
of welcoming foreign investments into Chennai. What with the Tidel
Park and now the Tidel – II, and Ford’s IT
initiative for the whole of Asia Pacific, being headquartered in
Chennai… So these I think are the main factors that have contributed
to the evolution of interiors in Chennai.
For
homes, it usually depends on the individual’s taste. But in
offices, interiors have now become pretty standardised. Office interiors
are basically simple, soothing, functional and modern, quite comparable
to international standards, as most Companies are now demanding
very high standards. As far as drawing from traditional art is concerned,
we do throw in some artwork, that is based on traditional themes.
But most offices prefer the modern look. There are however, exceptions
in the form of MDs of some companies, who want their rooms done
in the traditional styles; the offices may still be done the modern
way.
We
have to take into account factors like simplicity, easy to assemble/knock
down, ambience, air-conditioning, lighting etc. Air-conditioning
is no longer a luxury, it has become a necessity. Nowadays security
systems… physical security, access controls and fire alarms
have become important factors that an interior decorator has to
take into account. And then we have to take into account the fact
that increasingly in most offices, hierarchies are breaking down.
You might be sitting inside a cabin, but you want to see others
work, you don’t mind others seeing you work. So you have this
open office plan, yet you need some amount of privacy.
