The Asian Age

Set in cement!

Spruce up you space with cement décor pieces that will bring the monolithic era back to life!

- RUTH PRARTHANA

Décor equals finesse, charm, elegance and extravagan­ce. For those of you who think cement can never be any of these, you’re in for a reality check. These days, a number of upscale eateries and lounges are realising the the charm of industrial décor. Using pipes as lamps, wheels as clocks, barrels as tables etc. Cement is one such material that is now being used to create décor pieces and the one that is creating them is Balaji Sampath. Through his startup, he has been whipping up a storm. He shares his ideas and journey .....

Making a huge shift from being a civilengin­eer would not have been easy, but Balaji shares that this background actually helped in designing home décor pieces. He says, “Design has always been my passion. Initially, I started with designing small furniture pieces that were custom made.” Balaji became fascinated with the décor pieces that he saw and decided to put them to test here. “These days, a lot of restaurant­s and lounges are looking at industrial décor to give a modern yet rustic look to their space. The use of pipes, cement, etc., for tables, lamps in growing rapidly,” he shares adding that since he was well acquainted with concrete, he knew how it worked. Talking about how concrete works as material for home décor he says, “Cement when used as the base for any piece, gives it a rustic yet polished and minimal effect. It also brings out minute detail which is hard to achieve in other materials. But having said this, it’s also very brittle hence, a lot of trial and error needs to be done.” Balaji still remembers the first piece of décor that created which was a candle holder. Talking about how he gets inspired to create these masterpiec­es, he says, “Inspiratio­n for my work lies around me.” Talking about the kind of things he creates using this complex raw material, “Cement can be used to create a number of table, wall and floor accessorie­s. Combining them with materials like glass, corkboard and jute, the finish product is a perfect blend of classic and contempora­ry style.” The lookout for that one perfect décor piece that is minimal yet well made is always on. Cement décor pieces might be your answer to it. Speaking from experience, Balaji shares the kind of things that cement can be used for. “It can be used to make desk lights, floor lights, planters, phone holders, stationary holder, photo holders, candle holders etc, “he concludes.

These are some of the bags that have emerged as fashion trends over last season this year as fashion trends over last season this yea

— ADITYA CHOPRA

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