Delivering Design excellence and innovation- Architect Amit Aurora and Rahul Bansal
“Creativity is key to the design process”, believes Architect Amit Aurora who was recently enlisted among the Grandmasters of Design in 2016 (Society Interiors) and also chosen among the 10 most sought after workplace design professionals in the country (Commercial Design -2016). Amit alongwith Rahul Bansal, both architecture graduates of 1993 from the esteemed School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, founded DCA Architects in 1996. With a unique ethos of dream, design, discover and deliver, DCA Architects is envisioned as a 360 degree integrated architecture and interior design solutions firm.
DCA Architects has accomplished design projects across diverse scales over the last two decades. Design as a tool is optimized to transcend the client’s vision to create a ‘unique, bespoke design’, tailored to the aspirations of the client and maximize the project’s potential while creating value through design via research and collaboration. Process and delivering within the commercial and qualitative parameters is imperative to operations.
DCA, with its implementation arm, provides sensitive and unique solutions in Architecture, Interior design and Design Coordination across a wide range of building types including Offices, Residential, Retail/ luxury retail, Hospitality and Brand Identities. Today, the firm has to its credit, remarkable, award-winning projects such as restaurants, salons, residences, retail outlets and other commercial work that has been implemented. The design studio and its projects have won many national awards and have been published in various design journals in India and abroad.
In conversation with Gallopper, Amit shares DCA Architects’ project experience for the AMOUR Bistro, Malcha Marg, New Delhi.
Amit expresses “Set in the heart of New Delhi, Amour bistro is crafted with an intent of creating a native, effortless ambience that is unaffected by the surrounding urban chaos. The restaurant‘s look is manifested through a wild mix of urban pulse and human warmth”.
“The design intent of a combination of simplistic, minimal elements and earthy tones that endow the space with an elegant dining environ, Amour is representative of purity and integrity and an amalgamation of tradition and modernity. Catering to the neighbouring expat community in the plush location of South Delhi, in order to maximize the interior space, and optimize the maximum permitted height from the building, the facade has undergone a major retrofit with structural implications, by means of new openings. The maximized glazing acts as a layer to let the restaurant function seamlessly through all seasons, allowing visitors to enjoy each space in all weather conditions, through the year. An open space philosophy is adopted for the space planning, for the interiors, to enable space efficiency and the creation of an orderly seating plan”.
Exclusive and distinctive features are adopted that successfully create a natural and relaxed atmosphere within the indoor space. Equilibrium is achieved through the combination of elements of a similar palette: such as the wooden trellis, tall windows, a stone feature wall, antique mirrors etc. The colour scheme extends indoors, where a relaxing dining space is dotted with black painted metal chairs that are paired with sand-blasted custom-made chairs and bespoke‐designed wall lights. The furniture is made of fine materials that are inspired by a vintage‐style and the rustic colour finishes are offset by means of a brick backdrop, painted in white.
Building upon the situational context, and in an attempt to enhance the local feel of the space, the Kitchen and rest room wall are ‘dressed’ in locally available Delhi stone in its natural being ‐ handpicked by the designer and cut to perfection on site. The floor is made of rustic, hand tumbled sand stones from that were chosen as the most appropriate material for the rough use and requirements of the space.
Three-dimensionality of the walls is achieved through steel grooming that is home to an excellent range of high‐end wines, the colours of which attract the visitor eye and add a unique third dimension to the interior space. Enhancing the optimum supply of daylight, special attention is paid to the evening lighting design that crafts an extraordinary ambience in the evening times as well. All lights are customized by the Brite Light Design studio, except for those that are used in recessed ceiling. The double height in the inner part of the restaurant is augmented with an antique mirror on one side, complimenting the life size sculpture of a music orchestra, overlooking from the balcony above the open kitchen, on the other side.
Visible amply from outside is the most distinct feature element that is a large wall in the centre, which is filled with wine from top to the bottom. With a heightened ambience of luxury and appeal, the Amour restaurant is designed using intrinsic design features, devoid of extraneous decorative elements, therefore creating a classic space, symbolic of simplistic, elegant design.
Amit says that, “Our inimitable style and distinctive design approach can be appreciated in the designs … setting new trends such as ‘grunge’ and ‘industrial’ design styles”.
