RE IMAGING THE LEGACY OF ‘PREM SWEETS’

This is a Diwali special feature:

The thought behind the founders of Studio BlueprintInc is “The key to great design is capturing the spirit of the client and the essence of the space”. Akshay Kumar Varma and Mangesh Mestry are the founders of this firm. After graduating from the Academy of Architecture in 2009, Akshay and Mangesh went on to master their field of work. Later, Akshay pursued a degree in Urban Design from Newcastle Upon Tyne University (UK) and has worked for a multinational civil engineering company and has handled a wide range of their architectural projects whereas, Mangesh began to work independently in Delhi, where he took up and successfully completed commercial, institutional and residential projects.

Mangesh’s experience with material understanding, attention to detailing in interior work, cost analysis and graphic designing complements Akshay’s skills of coordinating complexities of structures & services of architectural projects. This perfect balance in the core team makes the studio adequate with skill sets to accomplish any task that comes its way in the most optimized and systematic process. Their forte is residential and retail interior design and environment building solutions, but they have also achieved satisfying completion with corporate and institutional designs. As a consequence of having a firm hand in project management, they are able to successfully execute projects across the country while working out of their office in Mumbai.

Mangesh talks about a unique project that they recently finished which is an inspiring story that keeps up the spirit of their work.

“It is not every day that one gets to be a part of the story, of a legacy that has been created over nine decades.

“We introduce to you Prem Sweets, a sweet shop that saw its humble beginnings in the mountains of Jammu in the lower Himalayas. A small village called ‘Kud’ where the legacy of the ‘Patisa’ was endowed upon and has been passed down third generations to the current day.

“The existing architecture and interiors of the 400 sq feet area shop, did not do appropriate justice to this particular legacy, making it difficult to distinguish Prem Sweets from any other sweet shop on the road. Studio BlueprintINC, got an opportunity to revamp the existing layout such that they could highlight the value of their tradition through architectural design. The design needed to translate their ideology of business – having a genuine approach and execution in order to create a fresh and honest impact to a visitor, every time he experiences the space.”

The challenge was to design a simple and honest setup, ensuring that its 90 year old heritage remains intact. Studio BlueprintINC used the basic building materials for the entire project. They used wood, stone, and bricks, in harmony with the modern day appliances, to create a design which looked appealing and fulfilled the requirements for functioning of the shop.

“A project is never complete without the skills of the craftsman who would execute the client’s dreams and the designer’s technicalities. Working out of Mumbai, the team reassured their client that the execution of the project in Jammu would be a well-coordinated and a smooth process. Hence, after days of designing and inputs from the clients located in Delhi and Jammu, the project execution commenced. The major challenge was to do the project, without shutting down the shop. Studio BlueprintINC’s team along with the contractors, worked patiently and slowly around the challenges, to launch the completed project in January 2015, with the execution process being less than 3 months.

Studio BlueprintINC felt the success of the project when their client felt the image of Prem Sweets was well catered to through the designed space. Moreover, when the workers who expressed their excitement to be a part of the uplifted journey, is when the team of BlueprintINC were satisfied with their efforts.

From its conception, Studio BlueprintINC promises to deliver quality spaces by working around the challenges of time and money, with the primary intent to constantly innovate to enhance.