‘The Future of Design is Ethnic’

Piero lissoni considers himself a man of tradition. Not surprisingly, the international architect’s impressions of India, on a recent visit, hovered on the country’s design sensibilities. “This is great stuff. Can I get some on my hands as well,” he asks, pointing towards intricate henna work on a lady’s hands. “Superior design,” marvels the Italian architect, interior-cum-product-cum-graphic designer, who has designed some of the world’s well-known buildings, resorts, penthouses, hotels etc in the last 28 years, including Shangri La Hotel and resort in Miami and private villas on the Carribbean island. Or, as he puts it, from a “coffee machine to a yacht”.

“I feel all areas of design are interlinked. All this talk of specialisation is absurd. It’s like a wargame, where everything’s connected,” he says. But he doesn’t believe in the technology that globalisation brings with it. “Bill Gates is stupid for thinking technology will rule the world. We have to keep in touch with the humanistic side, and that includes design. The future of design will be traditional, ethnic, getting back to the roots,” says the designer who claims his clients include a “club of victims”. Victims? “Some are fashion victims, some are nerds,” he says.

“Most hotels,” he continues, “like the one I am staying in Delhi, are very standard, with a flat international style. There’s nothing personal about them. When I design, I try and put a personal touch, elegance, with minimal props. Sadly, most clients still prefer the extreme version, with over-the-top carpets and antique pieces,” says the Milan-based professional, on a brief visit to the Capital, three decades after he came to the country as a student of architecture. India, he says, always fascinated him. The simple clay tandoor, for instance, is a perfect piece of art. He talks of Chandigarh, which might soon be on UNESCO’s World Modern Heritage cities. “It’s such a well-planned city. As a student, we were taught various facets of Le Corbusier’s work there, about 28 years back,” he says. The design guru also finds inspiration in the palaces of Rajasthan.

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