Hyderabad-based Sona Reddy Studio specialises in creating interiors that ooze freshness. The team employs simple lines, plenty of wood detailing, and unconventional installation pieces to distinguish their projects from the rest.
Sona Reddy Studio likes to keep it simple. The team’s projects feature functional wooden furniture pieces, smartly-placed feature walls and installations, and colour schemes so subtle, they redefine restrained brilliance. “We are a firm that loves design and colour, and happy places even more,” the team assures.
Headed by principle architect Sona Reddy, the following three projects represent the firm’s refreshing attitude towards interior design.
Haiku, Hyderabad
The interiors of this sunny eatery were inspired by Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai styles, which were then juxtaposed with many nature themed visuals, primarily of airborne birds. The name and intent of the establishment may be distinctly Asian, but the design team was determined to avoid employing the related clichés. “It’s been a conscious decision to steer away from red and green and fiery dragons, and instead to create an Asian ambience, but with a modern take,” states the team.
In place of deep red colour sweeps and dim-lit spaces, the guests here are greeted by flushes of sunlight, beautifully patterned accent walls, elegant furniture pieces made from reclaimed wood, and a heady feeling of being at a European promenade café, but on a rooftop!
Every aspect of the 100-seater Haiku seems to have come out of a restrained universe; the floor is a mix of cement and wood, and the view to the outside includes potted greenery and surrounding trees. The exclusion of loud details, in colour or form, helps direct the focus on the nuances of food and the experience of eating – critical factors that may be lost in a more elaborate setting.
“Air-conditioning has been avoided and instead air coolers have been used, which are supported by breezeblocks and terracotta tiles on the roof. This brings the temperature down by 4-5 degrees,” the team adds. The lamps – sphere-like to conjure up clouds – add to the sense of calm, while that feature wall, sporting an expansive array of wooden slats to depict branches of an abstract tree, is an absolute beauty! Synthetic birds, suspended from wires, dot the wall’s foreground, guaranteeing every diner a pleasant canvas to stare at while tucking into the food.
Store Anonym, Hyderabad
Walking around apparel stores used to be an overwhelming experience, but it is so no more. Most brand outlets now have interiors whose personalities match those of the clothes on display, and Store Anonym did not want to be any different. Team SRS has created a space where 5 brands and a pop-up gallery can co-exist in chic harmony, and all visitors can treat themselves to walking around sublime spaces peppered with open shelves, quirky accessory display sections, and smart arrays of thread rolls standing in as tall show-pieces.
The most remarkable detail here is the lighting scheme, which is muted and soft yellow, and composed of lamps looking down from a ceiling criss-crossed by exposed pipes and a pretty central metal grid installation. Metal pipes descend from the ceiling and become the rods from which the display is hung, a feature that together accords the space a spot of industrial edge.
“Metal, birch-ply and installations played the major elements in this store,” confirms the team. “Jaisalmer stone slabs are juxtaposed with cement as the floor finish.” Without doubt, the project’s smartest aspect is its careful sprinkling of artistic detailing, including uneven mirrors, randomly-hung fabric curtains, metal meshes and screens that demarcate the display sections, and of course, a lovely loom. These elements keep the setting somewhat grounded, by emphasising the raw parts that came together to form the refined outfits that populate the brands today.
Ice Creamery, Hyderabad
What kind of interiors do you build around the sale of a superstar dessert? Good gelato can probably sell itself, but of course, a great eatery around it is always welcome!
The design for Ice Creamery is all about pulling in attention, and it employs colours and forms of the freshest variety in this pursuit. The main door and French display wall sport such a fresh coat of spearmint green that no set of eyes passing by will be able to resist peeping in. And inside they will find a sparse furniture layout spread across a beautiful wooden floor that is punctuated by grey hexagonal tiles.
The vibe is decidedly European, established using cane chairs and stools, and a pastel-heavy colour scheme. An uneven, thick slab of polished wood becomes the bar-top, over which hover three artsy exposed metal lamps. On the opposite wall are two wooden, wall-affixed mini tables, overlooked by a pair of lamps covered by scuffed metal shades. Small potted plants delicately complement the Spartan settings. This is one more project that the SRS team can be proud of having designed with great maturity.
Text by Shruti Nambiar
Photographs Courtesy the Designer
Contact
Email: sr@sonareddystudio.com
Email: www.sonareddystudio.com
