Infinitti Design Studio, Mumbai
Specialisation: Corporate and Institution Interiors
Led by Santha Gour and Saawant Kaul, Infinitti Design Studio combines the efficiency of D&B with their innate talent for out-of-the-box designs. The studio views each design as an opportunity to create something unique for the client, while combining familiarity with new materials and technologies. “New materials and their challenges excite us. However, even while we try to keep designs fresh through innovation, our designs are rooted in practicality of construction, timelines and budgets,” highlights Gour. Wanting to make a mark as “the vanguard of future-forward design in India”, the studio strives to create spaces that maximise the positive impact of design on the environment, use appropriate technologies and materials and source labour locally.
With over 45 years of experience between them, both Gour and Kaul bring to the table their expertise in creating a well thought out design which translates the client’s brief into a built form, expressing shared ideologies and vision holistically. Their combined experience helps them in ensuring better design output and lesser compromises in design. Gour has been an advocate of architect-led design-build since the beginning of her career, having witnessed the tremendous advantages one can reap by saving cost and time while maintaining the integrity of the design. At Infinitti, she and her team hone their D&B skills by focusing on corporate and institutional interiors, while also pursuing design projects across other typologies and scale.
Wellness at Work
Designing the 15,120sq-ft corporate headquarters for Wellness Forever Chemists and Pharmacies meant more than scoring a big client for Infinitti. Instead they got an opportunity to work with a client whose primary focus was his employees. For a successful D&B project, client relationship is key and when the client is passionate about the project as much as the designer, the project delivery becomes more efficient. The design brief was to curate large open spaces for interaction between employees where they could engage with vendors in informal environment as opposed to sterile, closed meeting rooms. “He wanted to pay a lot of attention to natural materials, greenery in office, wellness in office, the quality of light in office, washroom designs, especially for women, etc. A large part of his workforce is women dominated and he seriously felt the office design was his way of looking after his employees,” shares Santha Gour.
In response, Infinitti designed and delivered a capacious space, carving out a large chunk of the reception and waiting area as an open lounge for meetings, interaction or for coffee breaks. “By its very essence the word ‘wellness’ carries a holistic meaning. We created design elements imitating trees in the reception lobby, natural sandstone and green walls, bought in the much-needed respite to an otherwise large floor plate,” notes the architect about the customised schematic of the space. Even though the layout is fairly open, the design ensures fair amount of privacy with the help of metal screens that also appear as a decor element. An open ceiling with suspended linear lights complements the open office aesthetic, which is informal and more in line with design trends that would appeal to the largely young employee strength of the office.
“With our design & build deliveries, we can offer our clients a one-stop solution with guarantees on both completion of work on time and quality control. This hassle-free system means we do not have to deal with ten contractors at a time, which is generally the case in normal project deliveries.”
Santha Gour, owner, Infinitti Design Studio