Indian Art Hotel – Le Sutra

Prakriti (nature room)

Architects: Dr Art+ Design

Design team: Jehan Ara Poonawala, Ayaz Basrai, Zameer Basrai, Kunal Shah, Hemant Sonawane, Asmita Borwankar, Jignasha Doshi, Arefa Tevawala, Deepashri Chavan, Neil Dantas, Juhi Gupta, Aviral saxena, and Abhijeet Gondkar.

Le Sutra, Indian art hotel in Mumbai has extraordinary design focus. Here Indian mythology, philosophy and history get translated into comfortable hospitality, one which might take you to look inwards and upwards or at least tell hundreds of stories.

This 3 – storey refurbished, recently opened hotel (Bajaj hotels group) is resplendent with contemporary Indian art and craft based on worldview of Indian philosophy – 3 ‘Gunas’ (human attributes): tamas, rajas and sattva.

Gunas are tendencies or form of energy that exist within people, nature and things; connoting their temperaments, psychology and constitution; essential to the evolution of consciousness.

Each level is named after one ‘Guna’ and Le Sutra hotel has total of 16 rooms based on ‘characters’ (Ravana, Ashoka, Buddha) or ‘characteristics’ (sensuality, love, purification).

You can take a little tour of LeSutra website to know meaning of each elements laid out in various rooms. But today I am here to celebrate designers, artists and visualizers who made this Indian-dream possible by paying amazing attention to detail; be it flooring, bathroom, bed, chairs, cushion, lamps, inlays or artifacts.

Above image of Prakriti room on ‘Satvic’ floor symbolizes nature at physical and ethereal level. The beautiful painting in the room is by Ajay Gulati.

‘Dyuutya’ or gambling room on ‘Rajsik’ floor

Painting by Amol Tote, horse bed by Hemant Sonawane, saap-seedi (snakes and ladders) chair by Neil Dantas.

‘Shuddhi’ (purification) room on ‘Satvik’ floor

You can see Damaru lamp, Mandu (ancient water purification system) inlay on the floor, Trishul near window and Yog Danda Chair. The painting above bed is by Tikendra Sahu.

Nirvana room on Sattva floor

Fresco on the wall depicts prince Siddharth’s journey towards becoming Gautam Buddha is done by Amitesh Shrivastava.

Shringar (art of adornment and romance) room on Rajsik floor

Painting by Seema Kohli and Peacock chair by Neil Dantas. It has nathni (nose ring) lamp by Mark and bindi installations also.

Mandala room on Sattva floor

You can see ‘Shri Yantra’ and rose geometrical quartz.

Kathak (Indian classical dance form) room on Rajsik floor

Here painting is by Madhavi Gangan and kathak installations by Hemant Sonawane.

Kathak room

Sarangi chair by Neil Dantas

Karna (a character in Mahabharata) room on Rajsik floor

Painting by Ashis Das and Sun headboard by Hemant Sonawane

Karna room bathroom

Karna’s arrow by Aditya Sakharkar

Cupboard handle

The dove and the hand cupboard handle in the Nirvana room tells us – to control the flighty mind.

Painting by Tikendra Sahu depicts out of body experience, of Kundalini awakening.

Paduka in shuddhi room welcomes you (Indian symbolism)

Mandala room Lotus (enlightenment) chair                     Nirvan room Stupa Chair

Left: Khadau in Nirvana room symbolizes control of body and mind. Right:  Man, energy forms and power

Left: Shri Yantra (most auspicious) in Mandala room. Right:  Inlay of leaves headboard in Prakriti room

All images and info courtesy: Le Sutra