Hara Villa

Architect-Designer: Pinakin Patel

Is this India’s first prefab green villa, made to order and limited edition!

India’s design icon Pinakin Patel completes 25 years of design this year and to celebrate he has come up with Hara villa and various exotic collections.

But why is he so affable? With no design background his creativity started in the era when Indian design scene was either completely ‘desi’ or mad about ‘foren’. He created desi-modern and his blend became magical and iconic.

Pinakin’s signature villa – Hara (hara means green in Hindi) villa is a fully furnished wooden villa that can be bought for plug-in living.

It consists of a single bedroom, kitchenette and bathroom (325 sq ft) and an outdoor wooden deck and sit out with shaded pergola (325 sq ft). It comes fully wired and with modern amenities. Furniture, bed linen, crockery, art and accessories etc. are all by Pinakin.

Why is it hara (green – environment-friendly)? Because the villa is made from local timber. The bathroom uses minimum water as it comes with a bucket bath and the wash basin comes with an extra right tap that dispenses only a trickle of water to suffice your brushing shaving and face washing sessions which otherwise end up wasting a lot of running water.

It’s installation is also non invasive as it requires no concrete foundation. The light fittings are all energy efficient. The villa can receive electric supply from solar panels or inverters.

25 will be sold as individual limited edition numbered villas and then the design will be changed completely. The cost is estimated currently to about Rs.28 to 30 lakhs.

Besides Hara villa Pinakin has created quite a few new collections too.

Pinakin’s new line of furniture titled “Precious” is made from semi precious materials like quartz, agate, mother of pearl and tiger’s eye.

He has mixed silver with lacquer and produced a ‘Mewar Mix’.

Dinnerware on kilim

Bidriwork from ‘Karigar’ collection

Pichhwai from ‘Karigar’ collection

Beaten brass bathtub

Carpet (K G Subramanyam)

Afghan kilims are mixed with carpets made from contemporary paintings by Amitava Das and KG Subramanyam.

Pinakin also presents “Persona” a range of personal garments and footwear and some refreshingly novel jewellery using a mix of tactile materials like fabrics and threads to jewels!.

In his ‘eclectic collection’ – ‘rich man’s flea market’ is presented.

It is very interesting to know how he began. The man behind ‘luxe’ and ‘uber cool’ designs started with a 100 sq ft shop called ‘Pictures’ which offered creative picture framing. In 1984, he  launched India’s first lifestyle store ‘Etcetera’ – with his own line of furniture, art, textiles and accessories; all based on modernizing Indian crafts.

The store was a success and the innovative display won him interior designing offers. Interiors led to architecture and free spirited Pinakin dabbled in journalism, photography, exhibition design and even production design for cinema. In early 2005 he launched a new store in Mumbai called PINAKIN. And here at Pinakin his various silver jubilee collections would be on display all year round from June onwards celebrating ‘excellence with relevance’ in design.

Images & Info: courtesy Pinkakin Patel