ByIANSlife

December 19, 2021 (IANSlife) Come winter and its time to bring some warmth to the interiors with a pop of colour, some cosy cushions and chair to sink into. Celebrated interior designer, Raseel Gujral, spent her days in lockdown travelling down the silk route in her head, to build a series of mysterious ideas as part of Casa Paradox and Casa Pop Winter 21-22 Collection.

Raseel recreates the style of the modern movement in decorative arts and architecture, which began in the 1920s and was influenced by the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industries Modernes in Paris, where the style was first displayed. Gatsby offers an anti-traditional elegance that represents riches and sophistication.

She turned to armchair travelling after unveiling a luxurious range of wallpaper and soft furnishings, carrying her design sensibility all the way back to the beginning of the silk route and all the way to the heart of Art Deco, where current design now sits.

The mystical journey begins in the Middle East, in places such as Afghanistan, inspiring geometrics of Serapi carpets for the Serai collection. From Tibet, via the culture-rich silk route, comes the Sherpa Collection, a dedication to its charming people. Finally, Gatsby, an ode to the Art Deco era, nulled the adornment of the Renaissance with strong lines modernism.

“When the roads are blocked and the world's shut-in, creative minds travel through their thoughts, firmly entrenched in their armchair. Even if Covid-19 locks us in, the mind is free to fly to lands far away,” states Raseel Gujral Ansal.

With Serai, a vivid line of pillows, rugs, and wallpapers, she begins her creative journey at the origins of the silk road. Recreating an era where weary traders rested outside the city walls in taverns or travel inns. They stayed the night there, resting on handcrafted carpets, durries, and spreads honouring the world of Persia's Serapi carpets.

Serapi carpets, which are woven in the harsh highlands of Northwest Persia, have a distinct Heriz area style, with finer knotting and larger-scale, spaciously placed motifs. They mix design aspects from a variety of cultures. The bold geometric designs are most likely linked to tribal Caucasian traditions over the Aras River to the north, and the beautiful court carpets of Tabriz to the west are undoubtedly descended from this design.

Sherpa, a collection heavily influenced by the majestic dragon, the white tiger, and Buddhist iconography as seen in Tangkha art, transports the plot to Tibet. The mysticism of Mahayana Buddhist monasteries, where monks worship in adoration of their God and guru is depicted. Sherpa brings Tibet to life with animal prints, flora-fauna inspired design, and oriental symbolism. 

Gatsby, a sort of conclusion to this journey, concludes with a party in which dazzling sequins come to life in a crisp linear art deco style. The designer, greatly influenced by the art deco era, depicts the Manhattan residence in this collection, capturing the mood to live it up.

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