Designing Details - Flower Power
This week we’re talking flower power, not because we’re two impressive young women conquering in our chosen field (we hope), but in the more literal sense - floral soft furnishings. The trend is hugely popular in Britain where we both studied, and we were so fortunate to be exposed to the amazing designs at Liberty or John Lewis.
This week we’re talking flower power, not because we’re two impressive young women conquering in our chosen field (we hope), but in the more literal sense - floral soft furnishings. The trend is hugely popular in Britain where we both studied, and we were so fortunate to be exposed to the amazing designs at Liberty or John Lewis. You can read a little more on the history of the fabrics here.
We love floral patterns, not only are they really pretty but they give a room a touch of whimsey, a quick way to soften a sober room. We don’t use them often but when we do, we recommend you use loud prints in small quantities for maybe an accent chair like we have in the office. Here we have complied our favourite patterns and how to use them. You can see more on our Pinterest boards and Instagram.
In Our Bag
When we leave PureSpaces HQ (unfortunately more often than we like to) we have to be prepared for anything - makeup for a client meeting to sunblock for construction site visits, we’ve got it covered.
This may look a bit extensive but we do manage to carry all of these items between the two of us wherever we go. When we leave PureSpaces HQ (unfortunately more often than we like to) we have to be prepared for anything - makeup for a client meeting to sunblock for construction site visits, we’ve got it covered. Scroll Down to see the full list!
Safety Helmet - No one likes helmet hair but better safe than sorry! It’s extremely hot on site, so we bought our own for hygienic reasons.
Closed Shoes - A necessity at site. We’re always jumping over puddles, climbing over debris and getting splattered with paint.
BandAid - This hasn’t been in our bag as yet but since we have already been victim to a couples of scrapes and gashes already in the past month, we thought we’d add it in.
Sunscreen - SPF +30 #TanAndLovely
Water - Our work is just so dehydrating.
Snack - Not necessarily Starburst but a little bit of energy when we need it.
Sanitizer - Can’t snack without it.
Measuring Tape - How do we explain how much we use this? Measuring tape = Our livelihood.
Laser Pointer - We’re just not tall enough to point at a ceiling detail. A new addition to our bag but such a keeper!
Phone - We carry three phones between the two of us.
iPad - We recycle all our paper and try to make presentations on our iPad as much as possible.
Camera - Sometimes our phones are just not good enough.
Portable Charger - A must have in our technology driven business that’s always on the go.
USB Pen Drive - Information is power, we back up and carry our digital files everywhere we go. You never know when you might need it.
Paint Swatches - FYI, Morning Glory is Krishna’s favourite.
AD Magazine - For those long, boring car journeys across the city.
Pens - Constantly misplaced, we have numerous scattered throughout our bag in a variety of forms and colours. Kamini definitely has more pens in her makeup bag than actual makeup!
Folder - We usually carry more than one. Each folder is for a specific project and contains printouts of all our working drawings which we carry copies of to hand out to contractors, carpenters and electricians.
Diary - Can’t live without this Moleskine planner! We keep note of meetings and events the old fashioned way.
Business Cards - Networking is key.
Homegrown Feature
Exciting news!
Krishna Morzaria, our Founder and Creative Director was featured in Homegrown!!
Exciting news!
Krishna Morzaria, our Founder and Creative Director was featured in Homegrown!!
You can read the full article right here.
HG: Could you tell us about the generation in your family where the varying ethnicity mixed marriage happened, and the story behind how and where they met, when it happened, and so forth?
KM: It was definitely fate. My mum is German with Czechoslovakian ancestry and her job in the garment industry required her to spend six months in Hong Kong, Philippines and India. My Gujarati dad who was born in Africa, fled Uganda with his family in 1970 before Idi Amin took over. They happened to meet in Bangalore and fall in love. Right place. Right time.
HG: What are the challenges you face in terms of identity, and cultural context of living in India with a mixed ethnicity? Could you tell us about the challenges faced by the previous generation of the mixed marriage, that you know of?
KM: My mum decided not to go back to Germany at the end of her trip. I’m sure there were reluctant relatives on both sides as with any family or any union. If she found it hard to adapt to the Indian culture, she didn’t show it. In fact, her business is thriving and she has even helped me start up my own Interior Design business.
I consider myself a Bangalorean, I was born and brought up here. Amusingly, I have a German passport and I'm considered an OCI, while my mum, who unlike me was born in Germany, is considered a PIO! I think Bangalore is a cosmopolitan city with such a unique blend of cultures that I fit in quite well. There is that occasional squabble with a shop keeper when I’m charged the “tourist rate”.
HG: How have the food, traditions, lifestyle, values of your other ethnicity been a part of your life, if at all?
KM: I’m more or less vegetarian.. with the exception of Schnitzel and sausages! Does that count?!
Every year we go to Germany to visit family we bring back a suitcase filled with groceries so we can cook authentic food at home. My German relatives love India so we always have someone coming to visit, keeping our stock of German food always complete.. I’m also a huge fan of beer, I love that I can have great beer, both in Dusseldorf and Bangalore.
HG: Being from a mixed blood background...
KM: Being from a mixed blood background has given me the ability to adapt to different situations. I'm deeply influenced by both Indian and European design sensibilities, which is partly why I created PureSpaces. I wanted to explore and show how there can be a happy medium between two cultures and perspectives.
Humble Beginnings
We’ve all been there, working from home in your PJ’s, Starbucks hopping for free wifi or two desks crammed into your parents garage. Famous multinationals like Apple, Google and KFC have been there but we at PureSpaces believe that humble can still look fabulous. Here are some images we took this morning of our two person home office. We are proud of our humble beginning and can’t wait to share our growth with you.
We’ve all been there, working from home in your PJ’s, Starbucks hopping for free wifi or two desks crammed into your parents garage. Famous multinationals like Apple, Google and KFC have been there but we at PureSpaces believe that humble can still look fabulous. Here are some images we took this morning of our two person home office. We are proud of our humble beginning and can’t wait to share our growth with you.
