How to Include Traditional Indianness Into Modern Home Designs

The language of design is an ever-evolving criteria to be pondered upon, as the time phases by the ages, It develops a fresh new approach to amalgamate or juxtapose the existing traditional or contemporary approaches. So categorizing a current state of modernism would be an injustice to the evolution of ideas, whereas the definition of a design whether it is modern or not, is purely an individual thought.

However, What defines Modern? Modern is merely a perceptual design term that justifies simplicity and minimalism with a softer and a simpler touch of color scheme. However, It employs sensible simplicity to design definition.

Whereas Traditional designs often feature classic details and a devoted cultural context. Traditional design executions reflect the heritage of the site context on a primary scale, Secondly and majorly a part of emotional value is also added as an advantage for the user experience.

A sense of Indianness is an approach that responds to the contextual value of the site precinct with the inculcation of the traditional cultural aspects of the site location. The process of implementing such design ideas requires an in-depth analysis of the Historical Background, Contextual Phasing or Development Phases of a region or target area that has evolved throughout a phase of time. An individual should have an understanding of the traditional value concerning the emotions that are adhered to a particular.

1. Implementation

There can be two alternatives for inculcating Indianness in a modern home solution, likely to be:

  1. Addition of traditional elements to the modern design.
  2. Applying a minimalistic approach to the traditional entity.

Either way, the consequences will be the same but the effect of resultant would be drastically different in a perception of an Architect designing the project with contrast to the User who experiences it.

The traditional Indian spaces include naturally lighted spaces responding to climate whereas some of the modern built structures are in a scarcity of both, as per the design elements modern homes boast sleek and materialistic features like metal, concrete and even plastic at some instances. Thus, the addition of traditional Indian elements which are usually of wood, fabric and natural produce generally increases the factor of Indianness and boosts local producers and artisans. The ‘MADE IN INDIA’ product considerably is an addition to the notion of Indianness in a modern home. Designers prefer to ‘spice-up’ the Indian element in a modern house by proposing such Indian Made entities like elegant furnishing and local artifacts. 

2. through Architectural Design features

A glimpse of Indian tradition can be achieved spatially through the architectural designing elements like Courtyard planning, Open corridor spaces, Properly ventilated rooms making use of natural light and wind flow through fenestrations, because that’s what ancient Indians did to achieve better living conditions without the use of mechanical comforts of electricity. Social gathering spaces were also a great trait of Indianness, thereby including open, semi-open or enclosed gathering spaces in the modern built would be a great add-on like backyard areas with natural essence or balcony sit-outs with traditional ‘Panchayat’ themes.

Traditional Indian spaces served much for a purpose, a concern, a notion rather than an element of visual appeal, any single element placed in a traditional Indian home had a notion of serving a purpose likely to Functional, Vastu oriented, Experiential or Ancestral value. Spaces should reflect our culture as a single sight or should be designed to respond to the environment or maybe serve a purpose rather than aping a Western-style.

3. By Adding Elements of Heritage

Colour Scheme

A certain depiction all around the world about Indianness shares a series of thoughts about the color theory involved in Indian traditional and cultural values. Color schemes used in Indian culture were derived from natural elementals.

Therefore, Re-implementation of color and cautious experimentation with primary color series of Indian culture like the subtle tones of primary yellow, royal blue, ever-lively green with contrast or as a highlighting element for the soft color of modern scheme.

patterns and motifs

Indianness can be achieved through elemental additions like The Handicrafts responding to heritage, Patterns-Motifs depicting symmetry and geometrical shapes having an eternal and effective way to approach Indian culture.

The shades of such high contrast concerning the modern color pallet can be used for highlight-walls with motifs and patterns depicting an event series, a user experience, or maybe a storyline, there are numerous ways to depict such ideas of color and motif or pattern orientation.

Selection of Material

Material selection depicting the particularity of a region according to traditional value and availability of local selection is a must for inculcating Indianness in modern homes. Consider wood artifacts, local fabric artifacts, Stone artifacts in some regions, mosaic arts for coastal areas, all the stated options are mere suggestions that can be used for ideating the perceptual creation of Indian aura into a modern home.

As a conclusion, It can be inferred that Indianness is perceptual thought that requires analytical study. It may be spatially oriented into the home, or added by elements of traditional or cultural value, or even maybe materialistically through choice of available material and color palette schemes that respond to the cause of including traditional Indianness into the Modern Home Designs.

– Anshul Kulshrestha

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