Tiles Collection The retailer aims to build own repertoire of exclusive collections
From retailer of luxury lifestyle products to a patron of design – this aptly describes the long and eventful journey for Abhinav Khandelwal, chief of FCML. The recently concluded Nostalgia Revival, an outcome of Khandelwal’s brainchild titled FCML’s Design Initiative (FCDI), marks yet another milestone in the evolution of a luxury retailer which considers itself to be as much of a brand as the ones it markets.
FCML operates in four segments including bathrooms, kitchens, tiles and wood floors, as also in the sphere of home and lifestyle accessories, which are retailed through its own stores and other channels.
Explaining the scope of FCDI, Khandelwal says the initiative seeks to foster collaborations between creative professionals from various streams of art, architecture, interiors, fashion, photography and visual arts. “We believe that rather than creating in silos, collaborating across streams will help harness synergies that will result in higher and more efficient design at mass industry levels. We also feel that collaboration between different design disciplines is quintessential for the enhancement of the overall industry.” Here’s what he has to say about FCDI’s initiatives …
What was the idea behind Nostalgia Revival? What transpired there?
Nostalgia Revival was part of FCML’s design initiative that set the stage for unparalleled collaboration. We brought together various disciplines of art, design and architecture at a special space in old Delhi. In a bid to revisit old Delhi’s rich culture, this event saw nine fashion designers interpret tablescapes in their signature style, and was very well attended by the design fraternity. This unique collaboration led to the inception of The Incidental Collection, given that it was unexpected and the journey has been great.
What is the Incidental Collection?
The Incidental Collection by FCML adds another dimension to interior spaces through a fresh collaboration with fashion designers. The idea was to bring together the design aesthetics and philosophies of renowned fashion designers, for creating unique design schemes on a similar product base and catering to a very discerning audience in this segment. This particular collection reveals how designers interpret the ceramic surface.
This is a collection of curated designs on tiles by India’s renowned fashion designers. It features traditional design patterns of JJ Valaya, Abraham & Thakore’s earthy and geometrical designs, and péro’s delicate floral and bright patterns. They comprise of wall tiles and floor tiles that can be used in any aesthetic space, from a piece of furniture to the outdoor courtyard, headboard of a bed, balcony to a swimming pool deck. The collection has been designed in a way where the permutations and combinations are many and unique for every space.
FCML’s vision is to channelise creative synergies and work across different mediums within the dimensions and aesthetics of interior spaces. Many more similar events are being planned over the next few months to harness these creative synergies.
How will the The Incidental Collection be marketed?
This collection aims to widen the horizons of the ceramic industry. We want to provide our clients – who want to use porcelain with more variety in the look, feel, creativity, technique and fulfilment – with one-of-a-kind bespoke wall art/surface tiles with looks that have never been seen before.
The collection will be sold from the 80,000sft FCML showroom in Delhi and will soon be available in Bengaluru and Mumbai.
We are always updating our clients and architects and offering something new and innovative. This is one of our new innovations, which will be presented and marketed to our clientele of interior designers and architects, just as we market other products. The prices differ for every range and are available on request.
What do you consider your role to be in the design space?
We see our initiatives as a natural progression as we feel that with time, different expressions of art are coming together. We believe that creative synergies don’t work in isolation anymore, but work across different streams, resulting in higher and more efficient design. This is our first step in a journey that the whole design fraternity is going on, with crosspollination of new concepts, ideas and technologies.
The Incidental Collection
JJ VALAYA
“Gulistan came out of my love for flowers and literally means the garden of flowers. The Mughal era represented flowers in many interesting ways, especially in miniatures,” says JJ Valaya. “I have picked up the floral element from miniatures and started interpreting that in different ways. Therefore, you have three very distinct interpretations within this collection, each has a floral connotation interpreted very differently.”
JJ Valaya’s design philosophy propagates a space where classic meets the contemporary; he has an eye for detail and here he unveils a new collection of exclusive designer tiles keeping the same ethos in mind. Finding beauty in contradiction stands true here, where the past must coexist with the present, drawing inspiration from Mughal miniatures, albeit with modern nuances deeply entrenched to create a dramatic statement in wall art.
pero by ANEETH ARORA
All the research and explorations that went into creating textiles for péro clothing have in one way or the other contributed to this collection. She says, “Most of the inspirations for this tile collection at some point were or will be incorporated in creating textiles for clothing.”
Stories on a Teliarumal is a simulation of the patterns on a telia rumal with a twist, inspired by an ikat telia rumal, especially developed for péro with a heart motif, which was then translated into tiles.
Vintage Garden has a very distinct inspiration, the first being the botanical paintings of Pierre
Joseph Redoute, and the idea of being able to paint on a wall like an artist would on a blank canvas.
Kintsugi: the art of broken pieces is inspired by an ancient Japanese craftsmen practice, wherein the repair could be a restoration in which the damage is incorporated into the aesthetic of the restored item and becomes artistically ‘better than new’.
ABRAHAM & THAKORE
“While black and whites are always a very strong part of our collection, what we represent here is the black and white form of calligraphy as well as in the leaf patterning, which gives a very strong identity to our collection’s sensibilities. Form is at its purest with black and white, and through the perfect contrast it communicates its message very well. It makes strong statements and that attracts us to it,” says David Abraham.
Love & Peace is a collection of bespoke designs that celebrate the joy of communication and the act/art of writing. They have been developed in black and white calligraphy, a constant inspiration.
Architectural Patchwork is a whimsical series based on jaali patterns but with a slightly quirky twist.
Green is the third story, based on the leaf in which the form of a leaf can be used to create naturalistic surface patterns
