Sensory Explosion

Fine dining meets retail therapy in the midst of what can only be described as sheer riot of colours at the newly launched flagship store of Bent Chair and Plum by Bent Chair at Lutyens in New Delhi, the third successful instalment of the homegrown retail-restaurant chain in India.

- Carol Ferrao

Food and design may appear like two disparate interests but they are in fact quite similar — both are creative pursuits resulting in a sensory experience. That’s why the synergy between the father-daughter duo Natasha Jain and Neeraj Jain, founders of lifestyle and home decor brand Bent Chair, with Priyank Sukhija of First Fiddle Restaurants is anything but surprising. When Priyank was launching Lord of the Drinks in Mumbai’s Lower Parel, Natasha wanted to open a small Bent Chair kiosk at the restobar. In no time that “small” idea snowballed into the retail-restaurant concept Plum By Bent Chair, which is now loved by patrons in both New Delhi and Mumbai. “People have travelled from the other end of the city to get a taste of Plum By Bent Chair,” mentions Natasha.

Within months of the launch of the outlets in Mumbai and Aerocity, New Delhi, the team decided to open its third space, this time at the most coveted address in the capital — 110001 — opposite Le Meridien Hotel in Janpath. Unlike other franchises, the design of each outlet is not standardised but evolves with the product range and design of Bent Chair. Natasha tells us that Plum by Bent Chair Lutyens is a unique amalgamation of the existing ones.

The limitations at the compact Lutyens site had to be tackled creatively. The Bent Chair team designed the restaurant at the ground level, with steps within leading to the flagship store on top. Given the eccentric nature of the products, the spatial design had to both reflect their character as well as balance the effect.