THE HEALING ISSUE DESIGN THERAPY

In the midst of the pandemic, AD explores the holistic power of interiors and design: rooms conceived to calm the mind, gardens that promote well-being, materials with intrinsic health benefits, and a house built around the principles of vastu. Plus: in a special collaboration with a series of Indian designers, AD commissions a collection of objects that are a response to the new reality of ‘stay home’. Lie back on that chaise, close your eyes and relax with AD.

- RITUPRIYA BASU

PROJECT

IN A SPECIAL PROJECT CONCEPTUALIZED FOR THE ERA OF ‘STAY HOME AND STAY SAFE’, AD COMMISSIONS 11 DESIGNERS AND TASTEMAKERS TO CREATE THOUGHTFUL NEW OBJECTS FOR THE HOME THAT ARE INSTRINCIALLY BENEFICIAL FOR THE MIND AND BODY. FROM THE MOST ELEGANT HAND SANITIZER STAND BY CASE DESIGN TO A THREE-PIECE CAPSULE WARDROBE OF LOUNGEWEAR BY ANOMALY, THIS IS ALL YOU NEED RIGHT NOW.

DAYBED BY WOOD’N DESIGN. Rest is what Pondicherry-based furniture maker Vincent Roy thinks we need right now. His daybed-cum-rocking chair is designed for reading and nodding off, with mobile phones strictly banned from the lull. He’s even thought of when it should be used. “This daybed is designed for you to rest after a meal; the gentle slope of the design aids digestion,” notes the furniture maker. Crafted with reclaimed Burma teak, Hardwickia timber and hand-woven paper cords, it makes for the perfect place to put your feet up and dream away that Zoom fatigue.

READING PILLOW BY ATELIERS COURTIN. Chennai-based designer Cedric Courtin created the perfect pillow for some afternoon reading, or a post-work snooze, by crocheting cords of recycled, naturally-dyed, twisted raffia. Hidden in the gossamer polyester fibres that fill the pillow—chosen instead of cotton, as it “slowly hardens in the Indian climate”—is a pouch full of lavender. “My mother has been sending me parcels of lavender, which she has been growing in Brittany, my native place,” says Courtin. “At home, I’ve been keeping pouches of it close to my bed at night, to relax the senses, so I had to add a few sprigs to this pillow.”