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The India Design ID 2016, sponsored by Elle Décor and Asian Paints, played with a range of shapes, colours and sizes to showcase a spectacular and vivid array of decor for interiors and living spaces.

On the 4th edition of the event, the sprawling arena saw innovative products, design ideas, functional and decorative installations. Natural textures and materials were trending this time, with designers not only exploring the old, but also successfully converting the old to a new, keeping future trends in mind. While most of the design houses showcased their curated collections and offered their never-ending legacy of luxury and fine living, there were a few who explored different sets of ideas, materials and techniques.

Architect and interior designer Saket Sethi of the Godrej Design Lab took inspiration from the crochet technique of knitting, converting fabric into a shape of a table by using 3D printing technique — a new technology in furniture designing.

The shapes and sizes of the showcased products varied from abstract to geometric, but had a modern touch to them as well.

According to furniture designer and professor Emanuel Mala of the Raffles Millennium International design school, “Future trends show a more modern and geometric inclination, combining organic, sustainable and modern…”

The colour direction here was a mix of a wide of spectrum of hues, ranging from neons to muted and shiny to subtle. Natural textures, colors and finishes, which look more organic in nature was one element that had maximum visibility throughout the design exhibit.

Ruchika, a product designer and architect, emphasized on the use of natural colors this year. “…natural finished products and earthy colors will be the direction for the season to come. Individuals are connecting with their natural side. Therefore, it’s important for us to we reflect that in spaces we create around us,” she said.

Another interesting trend that the design week saw was that of the line between indoor and outdoor lifestyle products getting a little blur. It saw flexible weather-coated products, lightweight, convenient to carry and design ideas to furnish inside and outside.

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Ritika of Mother Gone Mad Design Studio, popular for their out-of-the-box designs and vibrant lighting ideas, combined popular art forms and materials to create interesting and fun decoration ideas. Their works included suspension lighting, combined with plants, a lego-inspired table lamp and many more. “Designs with a little eclectic touch give a fun dimension to products, and it seems to have become a popular way of decorating homes and offices,” she said. With the help of her special blend of shapes and lines, Ritika has merged modern living with popular culture and natural elements.

Even though modern living, inspired by baroque, formed a definitive spectacle at the Design Week, there were exhibits that showcased natural-finished textures, like sandstone, granite, wood and many more.

Sunil Sethi’s Design Alliance installation, installed at the entrance of the exhibition, was an Indian-inspired Sapno Ka Jhoola, in an ode to Indian village fairs.

Several other designers and brands combined Indian materials, textures and techniques to form great pieces of artifacts in a way to celebrate India. India’s premium retailer of wooden furniture, INliving, displayed their socially conscious engineering in their products, following the concept of fusion and recyclability. They fused different materials like wood, wool and yarns to make concrete furniture pieces, “Our idea is to save and use raw materials positively. We work diligently towards reduction of waste,” said the designer.

Speaking on similar lines, a spokesperson of the Sarita Handa label stressed on sustainability, reuse and recycle of left-over materials, when she said that the brand looks forward to combining old craft with a touch of modern.

Even though modernization has taken a front seat in design direction recently, the inspiration still comes from organic, natural, exclusive and individualistic. New designs combined with utilitarian and functional concepts have given rise to a great sense of design and art among designers today. The need of the hour is to create and curate something ageless yet functional, keeping in mind its utility, the space and materials used. A good design is something that is truly timeless and everlasting.