featuring

Rhea Mehta Design

The 4th dimension to Architecture

The ‘4th dimension to architecture’ is one of the most important elements to space design. It is this dimension that choreographs and renders the visual element or experience in a project. Using artificial lighting as a strategic tool, designers are also capable of evoking a certain emotion or mood in a space, like calm or alertness. This sets the tone for a viscerally stimulating user experience that sometimes goes beyond what Architecture or Interior design alone can achieve.

In this feature, we focus the spotlight on luxury lighting. The kind of lighting that is elegant, extravagant, dazzles and artfully makes you stop in your tracks.

Rhea Mehta

We fell in love with the work of a young entrepreneur who has in a short timeframe, successfully established herself in the arena of luxury lighting and installations in India. Her brand, Rhea Mehta Design, has left an indelible mark in many significant buildings within the Indian geography and overseas, dazzling each project with her awe-inspiring creations.

Her journey with lighting took shape as she pursued Product & Spatial design from ÉSAD Orléans, France and Interior & Furniture Design from MIT. With her expertise, she then lit up spaces for nationally acclaimed architects and designers like Reza Kabul, Sussane Khan, to name a few, and for international Architectural firms like Oppenheim Architects, Miami. Through her journey, she also went on to light up spaces for A-listers like Hrithik Roshan and has worked on several commercial hotels like Taj, Marriott, ITC etc, creating large scale lighting installations ranging from 5 feet to 100 feet. The second-largest lighting installation in India happens to be one within her repertoire.

Many of Rhea’s signature luxury light installations take inspiration from cityscapes, landscapes and culture. Her contemporary reinterpretations take shape in unique silhouettes, and it is here that we are going to showcase 3 of her most lauded designs.

AABH

Taj Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

Inspired by the Ghagra and Odhani of the festival of Navaratri – one of the most largely celebrated festivals in Gujarat, we customized a 35 feet permanent metal installation for Hotel Taj, Ahmedabad. We drew inspiration from the form and folds created by the breathtaking Ghagras and Odhani of the Gujarati women whilst dancing to the traditional music of Navaratri. The 35 feet metal installation is designed to welcome guests and bring in the essence of the city of Ahmedabad. Being a two-way sculpture it adorns the architectural facade of the hotel as well as the interiors. The Abhla work that is peculiar to the garment is depicted by the spherical convex mirrors which reflect light and create unique illusions in the piece. The piece is designed with a lot of thought and almost looks like it is floating and defying gravity. The embroidery on the Ghagra is depicted by 3,50,000 three lakh fifty thousand intricately hand-sewn crystals.

The Bay

The South Bay, Mumbai, India

A piece from the collection ‘The Skyline Series’, is a Mirror Gold finished 11 feet lighting installation customized for the highlight wall of The South Bay – A luxury high-rise residential building in South Mumbai.

The piece takes inspiration from the cityscape of Mumbai showcasing its iconic structures and architecture.

a lighting installation of the city skyline of Mumbai, India

The Queen's Necklace

The South Bay, Mumbai, India

The Queen’s Necklace from the designers Bay series is an exquisite 11 feet chandelier made with 33,000 dazzling handwoven crystals and 20,000 delicate pearls. The chandelier takes inspiration from the iconic Queens Necklace representing the forms of its magnificent skyline and adjoining ocean entangling in one another in controlled chaos. The chandelier is like Jewellery for architecture. It adorns the grand lobby of South Bay like a piece of Jewellery – a “Necklace” that also represents the view from the high rise luxury residential building in South Mumbai.

Today Rhea Mehta is designing up a storm with many more unique light installations, as theatrical and extravagant as the pieces showcased in this feature. The Rhea Mehta Design signature indeed continues to take centre stage with good reason,

To illuminate the design narrative of space with the perfect visual climax.