Spaces Issue 7

International office in
Baneswar were also designed
by Bineeta. So too was the 22
room Hotel Panorama in
Lakeside, Pokhara, and the
DG’s office at the Health
Department, Teku, besides
many, many residential
interiors. Bineeta has worked
in many cities including
Bhairawa, where she has had
the pleasant experience of a
client involving her right from
the beginning stage of
construction. “The client sent
me the drawings even before
start of construction,” she
reveals. “I could thus offer my
suggestions which were
incorporated accordingly in
the original plans.” Her one fervent wish
is that more clients would become as aware
because involvement of the interior
designer at a latter stage could require
constructional changes thus incurring extra
costs. “I believe this particular client had
faced a similar problem when work was
being done on his business premises.” Well,
as they say, experience is the best teacher.
Her own experience has shown that there
is growing awareness about the need for
specialists when doing interiors, but she
does feel, as others surely do, that there
are many architects who, besides exteriors,
prefer to do the interiors as well. “It would
be really nice if interior designers were
consulted because interior designing is a
specialized field,” she says. Bineeta does
admire the work of many young architects
including Sarosh Pradhan, who she thinks
is creative, and Siddartha Gopalan, who
she says, has a good eye for detail. Her own
one year apprenticeship with Tom Crees
taught her the value of doing detailed work
and this is evident in her style of working.
“I draw the plans keeping every minute
detail in mind, down to the choice of
furniture and furnishings-right at the
drawing stage itself.” This could be why
she does not have a particular time frame
when working. “Conceptualisation takes
time and the time taken can depend on
the mood,” she says candidly. “After all,
interior designing is a highly creative
process and creativity can be stifled by
rushing too fast.” At the same time,
“Conceptualisation takes time and the time
taken can depend on the mood,” she says
candidly. “After all, interior designing is a highly
creative process and creativity can be stifled
by rushing too fast.”
Bineeta does take care to stifle the costs
so that she stays within budgetary limits.
While doing so, she is of the opinion that,
“Just because the budget is small does not
mean that the design cannot be done to
the client’s satisfaction. Most costs can be
controlled by the discretionary use of
materials and time. The visualized concept
is not compromised.” According to her
husband, Bineeta makes wonderful shoe
racks! “Yes, of course, shoe racks are
important,” laughs the lady. “You know
how untidy it looks to see shoes lying
around outside rooms and in the lobby.”
But she makes many more things other
than shoe racks. “You should see a staircase
I have designed for a residence in Chabahil.
It is all carved wood without handrails, and
there are a lot of pedestals. I think it is
one of the finest of any of my works.”
Nevertheless, the lady is not very satisfied
with what she has done till now and her
logic is simplicity itself, “If I become
satisfied then will that not make me
complacent and less creative?”
Verily, Bineeta is simplicity itself. Simple
in her manners, simple in her style, and
simple in her approach to life, she asserts,
“I stress simplicity in my designs and I like
my works to be soothing and elegant.”
Well, seeing that she has so much work on
hand and so much more up her sleeves,
simplicity seems to be maybe a wee bit too
simple an answer for her success. One has
to presuppose that the lady is modest to a
great degree. S
S
SPACES NOV-DEC 2005 63