" Without an architecture of our own we have no soul of our own civilization"

This is a personal opinion ,a borderline Rant!

Recently my friend(architect) another software engineer friend were talking in a coffee shop and the topic shifted to a Spanish architect's knockoff  building that newly rose next to the coffee shop .

SE(software engineer): Nice building..looks good from the front side( he means elevation:)!) na? 

Saying so He looked at me.As i didn't want to be the" bitter-over-criticizing-arrogant" person that im largely believed  to be ..looked away from him.

AR (Friend):  looks at my weird reaction and fills in by saying ,indeed it is good but a lil out of proportion..so an "almost"!( didn't recognize that it was a copy..its okay..you need not know every building in the world to be an architect)  

S.E : (assured by  AR's approval) yeah yeah ... the building spells class, that's why  all the high end retail/hospitalities are  here.

AR: smiles and sways his head and asks me "You always have an opinion on everything ..how come you are silent?"

Me: There is nothing new to talk about it..its a copy of a Spanish designer's work. (controlling myself)

AR: Oh! These days all of the buildings are like that .. at least this one is" good copy" it ended up looking good..!

I was disturbed to say the least,that's an architect  from a reputed college..and was a better designer than many of the people i know/met!

ME: Yeah just because everybody does it , you need not give into it. Lets forget the originality part,That building was designed for Spain's climate and for god sake..it was an auditorium.( i studied it for the acoustics literature/case study in college). How can anybody copy it for a commercial complex? Context Much?! 

AR: That is also true..but people (laymen) don't notice the difference.. they just like it because its new/different!(siting S.E initial impression)

ME: Only its neither New nor Different. (and i laughed it off!)

Something about this conversation bothered me for along time..! Are we to blame? Are we conditioning people's mind to think "a specific style " to be chic ? I know all the architects are not this bad there are some amazing designers doing some breathtaking work out there. People with Passion to whom i salute. My question is.. Are these people adequate in number? Especially in a country like India where mediocrity is encouraged/applauded just because it can accommodate a larger demographic! 

My Resentment towards our education system  only grew in leaps and Bounds :(  Why ? Because all these misconceptions stem from undeserving teachers and bad learning structure. Aren't any of these architects taught about "Organic Design"? Obviously not...i bet many of them would relate it to the "green buildings" (a rage these days ) :) 

Well I believe every body(designer or not) should know how to perceive any design and apply it to their own aesthetic and hence creative their own "Perspective"

Like alan kay said" A change of Perspective is worth 80 I.Q Points :) [meaning , to become an intelligent/wise person from a dumb head..all u need is a change of Perspective :)"

Dear Kitchen, I wonder if you think of me half as much as I think about U!

I love to cook..and i know what beautiful & well equipped kitchens can do to cooks..it makes them feel accomplished and content and it shows in the food. For me Kitchen is as important as living room if not more[in a home] .It is really sad that our country hasn't warmed up to this idea yet completely. For most of our middle class apartments,kitchen is a 8'X10' space that is crammed by all 4 side walls and cluttered by utensil overdose.Those modern open-kitchens in trend these days r done to death with zero stress on functionality/space management/customization/Personal touch,they speak nothing abt the Homemaker. Lifeless. 

It warms my heart to see a small kitchen that sparkles with both efficiency and style. i always feel welcome:) So I decided to do my bit , by explaining things i know would help you to recreate your kitchen-vision [for every budget] 

To create the small and efficient kitchen design, you need to work on three major areas:
1. Storage
2. Lighting
3. Appliances

So i request you to give a keen look into the below images:) I promise you it will be a treat to your eyes:)!

Get you Top-shelves lowered..and to make the space visibly lighter...show-case your carefully collected and immensely loved china in them by either keeping them open or choosing clear shutters.
Personalizing it with black/scribble boards will add that touch of you yo the kitchen:)

Who doesn't Love color? Pay tributes to your favorite color that cheers you up instantly.. by bringing it into the kitchen..like that , every morning will be a cheerful one..! :) One more important technique to notice here..is to do your shelving in the colour of the wall...so its vanishes in to the wall creating an illusion of more space:)

Make the windows Big [out-of-proportion-big] , It does two things one Brings in more day light and fresh air and two, Big windows make any space look bigger...Period.

Remember context/tasteand cost when deciding on wht materials to use.. all kitchens need not look modern and minimalistic to be functional. Cozy and native [materials] can also spell FUNCTIONALITYAND CHIC  pretty Perfectly. What say?!

This is just a suggestion if Your kitchen space is liner ..galley types kitchens [shown above] are the best possible option for maximum utility i think , like cherry on top of the cake..just make your windows too horizontally linear.  Just dont be afraid Play it [linearity] up.

Create an Eating Nook. It cud be an extension of the kitchen-counter or a modest table like above. In my experience this is the best thing you can do to your kitchen..by bringing activity[eating/coffee] into the Kitchen You are making it a family space rather than a "cooking space". Trust me and You will thank me later..just to let you know i accept gratitude in every form, new shoes/clothes/cheques anything! so feel free to thank me:) ! Just kidding or may be not!

P.S: The easiest way to cheat your way into more space instantly..use lighter[on the eye] furniture.