My Life in Design: JJ Valaya
This noted designer of fashion and interiors talks about his love for everything Indian, including tapestries
This series takes a look at the aesthetics, influences and practices of some of India’s biggest names in the field of architecture and design.
Designer at a Glance
Name: JJ Valaya
Firm name: JJ Valaya Couture and JJ Valaya Home
Design style: Valaya defines his style as modern yet timeless, steeped in Indian traditions and sensibilities with the underlying ethos of a ‘Royal Nomad’.
Photos courtesy: JJ Valaya
Designer at a Glance
Name: JJ Valaya
Firm name: JJ Valaya Couture and JJ Valaya Home
Design style: Valaya defines his style as modern yet timeless, steeped in Indian traditions and sensibilities with the underlying ethos of a ‘Royal Nomad’.
Photos courtesy: JJ Valaya
What is a well-designed home?
There are two roles that a home plays – it should induce owner’s pride and should be a cocoon of comfort and elegance. The energy of the space matters a lot. I like to create beautiful spaces where the owner falls in love with them and, at the same time, can showcase them to the world, too. I am biased towards mirrors, glass, rare veneers, leather, exposed concrete, exotic stones, plush fabrics, all bound together seamlessly and in a cohesive manner.
What trends do you foresee this year?
Personally, I feel that trends are nice but they are not the holy grail – and since I believe that luxury demands a degree of timelessness, I usually prefer to absorb trends but tweak them into something more permanent.
There are two roles that a home plays – it should induce owner’s pride and should be a cocoon of comfort and elegance. The energy of the space matters a lot. I like to create beautiful spaces where the owner falls in love with them and, at the same time, can showcase them to the world, too. I am biased towards mirrors, glass, rare veneers, leather, exposed concrete, exotic stones, plush fabrics, all bound together seamlessly and in a cohesive manner.
What trends do you foresee this year?
Personally, I feel that trends are nice but they are not the holy grail – and since I believe that luxury demands a degree of timelessness, I usually prefer to absorb trends but tweak them into something more permanent.
Indian or international brands?
I always tell people that I am obsessed with the beauty of our country and what it has to offer. India is full of incredible talent and that’s the most exciting thing today. You can see young designers and brands pushing boundaries and making an indelible mark. There’s a whole lot of young talent that I admire, like Ashiesh Shah, whose work is cutting edge. I like Klove Studio too; their designs are very modern and impressive. I admire Ayush Kasliwal of Anantaya AKFD, for his love for Indian crafts, and several others. Having said that, I’ve always believed that the magic of spaces is created by combining the unexpected in order to create interest and awe, so both international brands and Indian brands have to be worked with together, in order to celebrate this thought.
I always tell people that I am obsessed with the beauty of our country and what it has to offer. India is full of incredible talent and that’s the most exciting thing today. You can see young designers and brands pushing boundaries and making an indelible mark. There’s a whole lot of young talent that I admire, like Ashiesh Shah, whose work is cutting edge. I like Klove Studio too; their designs are very modern and impressive. I admire Ayush Kasliwal of Anantaya AKFD, for his love for Indian crafts, and several others. Having said that, I’ve always believed that the magic of spaces is created by combining the unexpected in order to create interest and awe, so both international brands and Indian brands have to be worked with together, in order to celebrate this thought.
Designs you are partial to?
Tapestries will always be special for me because I began my journey into interiors with them. My joy at discovering that I could take my embroideries beyond clothes overwhelmed me. When the tapestries started landing up in beautiful homes, hotel chains (the Leela Palace in Delhi has some of my finest commissions) and in the homes of appreciative and evolved individuals, I realised I needed to take the craft to the next level. I have great ideas for tapestries, which I intend showcasing in 2018.
How has the Indian consumer evolved with time?
There’s certainly a newfound trust for home-grown talent! People are happy to engage Indian architects and designers for their homes as opposed to the ‘foreign’ hangover that once existed. Since customers are better travelled today, they also know good design from bad and understand quality and are willing to pay for it.
Tapestries will always be special for me because I began my journey into interiors with them. My joy at discovering that I could take my embroideries beyond clothes overwhelmed me. When the tapestries started landing up in beautiful homes, hotel chains (the Leela Palace in Delhi has some of my finest commissions) and in the homes of appreciative and evolved individuals, I realised I needed to take the craft to the next level. I have great ideas for tapestries, which I intend showcasing in 2018.
How has the Indian consumer evolved with time?
There’s certainly a newfound trust for home-grown talent! People are happy to engage Indian architects and designers for their homes as opposed to the ‘foreign’ hangover that once existed. Since customers are better travelled today, they also know good design from bad and understand quality and are willing to pay for it.
What kind of projects do you like to take on?
There’s this old adage, ‘Think out of the box’, which I don’t particularly believe in, as I feel that in a true creative spirit, there is no box. If I feel it in my core that I can relate to a particular project, then I happily take it up. Take, for example, the ‘Gulistan series’ of tiles that I designed for the Incidental Collection at FCML. It was an interesting manifestation of design – tiles are, after all, surfaces, just like clothes and furniture. If you are creatively empowered and can create commercial viability as well, you’ve pretty much hit the nail on the head.
What’s your next project?
India! I want to do whatever it takes to celebrate this country, be it through fashion, tiles, furniture, jewellery or photography. I am a Royal Nomad at heart and have a fetish for the larger-than-life and a bias towards extreme attention to detail.
Read more:
My Life in Design: Raseel Gujral Ansal
My Life in Design: Simone Arora
Tell us:
Do you like interiors steeped in traditionalism or do you prefer a more modern design? Tell us in Comments below.
There’s this old adage, ‘Think out of the box’, which I don’t particularly believe in, as I feel that in a true creative spirit, there is no box. If I feel it in my core that I can relate to a particular project, then I happily take it up. Take, for example, the ‘Gulistan series’ of tiles that I designed for the Incidental Collection at FCML. It was an interesting manifestation of design – tiles are, after all, surfaces, just like clothes and furniture. If you are creatively empowered and can create commercial viability as well, you’ve pretty much hit the nail on the head.
What’s your next project?
India! I want to do whatever it takes to celebrate this country, be it through fashion, tiles, furniture, jewellery or photography. I am a Royal Nomad at heart and have a fetish for the larger-than-life and a bias towards extreme attention to detail.
Read more:
My Life in Design: Raseel Gujral Ansal
My Life in Design: Simone Arora
Tell us:
Do you like interiors steeped in traditionalism or do you prefer a more modern design? Tell us in Comments below.
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I started JJ Valaya in 1992 and added JJ Valaya Home in 1996. Out of the 21 years of being in interiors, 19 years were spent doing only tapestries as our forte is hand embroidery. We, however, did tapestries in a different manner – we made them like bespoke wall art. Over time, these started featuring in high-end spaces, nationally and internationally, so two years ago we decided to get into furniture and accessories under the same brand name.
Another passion, and what I call my ‘alter-ego’, is my fine-art photography, which I exhibit in galleries. In addition, I also published a personal travel book using images taken with my smartphone, called The Little Book of Memories. I am particularly fond of architectural photography and portraiture; this is one medium where my spirit is absolutely free.