Design Strategies & Product Recommendations Blog by be ZEN - be ZEN Design

be ZEN Mantra Series 2024 (Art work)

1/29/2024

This New Year - bring divinity & the power of these transformational mantras into your homes..

This is a series of artistically rendered powerful mantras which have been part of my spiritual transformation journey. The chanting of or listening to these mantras resonate with 1 or more of your chakras and transform lower vibrations to higher vibrations. In the case of Beej Mantras, the presiding deity is present with you on invocation.

Style: International Contemporary, Abstract, Zen-Minimalism

Now available:
Original Artwork acrylic on 14" x 18" canvas, A3 (11.7” x 16.5”) prints on canvas, A3 digital prints (300gsm paper,in glass fronted frame)
A3 & A2 sized 2024 Calendar prints.

Does your Workplace foster Empathetic Leadership?

7/14/2023

Does your workplace foster #empatheticleadership ? Empathetic leadership means having the ability to understand the needs of others, and being aware of their feelings and thoughts. In our experience, empathetic leadership is one of the primary factors which can make or break an organisation and a project. This the quality which makes the "top brass" humane, breaks the "power pyramid" & brings them at par with the team around. Not only does the #leadership need to understand & respond to the needs of the employees/ community around, but also to the #projectcreation & #projectimplementation teams. Our #innovative & #holistic #humancentered #design #methodology has the capacity to:
1. Create #mindsetchange & foster #compassionateleadership & #empatheticleadership
2. Create #harmoniousspaces promoting an open exchange of #ideas & #aspirations in a non-threatening manner

#transformationaldesign #organisationaltransformation #workculturechange #empathyatwork #officedesign #officeinteriordesign

Are you getting HEARD at the workplace?

7/12/2023

Are you feeling #heard at the #workplace? According to #Forbes - 74% of employees report they are more effective at their job when they feel heard. #psychologytoday recommends the #creation of #space for #voices. We @ be ZEN Design [https://www.bezenintdes.net/community-spaces.html] practise a #humancentreddesign approach to #workplacedesign in keeping with the 2013 #futureofwork manifesto of ILO to promote greater #empathy .
#futureofworkplace #futureofwork2023 #workplacedesign #workplacetransformation #workplaceculture #workplacewellness #workplaceinclusion #democraticdialogue #EmpathyInBusiness #designthinking #officeinteriordesign #officeinteriors #corporateculture

Branding Office Interiors: The Bug can be a Feature!

8/9/2022

We believe that MEANING is the core motivational factor in a work culture of an Office. A CREATIVE corporate environment can enhance that sense of meaning and BRANDING is one of the strongest tools to achieve the company ethos and group aspirations in the interiors of such a space.
Zen Approach to Participation: "Philosophy is speculation, Zen is participation. Participate in the night leaving, participate in the evening coming, participate in the stars & in the clouds; make PARTICIPATION your lifestyle & the whole existence becomes such a joy, such an ecstasy." The office space should be a PARTICIPATIVE ENVIRONMENT in terms of work & play.

Challenges:

Professional Architectural Practice turned into a Contracting Business - It's not fun to enter a project in the finishing stages to incorporate Branding as a tool to add meaning to the project when all you have from your predecessor is a set of inaccurate plans. No elevations/ sections/ views & no due approval process with the client - who was asked to use their imagination (after having charged Rs 2000/ sqft for the Design-Build project)! DLF sub-optimal door widths & service lift sizes (not for public buildings) did not help in material movement.
Budget & Time Constraint bordering on unrealistic heavily impacts design & execution output. The lack of understanding of basic market practices & unforseen construction delays, vendor goof-ups, inflation (NOT TAKING CONTINGENCIES INTO CONSIDERATION) + moving-in prior to project hand-over can severly effect efficiency of project delivery.
Organisational Constraint: Lack of empathy, VISION without practicality or a highly individualistic leadership style can prevent group aspirations from taking shape in the project. Our job then becomes to "protect the public good" in that case, as also client education & empowerment. Mediocrity does exist in the "corporation" & demands high patience to deal with.

Opportunities:

Innovation is possible when faced with space, time, budget & organisational constraints. We managed to carve out uniquely designed BREAK-OUT SPACES + introduce a DEGREE OF INFORMALITY by re-configuring the layout & formal work-culture. We also found new acrylic shelving solutions for gypboard partitions.
Bug can be the Feature: When we were handed over basement parking quality ceiling, we used our false ceiling design strategy to make it beautiful, acoustic & a branding feature.
Diversity - Equity - Inclusion Company Ethos of the client was not only showcased through the Design but also included in our Work Methodolgy; so that our Design could be benchmarked with the MNCs international counterparts.

So, if you are looking at adding colour, jazz & meaning to your Office enviroment - despite constraints, do reach out to us @ http://www.bezenintdes.net/contact.html

Luxury Interiors - an opportunity to pursue Design Excellence!

7/18/2022

Luxury is defined as a condition of abundance, great ease & comfort, or elegance, especially when involving great expense & producing pleasure. It reflects wants & not needs, & has the idea of "aspirational lifestyle" attached to it.
Zen Approach to Abundance: "Half of humanity has been accepting the inner world but denying the outer world. The other half of humanity has been accepting the material world & denying the inner world. Both are half, & no man who is half can be contented. You have to be whole: rich in the body, rich in science; rich in meditation, rich in consciousness. Only a whole person is a holy person, according to me...I want Zorba and Buddha to meet together..." We interpret Luxury as healthy, wholesome, harmonious & sustainable Abundance; not as hedonism.

Challenges:

TASTE is the constraint! The client has the resources to take their vision to the limit, & more often than not to achieve perfection. Quality is non-compromisable. So taste-making within the framework of market availability can be a challenge.
SPACE is not a constraint! This would be an asset most times, but when your Living Room is the size of a football field & your Bedroom is 2.5 times the optimum size prescribed by anthropometric standards, one has to refrain from "filling the space approach" & pay extra attention to color, material, texture, details & decor. Decor becomes as important as furniture.
VALUE for MONEY mindset still holds! Sheerly by being an Indian client, this mindset still holds & the client can demand the customisation of international designs at local rates.
Changing WHIMS! Although the Design is as per the mood of the flow of space & there is an added element of Drama in it, one has to cater to the changing whims & fancies of a client who has global exposure + is subject to social peer-pressure in the race for "bigger, better, bolder" (status).
Market & Natural UNCERTAINTIES! In our case, Covid 2nd wave lockdowns & questionable vendor ethics in those times jeopardised project delivery & profitability in given timeline. But we persevered & delivered.

Opportunities:

Luxury Interiors is an opportunity to pursue DESIGN EXCELLENCE with the degree of flexibility & liberal approach to resources & design process available on such projects. Perfection, Greatness & Richness in Design are within reach. Also, greater effort can be made to achieve beauty, harmony & balance in the environment.
Passion Projects tend to have a better Design Outcome - whether you are working with a neophile, design or decor or even a technology enthusiast. Passion is often the reflection of a soul urge.
Character, Individuality, Personality of the client can be truly showcased with due elegance & drama without resorting to vulgar displays of wealth.
Increased Empathy & Growth of all parties involved in the project become possible when you are sincerely invested in the DESIGN THINKING PROCESS. Aesthetics becomes as important as Functionality & Durability in Design.

So, if you are looking for a truly symbiotic exchange of ideas, a transformative experience & are in the pursuit of design excellence in the creation of your beautiful, harmonious & luxurious home, do reach out to us @ http://www.bezenintdes.net/contact.html

DIY FURNITURE

1/31/2021

As shared with AstraZeneca team during #Lockdown 2020 Webinar when it was not possible to procure furniture...Creative #DIY #hacks with cardboard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYIko_WP6_M
#wfh2020 #interiordesign #lifestylechange #covid19impacts #furnituredesigns

WFH POSTURE

12/22/2020

An excerpt from our earlier Home-Office Webinar with AstrZeneca during lockdown to relieve you of your backache, shoulder-pain, foot-swelling and such issues as a result of WFH. ERGONOMICS is a key solution we provide@be ZEN Design! Check out http://www.bezenintdes.net/ideas.html
#wfh2020 #covid19impacts #posturecorrection #ergonomicseating #interiordesign

Patience

11/25/2020

Are you feeling frustrated, angry, depressed or trapped due to the social isolation during this pandemic? We @ be ZEN Design would like to help you overcome such unwanted feelings by following the path of Patience in your life and home environment.

Zen Approach: “ We have forgotten how to wait; it is almost an abandoned space. & it is our greatest treasure to be able to wait for the right moment. The whole existence waits for the right moment. We have forgotten to wait, we want everything in a hurry. It is a great loss to humanity. In silence & waiting something inside you goes on growing - your authentic being. And 1 day it jumps & becomes a flame, & you are a new man. The seed has been planted, the child is growing in the womb, the oyster is coating the grain of sand & making it into a pearl. It is a time full of mystery, like the hours just before the dawn. It is a time when the only thing to do is to wait”. [Osho]

Design Strategies:

Use earthy flooring like red/yellow oxide OR wooden/ laminate flooring & plenty of seating
Use browns & deep reds (as decor highlights) in your color scheme for grounding
Use whites & light colors majorly for serenity
Use still or slow-moving/ drops of water as decor theme to cultivate patience
Use indoor landscape as a reminder of natural growth rate

For a more detailed consultation, reach us @ http://www.bezenintdes.net/home-office.html

Existence

10/7/2020

Are you feeling claustrophobic, trapped, suffering from anxiety & panic attacks due to the “forced togetherness” in your homes this pandemic? We @ be ZEN Design would like to free you from such uncomfortable feelings by designing your HOME environment in harmony with Existence.

Zen Approach: “ You are not accidental. Existence needs you. Without you something will be missing in existence & nobody can replace it. The stars & sun and moon, the trees and birds & earth – everything in the universe will feel a small place is vacant which cannot be filled by anybody except you. ″HOME″ is not a physical place in the outside world, but an inner quality of relaxation and acceptance. Now is the time to look at whether you are allowing yourself to receive the extraordinary gift of feeling ″at ″home″ wherever you are. If you are, be sure to take time to savor it so it can deepen and remain with you. If on the other hand you′ve been feeling like the world is out to get you, it′s time to take a break. Go outside tonight and look at the stars. [Osho]

Design Strategies:

Open your windows to let the nature in!
Use large mirrors on the walls/ wardrobe shutters etc to expand & enhance the sense of space & reflect nature in your homes
Keep the circulation space aligned between 2 doors (like a corridor) totally clear & free for movement
Use light furniture
Use landscape elements in your garden or prevailing urbanscape as visual focal elements from your home openings (doors & windows)

For a more detailed consultation, reach us @ http://www.bezenintdes.net/

Going with the Flow...

9/23/2020

We @ be ZEN Design would like to enhance your lifestyle and mitigate your problems during this pandemic with our inputs for a diverse, multi-functional and a richer HOME environment. Overcome your ennui, boredom & emotional frustration by Going with the Flow...

Zen Approach: “When I say ″become water″ I mean become a flow; don′t remain stagnant. Move, and move like water. The movement has a few beautiful things about it. One, it always moves towards the depth, it always searches for the lowest ground. It is non-ambitious. Be the last, be non-ambitious. Ambition means going uphill. Water goes down, It has no ego idea”. Every moment in life we have a choice whether to enter life′s waters and float, or to try to swim upstream... you are able to float now, trusting that life will support you in your relaxation and take you exactly where it wants you to go...everything is happening exactly as it should. [Osho]

Design Strategies:

Incorporate natural and organic elements in your Home interior design and decor.
Incorporate curves, wavy and flowy lines & planes in your Home interior design and decor.
Use cool colours like blue & green to accentuate the Going with the Flow theme.
Use translucence and transparency in textures and materials to provide a layered effect.
Enhance Home accoustics using the above...combining function with form & aesthetics.

For a more detailed consultation, reach us @ http://www.bezenintdes.net/

Author/ Founder Director

Ritu is an international designer who follows cutting-edge local & global market trends w.r.t architectural and interior design products, especially furniture & accessories for the last 20 years. She likes to share her acquired knowledge with clients at large for their benefit.

Archives

January 2024
July 2023
August 2022
July 2022
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
June 2019

Categories