The new Dadu’s outlet in Kondapur, Hyderabad, is designed as a graceful experiential indulgence by Dhruva Kalra of RMDK Architects. Dadu’s is Hyderabad’s most loved, popular sweets destination. Reinterpreting the old-world charm and grandeur to represent the new emerging face of Indian contemporary luxury, the 4800 sq-ft outlet is divided into two major zones – a restaurant and a sweets and ice-cream junction.
A wide array of materials, colours and textures have been nimbly translated into a luxurious ambience creating a harmonious zoning, circulation and visual flow. A lush, jewel-toned colour palette of purple, blue, green and gold is well balanced with neutral white and brown shades in the restaurant. On the other hand, a more neutral and formal colour palette of white and gold with various playful textures complement the products on display, adding a certain warmth and depth to the retail space.
The interiors of the restaurant are influenced by the context of the city’s numerous monuments, mainly its domed ceilings and the relief work. On the restaurant ceiling, each purple toned dome with delicate relief work in white within encloses a lantern-like pendant light, creating a uniquely indulgent ambience. A curated pattern of window openings and solid surfaces in the vivid blue service counter appears as a fluid visual highlight, effortlessly creating an inside outside flow and converting an otherwise mundane cooking activity into a live art exhibit.
The wall relief patterns are a clean, geometric and minimal take on the vernacular art and decor, readjusted to the brand’s context. This is complemented with chic chairs in green and gold inspired by the rawness of rattan weaves, and plush brown tufted sofas adding a sense of comfortable luxury to the space. The subtle flooring and the natural wooden texture further complement the vibrant colour palette, while the huge, linear glazing ensure adequate natural lighting within.
The spatial transition between the retail section and the restaurant is effortless and free flowing with a subtle yet consistent variation in the ceiling and flooring character, and the minimal product display acting like a screen, physically differentiating between the spaces but visually unifying them.
The main entrance opens into an elegant and dynamic space, flanked by the sweets and ice-cream displays on either sides, giving a quick overview of the entire product range. A grand central island displays the brand’s miscellaneous range, and artsy, patterned tiles visually guide the customer to a smaller feature display and cash counter behind, which in itself forms the entrance to the restaurant.
The custom-made minimal display counters by Climaire emphasize on the simple yet timeless Indian splendor. The fine grooves on the surface of the stone cladded ice-cream display result in a fine play of light and shadow, thus adding depth and charm to its patterns and texture. The playful natural striations and patterns on the marble-cladded sweet display counter with geometric metallic pattern overlays are a modern day take on the indigenous stone construction techniques, and are reminiscent of the city’s splendid architectural heritage.
The expansive and luxurious island display and the waffle-inspired minimal ceiling with spherical pendant lights create a warm, soft, golden glow that transitions into a matte gold ceiling towards the cash counter with quirky feature lights inspired by traditional lamps, before transitioning into the dramatic restaurant’s domed purple ceiling.
With a highly curated display system and an assortment of textures and colours brought together, the space exudes the warmth and extravagance of royalty in a highly urbane and avant garde setup. Such intricate details along with suave furniture and a perfectly controlled lighting spectrum create a lavish and seamless spatial experience.
Aimed at reimagining Indian heritage into a cozy yet international retail experience, Dadu’s boldly goes beyond the expected to blur the boundaries between the old and the modern, creating a timeless piece of global retail experience. It is a true example of beauty lying in the details and deftly highlights the importance of contextual relevance of every project and its effect on both the urban fabric and the brand identity.
