They’re a picture of contrasts — the lanky and dark Dravida, S Sashikanth, and the Bangalore kudi, Rajani, who exudes warmth. The yin and yang syndrome extends beyond the couple’s home and into their workspace as well. While Rajani loves doing interiors as “it’s satisfying to give someone a home”, Sashi prefers commercial projects, away from the nitty-gritty of choosing the right doorknobs, bedspreads, wallpapers etc.
“For interiors, there are more than 200 decisions to be made, right from tiles to lights. Also there’s so much of variety. You get doorknobs from Rs 1,000 to a lakh,” laughs Sashi.
Poles apart in their approach, the couple has redefined the way conservative Chennai responds to new-age architecture. In 1999, Sashi began Space scape with the architectural skills he picked up at RV College, Bangalore. This is where he met his wife, Rajani.
The initial years are, however, a blur for Sashi — restless as he was, the politician’s son (His father is EAP Shivaji, DMK’s Tiruvallur MLA) soon got bored with Space scape and ventured into many other things like a dotcom firm and a magazine. However, the dotcom crash in 2001 put his IT dreams to rest. Meanwhile, he married Rajani in 2000 and both their creative strengths transformed Space scape into a money-raking venture.
Professionals that they were, Sashi and Rajani decided to build a home first — a portfolio of sorts — before seeking projects. With just Rs 2 lakh, they built a 500 sq ft penthouse on Boat Club Road that propelled the duo into a niche segment. This cost-effective design also won them a spot in the top 10 Young Architects of 2002-03, compiled by Indian Architect and Business. The very next year they won a competition to redesign the British Council in the city. The project was a landmark in their careers and it got them Indian Institute of Interior Designers’ Young Designer of 2003-04 award. Subsequently, more projects and awards followed. From then on, it’s been a struggle, a struggle to keep the intense design levels that Chennai lacks. Rajani is quick to add how the city’s denizens also needed to be pushed to accept new ideas. “Unlike people in other metros, Chennaiites want to play it safe.
They don’t want to go beyond accepted norms,” says a frustrated Sashi. One of the first things they did to ensure complete architectural freedom in their works was to say no to vaastu or any such requests from clients. “It was difficult to say no when we had very few projects,” says Rajani. “Some clients would like to push in a China vase here and something else there. We put our foot down and explained to them how it doesn’t go with the theme.” But often they have to deal with strange issues — like a client who wanted two big mirrors on their packed dressing table. “I can’t say no to this, as it’s their lifestyle and home and we have to incorporate their needs even if it doesn’t make sense to me,” says Rajani. Experts in contemporary design, Sashi and Rajani understand that space also needs to be functional. “Having design for design sake will not work. Aesthetics is fine but if it’s not functionally encapsulated, then there’s no point to the
design,” explains Sashi. This young couple has come a long way in their journey to add more contemporary buildings to Chennai’s landscape. From the state’s Deputy Chief Minister MK Stalin’s home to actor Suriya’s yet unfinished house to an ambitious resort in Mauritius, the couple is constantly challenging themselves and upping the design quotient. Stalin’s home in Alwarpet, unlike any other politician’s place, is a revelation. There are huge glass doors and pencil drawings adorn the walls with shades of brown dominating the interiors.
Sashi and Rajani’s home in Mylapore is an architectural marvel. Built in 18 levels, the rooms are in simple straight lines and non-cluttered. They have relied on colours to define the spaces. So, a single wall has been divided into white, orange and blue to demarcate the living room, corridor and dining area. This home also won the
Nerolac Style Icon of the Year Award in 2007. Currently, the duo is excited about a Rs 40-50 crore Mauritius project. The couple is in an alliance with Malaysian-based Juteras and will be building a 200-room resort spread over 20 acres on the Palmar island, a first for them. They also have a 10-year project with an engineering college near Tiruchi, which will see the campus size increase to nearly 100 acres. “Campus planning is interesting. Unlike other projects, here we have to work with spaces between buildings,” explains Sashi. Will it just be concrete blocks? “Fortunately, our client has been inspired by an Australian university and doesn’t want more than two floors, and is insistent on greenery,” says Sashi. One of their best projects till date — at least on paper — is the upcoming beach house on ECR, for cinematographer Nirav Shah of Sarvam fame. An exuberant Sashi is eager to talk about the design that will be “a look into future”. “Since
Nirav’s life is all about looking through the camera, even his building is trying to find its view. All the blocks are moving in different directions, trying to get the best possible view,” explains Sashi. While the couple is constantly travelling to update themselves about new products and design techniques, they’re quite dismissive about any talk of trends in the industry. “I don’t think we should be indulging in such Friday-evening architectural talk. These are all quite temporary and finicky observations,” says Sashi. But prod more and Rajani relents, “Stark minimalistic spaces with a really classy artifact like a temple door is the trend globally. A lot of retro-elements are back. Chandeliers are happening, architects are leaning towards contrasts and gold is back.”
A Facebook and poker addict, Sashi is into multitasking.
During weekends, he’s a farmer, taking care of the needs of his mango farm, 150 km from the city. Otherwise, he’s busy with his film production company, Ynot Studios. An extremely tight-lipped Sashi refused to divulge any details about his latest project except that it is a comedy fillm with Mirchi Shiva in the lead.
Is politics also on the cards? Sashi’s take is creative people should enter politics as they have the “ability to visualise what will happen to a particular subject in the future” but as Rajani is quick to point out, the architect still needs to “pick up a lot of man management skills and control his temper” before he thinks of following his father’s footsteps. The duo has been hibernating till now, waiting for their magnum opus, as Sashi rightly explains.
“We want people to come and say, ‘Give me a dream, not a room’, that’s the challenge, how we push the envelope a bit more’,” says Sashi. Any takers? Whether anyone will offer them their dream project or not, Sashi and Rajani are sure to continue setting new aesthetic standards.