The Telegraph – A light touch

Profile

The good old tubelight may soon become a relic. For, lighting architects like Tejas Doshi are busy creating interesting light and shade effects for all kinds of spaces. From camouflaged light fixtures to deciding whether a light should wash the wall (illuminate it evenly) or if narrow beams should focus on a sculpture, Doshi says he “creates the right recipe” for each space.

“The first thing people ask me when I tell them that I’m a lighting architect is ‘what’s that?’,” he laughs. Well, he decides on what type and intensity of light will create the right mood, and also save energy. Besides light fixtures, Doshi has designed the lighting and lighting control systems for many residential and commercial properties across India.

The 32-year-old is also an audio-visual design specialist. In fact, Doshi designed an automation system for a Calcutta residence that lets the owner control everything from security cameras to motorised curtains through his iPad. It was a first according to a letter he received from the US headquarters of automation system providers, Crestron Electronics, Inc. The system also allows to set lighting in rooms to any mood — so, apart from the bright and dim settings, there are party, reading and movie settings.

Recently, he handed a remote control to a client’s child who could change the colour of his room’s lighting every second with it. He could also use it to create up to 16.7 million shades of light with the LED fixtures.

“My friends call me a lighting chef,” smiles Doshi, who did his Bachelors in Commerce from Bhawanipur Gujarati Education Society College, Calcutta, before heading to New York to do his Masters in Fine Arts in Lighting Design from Parsons New School of Design. Simultaneously he did a course in Federal Energy Management Program (promoting energy efficiency) and then returned to India.

Doshi began his career in 2003 by selling light fixtures and giving lighting design advice to his clients, free of cost. It took about 25 projects for him to get noticed.

Today, his clientele includes industrialists Vijay Mallya, L.N. Mittal and Vinod Bamalwa of Nemichand Bamalwa and Sons Jewellers. Doshi has also worked on The Fort Group’s Calcutta office, some hotels of the Oberoi Group, ITC Sonar and The Park Kolkata. He recently completed lighting a gallery at the Victoria Memorial in Calcutta. He’s also designing his soon-to-be-opened Calcutta studio, Light and Beyond.

Trends

People are opting for colour-changing lights in family lounges, living rooms and party areas, says Doshi. ‘Focus lighting’ that highlights paintings and sculptures are in demand, he says.

Dimming and lighting control systems are being used to create the right ambience. Pre-set lighting systems are the rage. A good dimming system starts from Rs 50,000 for 3,000 watts.

Products

Doshi’s Nature Series is a set of outdoor lighting fixtures inspired by nature. The round ‘Seed’, attached to a pointed stem can be planted in the ground and comes in olive, green or khaki. The series is tagged from Rs 1,500 to Rs 7,000 per fixture.In a residential building, he gave an old chandelier a new look by changing its colour to magenta with strategically placed coloured lights.

“My fee depends on the concept and is at par with an architect’s,” says Doshi, who charges Rs 150 to Rs 250 per sq ft for residential properties.