Indigo Deli, today’s world is one of both incredible plenties, as well as devastating shortages. One commodity that is in no way suffering a shortage, is that of the ugly, plain building.
© RajuShukla, SameepPadora
The Mumbai-based studio Sameep Padora and Associates have taken a mundane and rigid retail space within a Mumbai mall and turned it into the Indigo Deli, a delicatessen and dine-in destination that matches up design-wise with some of the best restaurants in the world.
© RajuShukla, SameepPadora
The boring rectilinear interior volume is replaced with a swooping structure of interlocking rough textured plywood. This system employes the structural qualities of both dome and surface while being neither in exactitude.
© RajuShukla, SameepPadora
The form’s constituent parts were first manufactured using a CNC routing process before being assembled and hung within the the space using steel all-thread rods secured to RCC slabs which form the building’s ceiling and roof. The sections are hung in such a way as to make a double thickness skin which masks the mundane regularity that lies beyond, but also allows the subtle glow of light from without to seep through and into the dining space.
Project info:
Architects: Sameep Padora and Associates
Country: India, Mumbai
Year: 2013
Photographs: RajuShukla, Sameep Padora
Matt Davis is a Virginia Tech graduate and one of the founding editors behind Arch2O. Launching the platform in mid‑2012 alongside fellow Hokies, he helped shape its identity as an international hub for design innovation and critical dialogue . With a foundation in architectural education and a passion for uncovering unconventional design approaches, Matt has contributed significantly—both editorially and strategically—to Arch2O’s growth, ensuring that emerging architects, academics, and creatives have a space to question, explore, and elevate the built environment.