Appreciation of a discreet Sri Lankan designer: Niloofer Ekanayake.

A designer, world renown or discreet has one solid ambition; that in the tangible production of their thoughts and ideas they would change, alter or improve the life perspectives and ideals of those that they come across. Niloofer Ekanayake is one of Sri Lanka’s hidden treasures, having peaked as a "creative" while starting her new life in Germany. Having made an excursion back to Sri Lanka after eleven years of travel and high end living, this is her story, written in the words of a young designer who found her to be a silent but raging source of demiurgic energy. Niloofer, currently residing in Germany caters to their blue blood clientele and works with elite demographic. She is living confirmation that exposure is the essence of great design and has subjected her mind to design and art development at many creative establishments. Initially taking the road as a fashion designer in Switzerland, Niloofer sought to educate herself in the technical workmanship of the field. She is a firm believer that perfect execution of an idea comes from painful observation of design detail and that the more awareness you hold of a craft or art form the more dynamic the end production becomes. While residing in Sri Lanka, Niloofer attended Ladies College, Colombo and shared that it was her years there that birthed a heart of embarkation in the arts. A student known to have walked the school grounds never absent her sketchbook and pencil, Niloofer knew, even in her younger years that she would be at her happiest when she found herself in the middle of great art circles and rendezvous with designer personalities. In the early eighties her yearning spirit led her to study Archaeology and in that path to understand the elements of Architecture. Immersed in the creative industry with several design genres in her hands Niloofer Ekanayake has birthed many amazing spaces in interior design and has produced works of art that measure among the most beautiful in European villas. Being a lead ceramic designer for one Germany's most exclusive and recognized tiling brands Niloofer has mastered the art and technique of mosaic. With her perfectionist eye she has created feature and decorative elements in many of her interiors using mosaic tiling, often portraying a storyline that is familiar to the clientele. When asked of customer satisfaction, her sweet response was that her interiors were personal, playful and permanently relaxing. Like many in the creative field Niloofer has her favorite styles and eras, hence she finds illumination and insight in them. A stylist's art form is their precious comfort zone. They are captured by it and are committed to rebirthing the gestures of the adored period in modern spaces. Niloofer is very intimate with the Victorian era, and all its refined sensibilities. It was a time where English families chose to live very domestic and private lives; encouraging privacy and sharing grandeur only by extended invitation. The Industrial Revolution that formed during this time dramatically impacted the interiors, arts and culture of the Victorian era. With the increasing wealth of the middle class new avenues of residential design there before unknown and unfamiliar opened up to them and many bourgeois homes filled with decorative pieces that were till then only seen in the homes of aristocrats. It was an era of new cultural interests, prosperity and status. Victorian Interiors speak loudly that bareness in a space is a sign of poor taste. Niloofer has taken the best of the era and its attention to craft detail and has combined it with her own contemporary minimalist approach. Niloofer prefers organic shapes to geometric ones, but said that all artwork and interior fixtures should flow in line with the existing space; it isn’t always about reinventing the wheel but sometime making subtle changes leading to perfection and applying features that complement the interior. She is a patient designer and is also a restorator. In the mid-nineties she started working on murals and wall paintings. Her work is similar to that of an expressionist, always intuitively perceiving realistic detail from her subject matter. Niloofer plays a significant part in the upkeep of her cities art forum and spends her leisure time painting spontaneously in art friendly groups. Whimsical fancy is a proper descriptive of her work and each individual piece carries with it a certain gist of magic. Holding any viewer, whether it be field professional or crayon yielding babe, in awe of the creation and leaves them with a deep desire to know the creator. One of her most significant interiors was recently completed in Mallorca, Spain; a residential design in the form of Spanish villa, in which Niloofer personally rendered and executed the tilling, walls and coloring of the space. It was here that this beautiful lady taught me that in order to be a successful designer one must be an all-rounder, willing to even pick up the pins; knowledge is power and that to be the creator of a space one should be in complete awareness of the project and be hands-on if need be. Niloofer's spaces are all touched by her artistic impression, directly by her hands in one form or the other, and this provides the space with an ambiance unique in character and godly in experience. When asked about the current art, design and architectural movement in Sri Lanka, she smiled prettily and replied that Sri Lanka has a beautiful wave of creation subjecting itself majorly to the geometric alignment of the Bauhaus movement. However she believes that it also the prime period for young designers with fresh perspectives to step up to the task and provide more contemporary and Avant-garde spaces. As a lecturer in a leading design school in Germany, she is very supportive of the new faces in the industry and said she looked forward to seeing what this quirky generation would create to grace Sri Lankan lifestyle. Niloofer expressed that every lead designer, earns a brilliant reputation by knowing how to handle their task team. She is personally very specific about whom she employs in her projects as it something she is very passionate about, and wants to surround herself and the project with those equally committed to seeing perfect completion. She has a face of compassion and whispered afterwards, that it wasn’t all about qualifications; that qualifying is a work in progress always, but that it is someone’s heart and soul that truly makes them eligible to design and partner with her. She is not a believer in branding, but says each person is their own brand and this fascinating diversity is something to be treasured and sought after; some are fortunate to have early exposure to the creative world from the society they are born into, but this doesn’t stop the impoverish from surprising you in their creative element. It is about how someone see's circumstances and moments in life. To an ordinary man or woman it would be only what they can see, but to an extraordinary individual it is always something more. Those that follow unseen things look for magical experiences and seek diligently for more than what is before them; the design field is a spring of opportunity. Creativity becomes the saving grace of the unusual identity. Niloofer hopes to someday soon, see a space in Sri Lanka to completion and perhaps even exhibit her artwork in our galleries. She prefers to live in Germany as she has built herself a very comfortable and enticing lifestyle there, but said she wouldn’t mind temporarily working in the island given the right circumstances. Not only is this lady a complete creative wonder but she is also a mother. Having brought her young daughter to our rendezvous, she expressed to me that one can truly have it all. Her family is very supportive of her work and her daughter would sweetly quip in about how her mother was very involved in the artistic functions at her school and that their home was a constant explosion of one art project or another. In concluding our interview i left her with farewells and hoping she would have a safe journey back home. I made my best attempt to assimilate as much as i could about her, all the while my mind asking why has such a person had never been spoken of before in our design circles. I felt very fortunate to have spent the evening in the company of such an inspirational personality and was touched by the sincerity of her character. She is a woman who has the whole world at her feet and is still so down to earth, , a discreet designer living the dream, uncorrupted by her fame but still moving in humility. Niloofer Ekenayke has altered my context and attitude towards allurement, the creative and becoming an exceptional designer; "there is no experience more precious than being human and feeling and in those expressions of your heart you will find all the inspiration you need."

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

The world of interior design is one that changes trends and spatial settings at a very fast pace. Many times new space builders are left with a furry of ideas and concepts, finding too many choices before them; to create the most pleasing interior for their personal pleasure and function. Our team here at Top Properties would like to render our service and expertise in the field to you, so that you may have the perfect interior with minimal hassle. The current trend most buyers take to is the renovation of older spaces with vicinity friendly exteriors, into contemporary high end interiors. Hence we have chosen to answer renovation and modification of space related questions within this issue. Q. After living together in a smaller deluxe space, my husband and I are moving into a beautiful, yet very old colonial home in Colombo 7 left to us by family. The exterior needs a lot of work. And we are expecting a baby soon and would like your advice on how to create a modern interior that is still family oriented. A. Firstly, in regard to the renovations of your new home’s exterior; there might be a few restrictions if the site is under National heritage listings, and changes to the structure itself might be prohibited. Please check with the UDA on the specifics and know your can’s and cant’s before proceeding further. (Most of the time this is done to preserve the vicinity architecture and value) Don’t fret if this turns out to be the case, there are still many wheel-tweaking ways in which you can personalize your exterior. In regards to the interior, given that this is a very old structure, we advise the hired help of a professional in clarifying utilities and wall structure before any kind of demolition is done. There might be certain features that you would like to preserve as well, features that are telling of the original space, yet complimenting the new one. In this transition time, it is best for you to consider what kind of family environment and atmosphere you want to create within your walls. Interiors impact your moods, desires and they set the ambiance to alter your temperament, especially in the case of residential design. Many young couples make the mistake of not separating their own space from the baby’s. Most of the time this is due to cultural methods and standings; however it is best to always divide and mass the space in such a way that the two of you are guaranteed some privacy and this will save you a costly design change in a few years as your family expands. There are standard family friendly color palettes and textures but we advise that you find a palette that represents your lifestyle and routine. For instance if you are a couple that likes to entertain and host; it would not do to set your entire home in a never ending conspiracy of pastel shades. Even for the children’s mass of the house don’t restrict your choices to norms and conservative views. As mentioned earlier a significant part of residential design is perfecting a personal emotional connection to the space. If you are overwhelmed with these choices there are many qualified residential designers, who are of diverse design backgrounds, currently in the island. It is not like it used to be, with a handful of design opinions; the industry has flourished to a place where there are many able. Q. Having lived in Britain for the greater part of my life, I am back in Sri Lanka and am currently living with my parents. This is a temporary situation and I will be moving to a more feasible location soon. In creating this new home I would like to hold close the beautiful colonial architecture that I lived with over there. I am willing to invest fully into this endeavor. A. Designers who cater to a specific era or period of design and architecture are called stylists; by viewing a portfolio you can identify exactly who you want to work with, as there are different specifics and elements that make one colonial building different from another built a decade later, but still of the same era. Colombo is, has and for a very long time will be in love with colonial features in buildings. Also visiting sites rich in the influence of this era, for example The Colombo National Museum, will help you gain an understanding of how you can make what you are familiar with collaborate beautifully with the natural elements of the island. In regard to ventilation and weather control compromises or decisions will have to be made given the climate difference between the two destinations. Also if you are interested in digging deep into the eras roots and styling your interiors with era appreciative designer wares make sure you purchase alongside professional understanding of the furniture or decorative pieces being from the British period of rule. Many attempt to create blue collar spaces by purchasing era-related furniture and totally miss the difference between something that was created in the time of the British, to the time of the Dutch or Portuguese. A trained eye can easily tell you the difference, and the we believe that in the perfection of detail your new home will convey more reality than a space set up to represent. Q. How does one go about making a new piece seem more aged? In specifics: wooden furniture. Well for starters, we always encourage buying the best, product wise. But this can be a hassle in regard to budget as genuine antique pieces are very pricey. There are many product aging/distressing paint treatments available today. First you must find an area to work on the piece that provides ample ventilation and space to rotate the object. Once you have found the appropriate treatment, do sample work on several medium size flats of the same material. This way you will be able to evaluate things like: number of coats necessary, color contrast and texture flow direction, before you touch the actual piece. Before starting see if your supply of paint, sandpaper, specified brushes, etc is all up to par and ready to go. Many of these treatments involve good time management and it would not do to leave the piece outside and go on a last minute material hunt. Lastly when you are satisfied with the distressed look of the piece of furniture, be sure to clean off any paint dust that the sanding left on the piece. Allow the paint to further dry completely. Thank you for directing these questions to us and we hope that they have been answered to your satisfaction. We plan on finding another specific subject to focus on in our next issue and await your suggestions and inquires. Our team wishes you all the very best in creating dynamic interiors, beautiful and personal to you.