This month the focus is on luxury. It’s a tricky one for me because I don’t necessarily equate ‘luxury’ with something that is necessarily expensive. Elegant? Yes. A source of great comfort? Yes. Something that elevates your living experience by a good few notches? Hell yes. So open up the pages and get inspired. By products and spaces that may cost a bit but also by those that don’t. The book starts with a stellar group of entrepreneurs who through their extraordinary curatorial talents offer us beautiful global products and accessories for our homes. In the Portfolio pages this time, we showcase original drawings of iconic products and spaces by designer Karim Rashid. It’s a glimpse into Rashid’s eclectic world, how he creates designs and forms… We interview two other names that have made a mark in different ways - Simone Arora of SIMONE and D’Decor, and new star designer Edward Barber of Barber & Osgerby. In this month’s features, must see is Jayshree Bhalla’s (Se-arch Architects) designed home that for me is a perfect Indian home. Very modern in outlook but strongly anchored by rich traditions. Another must-see is the Jaipur residence by _Opolis Architects – the luxury of a large plot and availability of unique local materials evokes a design response that brings an indescribable lightness to this project. Last but not least, the entries for the TRENDS Excellence Awards for Architecture & Design 2015 have opened. Log onto www.trendsawards.in for information and for submitting your projects online. Goodluck. Cheers Preeti Singh