Boarding now: Mumbai-Dubai-London-New York-DC – Part 1

Hello! I am Manvi Drona-Hidalgo and I am really stoked that Greg invited me to blog at Design Talk. I want to give you a quick into on me and then move on to modern design.

I am a web and graphic designer transitioning into interior and home accessory design. I have a full time job as marketing and technology manager for a non-profit in DC. I was born in India, grew up in Dubai, UAE and Muscat, Oman, and have lived in New Delhi, London and New York. My husband and I have now made DC our home base. I recently started a design blog- www.mochatini.org.

I love to travel and am always on the look out for good design trends and products. My passion these days is everything sustainable, green, natural, reclaimed, organic and minimalistic (isn’t everyone’s?). Oh and I love to add splashes of bright colors to my work.

Now on to what I would like to introduce you to. I thought I would take you on an introductory journey to modern architectural design in some of the places I have lived and loved.

This is part 1. Because there is a long layover in Dubai :)

The Palmyra House in Alibagh, India by Studio Mumbai, is constructed entirely by sustainable harvested palmyra palm tree. The house, built on coconut plantation land, consists of two buildings separated by a pool and a courtyard. Its close proximity to Mumbai makes it a perfect retreat house.

The Opus building by Zaha Hadid in Dubai’s business bay district.

‘The Opus is a striking, fluid spatial building that refutes
traditional definitions of office functionality. All facets of the
project have been meticulously designed to provide optimal use of the
space, with materials sourced to provide durability, efficiency,
operation and maintenance whilst reducing noise to sustain privacy. ‘

Dubai’s Business Bay District

Tameer Towers, commercial and residential project in Abu Dhabi.

Oh and did I mention I met my husband on a plane? We sat next to each other on a flight from Dubai to New York. See you next week for part 2 of this journey.