Hyderabad-based landscape designer P Jagan Mohan is an artist of sorts. Nature gets naturally incorporated into each of his projects, so that he draws for each customer a new painting that celebrates life through fresh, eclectic designs.

                     I believe in God. Only, I spell it Nature.” This famous quote by the widely admired architect Frank Lloyd Wright has become a mantra for Hyderabad-based designer, Jagan Mohan, Chief Consultant, Green Scene Studio. A pilot by profession, his passion for design, nature, art and all things creative drew him towards interior/landscape design over a decade ago. After landing two awards at a horticulture show in Hyderabad for his own home project, Jagan Mohan started his landscape and interiors firm, Green Scene Studio, in 1998. This has now evolved into a multi disciplinary design studio, which is currently working on more than 40 landscape and hospitality projects! What truly differentiates Jagan Mohan’s work in landscape architecture is that he not only designs landscape spaces but also designs functional spaces using nature as the key element. In a tête-à-tête with Shanti Padukone, he throws some light on his field of specialisation.

                     Trained as a pilot; you took up landscape design as a profession. How did this come about? 

You can call it my answer to destiny’s true calling. I’ve always been drawn to anything to do with nature and art. I started out by designing small spaces for friends at no charge, unleashing my talent and learning on the job. For me, design has always been about people, places and their response to the design. The need to merge all these factors together with the landscape and deliver a better design is an unconscious instinct. When I look back, I see that we have been doing decent work: with simple and honest materials and an aesthetic, yet functional design. Design fascinates me. I believe it has the power to influence the psyche of the end user. I don’t see it as landscape, architecture or interiors; I see design everywhere and in everything.

                  Is landscaping restricted to larger spaces only?

 Most people believe that landscaping is about bigger spaces, and nature cannot be spread creatively in small areas. However, I beg to differ. The narrow pocket that forms a part of the lower level of my studio premises in Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad – which we recently designed – is testimony to this. We turned this small space into a veritable secret garden: a resort-like setting in an urban space. The idea was to create an atmosphere in this tiny 400 sq ft space that we could not only enjoy but also showcase to the client. I call it a pocket-sized paradise! With a little imagination and planning, the smallest of nooks can be transformed into soulful pockets of heaven. 

What kind of landscaping would you say is ideal for small spaces like your office?

 In our office, we used locally available materials like laterite stone, bricks and dry walling for cladding. We have used a deliberately prese­nted combination of plants like Buddha’s belly, crab lily, giant bamboo and focus in a random mix; we combined this with a gravel bed, pebbles, wooden deck and artificial lawn in the floor. 

                Our aim was to combine simplicity and finesse to bring out the true essence of the space and a perfect blend with both softscape and hardscape elements. Indirect and soft mood lighting bring the exceptional elements into focus, underplaying the rest of the areas and creating visual depth.

 So, what truly distinguishes the landscapes you create from others is how they blend into the built space – or, shall we say, how the built space is part of the land­scape. How do you manage that?

 This is possible when we design the interiors and landscape together and in sync with each other. A good example would be a farmhouse we designed using trademark Mykonos colors like white, grey, aqua blue and turquoise. The doors and windows have been salvaged from old, run-down materials, and the colors add a Bohemian feel. The terrace is an island in itself, where nature comes into its own. Covered with a rustic pergola made of old bamboo and clad with flooring that is remi­niscent of the grey stone flooring in Greece, the design is influenced greatly from the surro­unding natural landscape. Also, for me, using color was very important. Given India’s vibrant and colorful culture, we don’t experiment much and tend to stick to monochromes. Apart from the enthusiastic use of color, we created quaint niches for candles, unique collages and various structures that blend in with the eclectic feel of the house. 

Your designs have a pleasing appeal and not an over-the-top feeling. How do you manage that? 

I believe that the hardest thing for a designer is to know where to stop. It is important to understand how much is too much. Hence, we ensure that everything is selected carefully to create a meaningful space that is rich by design and not by material. 

Moving on, how do you manage to integrate the landscape into the interiors when presented with a blank slate?

 It is all based on my imagination! For example, if you take White Sands – a restaurant located on the fifth floor of a commercial building in Hyderabad – all I had with me was an empty shell and freedom of creativity. The very site conjured up the image of ships anchored against the backdrop of waves on a lonely island. And, taking off from that, the ship took centre stage in the form of the bar. 

So, how do you incorporate your imagination into the project at hand? 

It’s rather simple. At White Sands, with the ship as the bar, we have used wooden flooring to clad what are called the ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ decks. A bridge connects these two terraces fusing the entire thing into 

one element. A unique design feature is the wine rack which has been carved out of unfinished logs and are lit by antique German lamps. Adding to the ship theme, the dining area is covered by canvas that billows like sails. The idea was to do something outlan­dish, unpretentious and minimalistic. Also, the casual atmosphere in the restaurant gives the space the freedom to be used in multiple ways. 

Finally, what would you deem as your design philosophy?

 I think most of my projects have a common focus: openness, simplicity and a strong focus on space planning, careful selection and judici­ous use of materials, and above all, the integra­tion of nature into design. Nature disarms people and creates calm within the chaos. The whole experience is about celebrating life and co-existing with nature! True that. And especially since celebration is what this self-taught designer is spreading through his projects, delivering award-winning work is just another pleasant fallout of this labour of love!