How to Have an Inspired Landscape

Award-winning landscape architect Kunal Maniar talks about what to and what not to do while designing your landscape

Kunal Maniar. Photo by Neville Sukhia

Kunal Maniar is the mind behind some of India’s finest landscape designs – having crafted masterful landscapes for clients including Mukesh and Nita Ambani, Shah Rukh Khan, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and in sectors ranging from hospitality to luxury residences. In a conversation with India Design ID, he reveals his key insights for effective landscape design, which he likens to an art form that brings together strategic spatial thinking, ecology and design.

Podium garden in Mumbai. Photo by Gajendra D. Mandrekar

What should a good landscape design achieve?

I think a key objective of residential landscapes is to bring nature into our immediate living environment to reconnect with the elements. They should serve as sanctuary spaces where one can forget the burdens of the outside world, and feel a sense of healing and relief from the stress of hectic schedules and fast-paced life. It’s also a way to do your part for the environment – mindfully designed residential landscapes can support biodiversity, and contribute to microclimate creation and local flood risk mitigation.

Podium garden in Mumbai. Photo by Gajendra D. Mandrekar

What are the key features in landscaping? What should one look to bring in?

Instead of constantly trying to ‘add’ or bring in elements, one should prioritise ways to exploit the existing conditions – the views, natural light, the topography, or even any interesting rock formations. Secondly, one should try to conjure a multi-sensorial experience of nature for users of the space – this could be through scented plants, the sound of water or footsteps on gravel, and pit stops to take in views. Ideally, there should be a seamless blend between the landscape and the built form.

Villa in Alibaug. Photo by Gajendra D. Mandrekar

Villa in Alibaug. Photo by Gajendra D. Mandrekar

What are the essential elements for an inspired landscape?

1. A well-curated planting plan that prioritises indigenous varieties, plays with scale and layering, and perhaps has a colour story or olfactory scheme.

2. Mindful hardscaping that allows water to percolate into the ground, for instance a driveway made of gravel from repurposed construction debris, or pathways made of locally sourced natural stone slabs laid loosely on the ground without any cement and mortar fixing.

3. A plan that plays with the dualities of light and shade, hide and reveal.

4. Tastefully selected outdoor furniture, be it an al fresco dining table, a bench, day beds, or the right cushions for a sunken seating area.

5. Décor elements to tie the space together – this could be as simple as boulders from excavation littered strategically across a site.

House in Delhi. Photo by Gajendra D. Mandrekar

House in Delhi. Photo by Gajendra D. Mandrekar

**What is that je ne sais quoi that elevates any landscape design to an inspired one?**

I believe in taking the approach of a storyteller whilst designing. Having a strong spatial narrative that binds disparate elements into a cohesive whole, and guides one through the space can really set a project apart.

What not to do in your outdoors?

One should definitely avoid a big lawn space – not only is it expensive to maintain, it’s also a waste of water, which is highly insensitive given the proportion of our population that is facing water scarcity. It’s also crucial to avoid choosing the wrong hardscape materials and creating too many impermeable surfaces on a site. As water isn’t allowed to percolate into the ground, it adds to stormwater runoff and exacerbates local flood risk.

What’s the biggest misconception about landscape designing?

People often relegate the field of landscape architecture to glorified gardening or merely horticulture, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a rare form of living art that combines strategic spatial thinking, ecology and design.

Villa in Alibaug. Photo by Gajendra D. Mandrekar

Villa in Alibaug. Photo by Gajendra D. Mandrekar

What are your greatest landscaping inspirations, and why so?

I mainly draw inspiration from my travels, different craft forms, fashion, and of course, diverse landscape typologies from different cultures across the world. That being said I do love to explore the work of others, be it Luis Barragan’s bold compositions, Piet Oudolf’s inspired plant palettes as seen in the NYC Highline, or Geoffrey Bawa’s genius oeuvre in the tropical realm.

What is an ideal outdoor space?

According to me, the ideal outdoor space is one that is designed with the intention of fostering symbiotic relationships, and being in sync with nature rather than sitting within it as an imposition.

What positive trends are you seeing in India? What would you like to change?

I think one positive trend is that people are trying to be more environmentally conscious, instead of only being concerned about aesthetics, or getting caught up in vanity. Something I would definitely like to see more of is ‘xeriscaping,’ an inherently sustainable approach to landscaping that requires minimal maintenance and conserves water. This goes beyond merely using succulents- it also involves prioritising native species, minimising lawn space, and using resource- efficient techniques like drip-irrigation.

Terrace garden in Mumbai. Photo by Gajendra D. Mandrekar

Terrace garden in Mumbai. Photo by Gajendra D. Mandrekar

Could you share a design intervention that has surprised you? Something that worked wonderfully, something that didn’t… any anecdote that was a source of great insight to you?

A challenging yet very exciting project that I was surprised we pulled off was a private terrace garden at Ceejay House in South Bombay. The terrace had to take about 1500 kilograms worth of plants and mature Frangipani trees to create a microclimate, and a rich habitat for local biodiversity. This seemed like an impossible task at the time, but we introduced structural changes, and made it happen. It all paid off because despite being located at the beachfront, exposed to strong winds, the garden has really stood the test of time, is still just as beautiful and serves as a haven for birds. I guess the insight here for me was that no dream is too big and an ambitious creative vision doesn’t always have to be compromised!

Terrace garden in Mumbai. Photo by Gajendra D. Mandrekar

Image caption, harmoniously combine two usually distinct indulgences

The link between the two main areas, the one closest to the entryway with the bar counter and lounge and the one at the rear reserved for aesthetic treatments, is a decorative feature with a great scenic impact: a series of deep blue glass portals guides the gaze towards the beauty area, giving the space perspective depth and a theatrical feel. This liminal space also houses the boutique and the facial bar, functions that will cater for a passing public and have faster times than the more complex treatments, as well as delineating the perimeter of the two lounges. “The management of flows and technical spaces,” the architects tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.” cts tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.”The link between the two main areas, the one closest to the entryway with the bar counter and lounge and the one at the rear reserved for aesthetic treatments, is a decorative feature with a great scenic impact: a series of deep blue glass portals guides the gaze towards the beauty area, giving the space perspective depth and a theatrical feel. This liminal space also houses the boutique and the facial bar, functions that will cater for a passing public and have faster times than the more complex treatments, as well as delineating the perimeter of the two lounges. “The management of flows and technical spaces,” the architects tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.” cts tell us, “was especially complex. The brief for both Ballard & Fant’s identities were quite specific and binding, so the phases of the choice of space and the layouts of the areas were the most challenging points in the whole project.”

The choice of materials and finishes was in keeping with this chromatic landscape. “Through the moodboard we visualized the allure of the space,” explains Pennesi. “An interplay of alternations between more or less tactile surface textures, contrasting colors and opaque and translucent finishes that create intriguing peep-through effects.”
This led to the choice of stoneware tiles by Ceramica Sant’Agostino, which deck the floors and bar counter with their dense and uniform speckled pattern and bind together the different areas into which the space is divided, wth laminates from Arpa Industriale and Kaindl, used respectively for the support surfaces and the structures of the bespoke furnishings.
“We chose these materials for both aesthetic and functional reasons. Aesthetic because this type of semi-finished product has color ranges that enabled us to make choices consistent with the palette we created; and practical because they are wearproof materials and ensure easy sanitization. In particular, Fenix, a special laminate we used to coat the counter top, with a surface that has a non-porous outer layer, makes the material easy to clean and suitable for contact with food as well as fingerprint-proof and pleasant to the touch.”
Even the lighting was curated in detail, helping create a pleasant and richly detailed environment. Bellhop cordless table lamps designed by Barber & Osgerby for Flos, illuminate the tables with their discreet light. Suspended above the bar counter is a spectacular suspension composition created with a series of “leaves” in Diphy polycarbonate. Designed by Mirco Crosatto for Stilnovo, it was inspired by a fascinating Japanese plant, whose flowers turn as transparent as crystal in contact with water.

How to Have an Inspired Landscape

Award-winning landscape architect Kunal Maniar talks about what to and what not to do while designing your landscape

What should a good landscape design achieve?

What are the key features in landscaping? What should one look to bring in?

What are the essential elements for an inspired landscape?

What is that je ne sais quoi that elevates any landscape design to an inspired one?

What not to do in your outdoors?

What’s the biggest misconception about landscape designing?

What are your greatest landscaping inspirations, and why so?

What is an ideal outdoor space?

What positive trends are you seeing in India? What would you like to change?

Could you share a design intervention that has surprised you? Something that worked wonderfully, something that didn’t… any anecdote that was a source of great insight to you?

Image caption, harmoniously combine two usually distinct indulgences

Image caption, harmoniously combine two usually distinct indulgences

Image caption, harmoniously combine two usually distinct indulgences

Image caption, harmoniously combine two usually distinct indulgences

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**What is that je ne sais quoi that elevates any landscape design to an inspired one?**