Changing shape of art Founders of Monai speak to the Mirror Magazine about their love for stark geometric designs
Are you into geometrical shapes and monochrome with splashes of colour? If you are, Monai is bound to have something to keep you happy. The lifestyle brand was launched at the first Colombo Design Market last December and has made rapid strides with its understated, yet stylish offerings.
Abdullah
The brains behind the business are Naomi Abeysiriardane, Dilshan Abeysiriardane and Abdullah Abdeen. Naomi is a former advertising professional with a penchant for graphic design, and drives the creative end of the business. “I’ve always wanted to branch out on my own,” she says. Finally deciding to take the plunge, she quit her job to embark on producing simple, black and white paintings that they made public at the December design market. The response was immediate-“we must have sold around three or four,” remembers Naomi’s husband Dilshan, who handles accounts, marketing and sales. “There was a lot of interest and follow up orders.”
Naomi
Their friend Abdullah handles the logistics of the business. This can include anything from sourcing the wood panelling for paintings to setting up a varnishing station (a rather science lab-type setup in the far corner of their workshop in Nugegoda). Both Abdullah and Dilshan chip in when it comes to production and design, but it’s largely Naomi who brainstorms the clever geometric designs that Monai products have acquired a name for.
Monai (an anagram of ‘Naomi’ and an allusion to the painter Monet) offers little knick knacks that are not only nice to look at, but are also practical. Their clay dishes remain popular, as do dishes made of a sturdy mix of Plaster of Paris and grout. The patterns inside these dishes and plates are usually in monochrome and are designed by Naomi-“they’re for people who like stark, geometric things,” she notes. “We do try to have the occasional splash of colour as well.” The square wall mirrors they make are ornamental, but also offer practicality in the form of hooks at the bottom to hang your accessories on.
Dilshan
Monai also offers paintings and code boards, which come inclusive of clever quotes. Their candle holders are best sellers, we’re told, as are the handy pen holders. They occasionally take on orders; for example, the team designed a set of elegant tiles to be used as placemats at weddings, which they say is the most challenging project they’ve taken on so far, and they also stock at Barefoot. Customers have been known to commission paintings; for example, a patron requested for her French bulldog to be captured and Naomi and her partners rose to the task with gusto. The result? A geometrical rendition of man’s best friend in black and white. “We offer a lot of lifestyle products for now but we hope to branch out soon,” says Abdullah. The learning curve, they smile, has been quite an experience. The business operates through Facebook, but the team prefer meeting their customers face to face at markets. “We’re perfectionists,” Naomi says. “It’s nice to meet customers and have their feedback so we can evolve.”
Find Monai on Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/DesignsByMonai