Bead Magic!

"What we love about beaded curtains is that they not only allow for a play with color, light and texture, but also enable us to create natural connectors between spaces. They have the ability to create privacy without disconnecting an area from the rest of the house, office, bar or restaurant..." shares Sreeti Mondol, Principal Designer of "Memories of a Butterfly" an exclusive brand of customized bead curtains...

MOAB Bead Curtain in a Moroccan Restaurant

Team Zaarga caught up with Sreeti to find our more about her design projects, how these wonderful curtains get conceived for a space and most of all, to find out how our readers can bring some of that magic into their own spaces! Read on to find out what we have discovered for you!

1) What kind of spaces do you generally design for?

We do all kinds of spaces. We have done homes, restaurants, spas, bars, lounges, model flats. Our bead curtains have been designed for temple rooms, living and bedrooms, rooftops, kitchens and dining areas; doors, windows walkways, bedposts...the list really just goes on and on..

MOAB Bead Curtain at a famous SPA

2) In a domestic space, what are the typical areas where a Bead Curtain would fit best?

Typically......dining kitchen separators, dining living separators, entrance areas, temple rooms, stairways, bedroom entrances, bed posts.....

3) Can you share your experience on one of your most challenging/interesting projects?

MOAB Pomegranate Bead Curtain

Oh my, it would be really hard to single out any project, it can't be done, but I will say this, each type of client has their own charm but the consistent thing that comes out of any interaction, whether it be a serious and stoic client or an enthusiastic one.... the minute they see their curtain they melt like butter. Bead curtains bring out in all of us that same feeling that we felt when as kids we stared into a deep glass marble wondering how the universe could fit into such a small little glass ball :)

Just a few other things come to mind... when couples come to choose a bead curtain for their new house, I have experienced every extreme of emotions between them, they fight for what they think is best for their new house, to show their individual tastes...I love coming up with something that suits a man and a woman.... when the piece is done and up, they will often call to say how much they love it and how it represents them both, which is what matters the most.


Architects/interior designers designing for SPAs, hotels and restaurants love that bead curtains keep the spaces undefined yet private.... open spaces are are so important...

Often I'll have architects and interior designers order curtains for their own private spaces which is a great compliment to me.
　

4) How is MOAB different from others?

MOAB is different, as much as any company or brand that has a clear prespective, in that it knows who it is.

We like to keep things simple and straight and an environment like that brings about most joy and creativity for all involved. If business goals, design goals and most importantly people goals are kept straight, things stay true and smooth.

People who come to us will find openness in terms of design and idea and we will deliver to a clients contentment. So in a word, we truly customize not just our design, but our service as well. That's where our perspective is.


Possibilities with these beads are endless...few beads from MOAB collection.

5) Once a client gives a requirement, what is the creative process that happens from your end? How do you go about choosing the right beads and design for that space?

MOAB Champagen Bead Curtain at a Temple Room

Firstly the process is extremely customized, so it works differently with different clients, depending on their needs really. Our priority lies in being flexible not only in design but also in process for the client and for our own satisfaction on any project....

But a rough process:
Once an inquiry comes in usually by mail or call, I'll ask for a brief from the client in terms of:

- purpose of curtain
- pictures of surrounding area
- their aesthetic (with reference to curtains on our website or otherwise)
- the look and feel of their house
- area size
- budget indication
- walk through or not
- area where curtain is coming

I always prefer speaking to clients as it gives me a better feel for who they are, their taste etc. With international clients images are most helpful as calls are not always convenient.



MOAB Capiz Shell bead curtains
in the entrance area

Once we have reached some direction aesthetically, design-wise, timeline-wise and from a budget point of view, I send clients a few samples. From here on usually withing days clients gives the advance and in the due time, post payment, the bead curtain is either picked up by client or packed and couriered to them as per their preference.

Just a few more words on designing - if a client doesn't show a clear preference for something on our website (which they do 99% of the time) then I will design based on my understanding of their aesthetics and the images of the space they send me.  If they have indicated liking something from the website, then that gives a more clear starting point for me to customize a bead curtain for them. From there on, we play around with the already existing design but change bead density, color etc to perfect the curtain for the clients space.

Most of Memories of a Butterfly (MOAB) curtains can be reproduced in other color mixes and textures. So the scope is pretty endless.
　

6) How can a customer customize his/her bead curtain requirement through Zaarga?


Through Zaarga we have created a rare platform of a few retail pieces, although these pieces are also the ones that clients often want off our website as well as is without any changes, except in size dimensions. We already offer the opportunity to customize the pieces up in Zaarga for size and color.

Dining Kitchen Separator ordered by Z Customer from MOAB

For any more specific customizing, clients will need to touch base directly with us (through Zaarga in the loop). They would be asked to see Memories of a Butterfly website, to narrow down the creative process and then I would follow the same process as above.

This process would be available for larger units.


We sincerely thank Sreeti Mondol for giving us a glimpse of the wonderful world of beads and what goes behind the marvellous curtains! Reach us at team@zaarga.com for any queries on getting the right bead curtain for your space! We wish Memories of a Butterfly all glory and success!!

Cheers!
Team Z
Images Copyright and Courtesy: Memories of a Butterfly