The idea of an artistic retreat is not new. Many artists were known to travel far from home to find inspiration. Georgia O’Keeffe went to the deserts of New Mexico. Agatha Christie had a holiday home in Devon, UK, that she called, “the loveliest place in the world”. Joan Miró spent summers at his family’s farm along the Southern coast of Spain. But few can claim the storied legacy of their creative retreat like jewellery designer Hanut Singh, whose favoured summer escape at St Helen’s Cottage in Mussoorie has been visited by India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and is decorated with family photographs by the great Cecil Beaton donning its walls.
The charming, red-roofed mountain home was built in 1840 and has been in his family, the former royal house of Kapurthala, since 1890 when it was bought from its British owners by his great grandfather, the late Maharaja Jagatjit Singh. “It’s my sanctuary, my happy space, I do a lot of my creative work over here,” says the jewellery designer, whose eponymous brand is a red carpet staple. “I haven’t actually added anything to this home. It’s exactly as it was in 1840 but one keeps maintaining and upkeeping it.”
When he’s not at his home base in New Delhi or jetting to pop ups in New York, Singh’s days at the cottage overlooking the Himalayas are spent entertaining guests, mollycoddling his two poodles Kishmish and Jet Set, working on his jewellery, or pursuing his newly discovered hobby, painting.
Singh’s distinctive Art Deco-inspired pieces, that look like talismans for modern living, balance opulence with a pared-back elegance—think of his signature dagger charms that come studded with gemstones or his chandelier earrings with their minimal, linear forms. Like the designer, these pieces are well travelled, spotted from Cannes to Mumbai on women as diverse as Rihanna, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Demi Moore, Meryl Streep or Dimple Kapadia.
In the surroundings of his summer home, you can see the early beginnings of his dazzling career. “It’s full of precious heirlooms—my rock crystal collection, all the antiques from my grandparents time, all of them inspire me,” he says, as he takes us through the space that works as a cure for any creative block. “I have such amazing memories from my childhood here. The space has known me since I was born and the trees, the garden, the furniture, all of it knows me.”
Discussing his favourite topic (jewellery, what else?), The Nod catches up with Singh at his creative and comfortable best, to talk about the pieces he wears to sleep to the erotic designs that he’ll be taking to his grave. Watch the full video below:
