The Amaya Library

The collection of books in the Library is curated by Deepak Gupta, our founder. To peruse the titles he has selected is to glimpse a snapshot of several of the elements that not only inspired the vision behind Amaya’s creation, but continue to guide its design philosophy and its ethos. The collection is varied and eclectic, featuring books on everything from architecture, painting, and photography, to embroidery, cookery, principles of design and more.

In many cases, the books are themselves works of art. Take, for instance, the utterly astonishing Phaidon book ‘Bird: Exploring the Winged World’. Showcasing thousands of years’ worth of bird depictions, from paintings and illustrations through to anatomical drawings and photographs, it’s a gorgeous book that chronicles an ancient love story between humans and the natural world. Perhaps after browsing through its pages, you will think of taking a little stroll into the forest, mindful of the birds singing amidst the pines, their sound now all the sweeter. The Amaya life is nourishment for the soul.

Text-and-plate encyclopaedias on North Indian temple architecture provide comprehensive insight into some of the foundational design principles that have shaped construction in the region for over two thousand years, while an illustrated Taschen volume on the Japanese architect Tadao Ando focuses the mind on truths central to Amaya’s philosophy: the beauty of simplicity, the richness of nature, and the exquisite harmony that follows when the contemporary comes together with the traditional.

The Amaya Library draws inspiration from disparate times and places and artistic disciplines, but these books are interwoven with common threads. Flick through their pages and witness Viennese artists feverishly painting their masterpieces as La Belle Époque draws to a tragic close; read of Eero Saarinen toiling away in pursuit of minimalist perfection as the iconic Tulip Chair begins to take shape; learn of Gujarati men and women, cobblers by trade, chain-stitching impossibly intricate embroidery with flawless precision. The Amaya shelves brim with tales of people inspired to defy artistic conventions, captivated by a radical aesthetic spirit, striving always to redefine beauty and elegance. It is this same spirit that has characterised life at Amaya ever since its very first brick was laid in the ground.