CHANGING THE GAME
From beds that spilt and come together to terrazzo dining tables, these designers are changing the way we look at furniture
Ten designers that are changing the way we look at furniture
“DESIGN SHOULD ALLOW PEOPLE TO FEEL CONNECTED”
Arun Kullu, 44 and Suman Sharma, 46 Mangrove Collective, Faridabad www.mangrovecollective.in
A venture dedicated to building extraordinary furniture, an amalgamation of traditional craftsmanship and state of the art technology, Mangrove Collective was found in 2015. The vision? To bring customised, ethically manufactured and durable designs to the Indian markets. Arun Kullu and Suman Sharma, members of the core founding team, are trained furniture designers from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, and hold to their name many accolades and awards. Mangrove Collective uses wood, brass, mild steel, stone, cane and wicker among other materials to create their masterpieces and ensure the usage of natural over toxic materials. “The best part is the translation of 2D thinking into 3D objects, which requires the challenge of balancing aesthetic aspiration, locally available skills, efficiency and consistency in quality,” says Arun Kullu. Their products such as Sandook, the Verandah Sofa, and Chairpoy are a modern take on classic furniture pieces. PRICE on request
Kunaal Kuhaan Seolekar, 30
Pune, KOY www.koy.store
While running Studio Haus, an architecture and design firm in Pune, Kunaal Kyhaan Seolekar felt a need to explore different materials and “diverse artistic styles”. He eventually launched KOY, his brand of furniture, in 2017. His techniques are designed to mimic natural landscapes and textures of India and the in-house research and development team experiments with materials and methods such dressing fibreglass in terracotta, hand dyeing natural cane with organic pigments and airbrushing surfaces to resemble water bodies reflecting starry nights. The Cosmos series has a collection of hand-carved marble legs in assorted colours and brought together with a top of raw wood or marble slab. The top is shaped to depict iconography inspired by Indian philosophy. In the Popcorn Armchair, another iconic design by the brand, layers of fibreglass sheets are hand moulded and shaped to make for comfortable seating and its popularity has seen the chair evolve and has been crafted in high gloss lacquer, plush fabrics and terracotta. “We work with an array of handcrafted objects of fantasy primarily consisting of menagerie of marbles, artisanal woods, rainbow metals and ethnic fabrics,” says Seolekar, who studied architectural design at the Parsons School of Design in New York and creates pieces for top resorts, hotels, retail spaces and homes. PRICE `2,000 to `5 lakh
Samira Rathod, 56
The Big Piano, Mumbai www.srda.co
Years after her first solo furniture exhibition at Mumbai’s Bajaj Hall, in 2000, where all 20 pieces were sold out, Samira Rathod launched The Big Piano in 2017. An alumnus of the University of Illinois where she studied her Masters in Architecture, Rathod went on to design furniture with a partner in Transforme Designs but moved out to focus on her multidisciplinary architectural practice. All along, she continued to design “highly customised furniture,” for her clients but the growing demand saw her launch her line with The Big Piano, named after her favourite musical instrument which is a fine blend of engineering and design. Every piece, be it a chair, a table or a bar, has a story and the designs are all handcrafted and made from mostly recycled wood, metal, sustainable material and polished with natural oils. “Each piece is designed not only for utility but also has a concept line,” she says. The Wave Table, which she designed 20 years ago as a gentle wave of water, is among her most memorable pieces along with the Hat Lamp and Horse Bar. Rathod enjoys experimenting with recycled materials and works with recycled wood, glass, paper, metals, parchment and leather. She is currently using bone china waste from factories to make powders, mix dyes and for crafting lamps.
PRICE `12,000 onwards
Pravir Sethi, 39
Studio Hinge, Mumbai www.studiohinge.in
Even as he ran his multi-disciplinary interior design studio working for leading Mumbai developers, Pravir Sethi, a Masters degree holder in Architectural Design at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, London, held a strong interest in furniture design. In 2014 he started designing bespoke furniture for his projects, balancing utility with innovative design. In 2017, he won the EDIDA Award for the Sweep Bed, an unconventional lockable bed set that can be combined into a double bed and separated into twin beds for the Cricket Club of India’s Chambers guest rooms. Sethi specialises in furniture that is flexible and fits perfectly into space-starved Mumbai homes. A much appreciated design was an extendable coffee table that slid open to reveal a glass inlay chessboard for a customer who enjoys playing a game of chess over days but needs to shield it from his cat. “It is out of situations such as these that we develop designs,” he says. The only Asian finalist at World Youth Designer Forum in Guangzhou last year, Sethi works with weathered metals, leather and resin for his furniture, which is bespoke for clients.
PRICE `25,000 onwards (for a chair)
Nishita Kamdar, 31
Studio Nishita Kamdar, Mumbai @studionishitakamdar (Instagram)
When in 2014 Nishita Kamdar founded Studio Nishita Kamdar, she was clear about keeping the designs simple so that every product could create a sensory experience for the user. Even now, after five years, one can find her constantly asking herself and her team a few questions— is the product pleasing to look at and does it perform its task well? “The answers to these questions lie in the correct use of materials and form,” says Kamdar. Following an exhaustive yet meditative research driven design process, she draws inspiration from just anything that pleases her and works with different materials. The case in point is the cantilevered black terrazzo dining table with brass edging that she did for a client. “With this project, we have tried to break the conventional idea of a work table,” she says. The table stands like a monolith island in the space between a living, dining and media room, modestly flowing into the adjoining room to become a shelf. “The large table is balanced on a two-foot minuscule base and a half height wall,” says Kamdar. A sloping bottom makes for a sweeping statement and the table becomes more of a sculptural piece, and a great room divider.
PRICE on request