“I love reinventing our tradition by giving it a modern and luxurious vocabulary”
Keen to develop a “more indigenous language of cool” instead of merely emulating existing concepts of design, Divya Thakur launched Design Temple two decades ago with global India as a pivotal inspiration for her graphic design studio. Soon, she started creating products and home décor accessories that were witty and cool while drawing from Indian culture and concepts. The stories caught on because no one had explored India in a way that was both subtle and fun. Her tableware, vases and furniture won appreciation at international platforms in London, New York, Milan and Stockholm for their innovative twist to Indian cultural references. The Parrot diaries, Cheerharan Toilet Paper, Mantra Matchboxes and the quirky Black Tongue Cleaner were spotted by the team at Victoria and Albert Museum, London, which won Thakur a commission to curate an exhibit on Contemporary India for them. This was followed by furniture comprising the Pillar Pods and Damroo series at the Maison &
Objet trade fairs in Paris. “I think the Indian way of life has a lot to offer the world. I love reinventing our tradition in a modern and luxurious vocabulary,” she says. A brand that makes “intelligent and emotive” products, Design Temple explores mythology, history and culture through its creations. With the Animania series of products on 12 of India’s endangered species done in retail partnership with Good Earth, Thakur brought into focus the concept of animal conservation and much later, the Neel Chakra, designed as part of the Elephant Parade India in 2018, saw a blue elephant with a trunk-to-tail ornament inspired by the Indian concept of seven energy chakras.
What inspires you?
We use India subliminally where we take Indian concepts and the way of living as inspiration. There is no pop art, kitsch or clichés of any kind. We create a contemporary language for our products such that they reveal themselves to you slowly. These are designs that you want to live with and pass on as heirlooms and not just trendy products that you will tire out of easily. For instance, we have vases on Varanasi that are inspired by Shahid Datawala’s beautiful abstracts on the ancient city. We have a series based on Mohenjodaro, where we have used the cheerharan as an inspiration and we are bringing into our furniture the Indian concept of multi-functionality. The Dumroo stools can be used anywhere or the pillar pods can double up as champagne buckets.
Pick a favourite?
A favourite from the furniture line is the traditional munshi table, which was a floor table that was used by accounts of yore, and has now been given an interesting adaption as a laptop table for contemporary use. PRICE `3,000 to `25,000