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5 studios bringing Indian craft into modern homes
In a world dominated by fast-paced mass production and cookie-cutter designs, there is a growing demand for products that carry a historical narrative or an interesting backstory. India is home to a treasure trove of indigenous crafts that are a combination of regional cultural influences, unique artisan skills and time-honoured techniques that have been meticulously practised over decades and sometimes centuries. They encapsulate community practices and are symbolic of rituals and traditions that span generations.
Unfortunately, many such crafts have lost their value today due to a variety of factors, including lack of demand, dwindling number of skilled artisans and stagnation of designs. 'At Nolwa Studio, we believe that traditional Indian crafts have the potential to enrich the modern design landscape. Their design language and vocabulary might have stagnated, but the skills, processes and knowledge are definitely relevant and offer us possibilities for contemporary expression and reimagination,' says Rohit Naag, Founder and Creative Director, Nolwa Studio.
Modern designers are integrating the nuances of indigenous crafts into contemporary products, thereby ensuring that each design carries a piece of history and cultural significance. 'Such products embody the value of the human touch. Beyond being a story of patience and remarkable craftsmanship, such products are inherently unique, where no two are alike. They offer the charm of owning something distinctive and whose value only deepens with time. Each craft has a distinct purpose and has evolved with a deep sensitivity to local climates and materials,' says Amrita Guha, founding partner, Furgonomics.
Such products bring character, meaning, and soul into modern spaces. 'They offer a bridge between the past and present, anchoring contemporary living in centuries of culture, symbolism and technique. In many ways, our evolving aesthetic is a return to authenticity, and craft is central to that journey,' says Sidharth Rohatgi, Design Director, Fos Lighting. Here is a look at five organisations leveraging the rich heritage of Indian craft to create functional yet aesthetic interior products.
Fos Lighting, New Delhi
A key trend going strong in luxury lighting is personalisation. Fos Lighting is of the firm belief that lights should not only illuminate a space but also evoke emotion. 'Our handcrafted lights invite people to bring a piece of their culture home, sparking nostalgia while adding timeless elegance. Whether it's a brass lotus lamp or a light adorned with Kashmiri embroidery, these elements elevate interiors with layers of story and substance, adding a touch of relevance and emotion,' says Rohatgi. The brand works closely with skilled artisans, and their handcrafted lamps and lighting fixtures feature age-old crafts and techniques like inlay and engraving. Brass navkashi work, where intricate hand-chiselled designs are crafted on brass, is used to lend a temple-like grandeur to wall sconces and pendant lamps. Marble inlay from Agra, traditionally seen in Mughal architecture, has been reimagined to enhance the look and feel of table lamps and wall lights with contemporary lines. 'We use delicate Rashida embroidery from Kashmir over fabric lamp shades to add texture and depth to lighting. Terracotta and clay work, moulded and painted by hand, finds its way in rustic outdoor lighting and warm ambient fixtures. Often, our artisans themselves suggest which materials or techniques will best express a design. It is a collaborative, evolving process that ensures both craft preservation and innovation in design,' says Rohatgi.
Furgonomics, New Delhi
Founded by Guha and Joya Nandurdikar, Furgonomics has been reimagining various Indian crafts, such as marquetry, Tarkashi, Sanjhi and Koftgiri for their products. 'The intent is to bring lesser-known crafts and the beauty they hold into the products we design, allowing them to reach a wider audience and thrive across generations,' says Nandurdikar. The duo has also been exploring craft traditions such as Kari Kalamdani, Pinjrakari, and Khatamband in shutters for wardrobes and partitions and Dokra in console tables. 'We enjoy using art forms in unconventional ways. All our products are exquisitely crafted by local artisans who have worked with these materials and techniques for years,' adds Guha. Other products from the brand include chairs whose sleek wooden form is enriched with silver edges that showcase Koftgiri, a rare Rajasthani craft where intricate silver inlays are done on iron or steel. They have also designed a tall storage unit featuring two shutters and a base crafted from Basalt (Indian quartzite). The piece is a bold fusion of decorative woodworking techniques like marquetry and Tarkashi, where solid wood serves as the canvas for an artistic interplay of these craft forms. Here, strong geometric graphics are used in an attempt to break away from traditional interpretations of the craft, offering a contemporary lens on age-old techniques.
Nolwa Studio, Hyderabad
Nolwa Studio has been reconceptualising traditional techniques by creating pieces that are not only rooted in heritage, but are also novel, contemporary and globally relevant. The brand has been revitalising Bidri, which is an intricate and traditional metal-inlay craft that involves a meticulous eight-step process, in their products like drop tables, lamps and mirrors. 'We combined Bidri, which is normally viewed as being purely ornamental, with design sensibilities that are not conventionally associated with the craft, such as avant-garde, organic forms, minimalism, and large-scale applications to create unique expressions that embrace the future while staying rooted. Our objects represent an uncommon scale, and achieving this scale required the development of new casting techniques and engineering innovations, allowing the craft to move beyond surface ornamentation and become integral to the object's form and function,' adds Naag. For instance, their monolith and horizon lamp are sculptural objects of illumination, while the drop table is a coffee table with a seemingly levitating base. All these objects celebrate craft, artistry and design and invite engagement, while having an element of functionality. 'By combining Bidri metal with wood in Liminal, a futuristic bar-cabinet, we are expanding possibilities for the craft beyond the familiar, thereby creating modern heirlooms that carry tradition into the future,' says Naag.
Design ni Dukaan, Ahmedabad
A multidisciplinary studio which believes that 'craft is generational while design is intentional', Design ni Dukaan has been creating products where materiality, craftsmanship, and spiritual philosophy converge. 'Whether we design a space or a swing, we try to translate the intangible, the nostalgia of crafts and the rhythmic labour of the artisan, into a tangible, architectural presence. Through collaboration with artisans, the craft is no longer just an object; it becomes a functional sculpture and a dialogue between tradition and reinvention,' says Veeram Shah, Principal Architect, Design ni Dukaan. The firm has been transforming wardrobe fascia through artistic interventions via textiles, cane, or inlays, making them more than just functional elements. Handwoven pattamadai paai or pattamadai mats from Tamil Nadu have been used not only in wardrobe fascia but also in swings, given their flexibility and ability to fold. 'We have also used Sujani weaving from Gujarat to create a partition screen for one of our architectural projects,' adds Shah. Their metal dismantle chair is an exploration of precision and modularity, a construction system that eliminates welding, relying instead on an intricate joinery system fastened with Allen keys. Crafted from teakwood and solid milled brass, with brass pipes forming structural connections, the chair is conceived as a kit of parts, allowing for complete disassembly and effortless reassembly.
Traditional Handicrafts Centre (THC), Jodhpur
This furniture brand, which takes pride in hosting a community of artisans and keeping artisan guilds and craft cultures alive, works with several craft forms and materials. Some of these include bone inlay, wood carving and wrought iron crafts. Their key specialisation is in bone inlay furniture, apart from sourcing, restoring, and reviving heritage Naga furniture pieces from Nagaland. Bone inlay originated in the royal courts of Rajasthan and was used to design palaces, temples, and treasured heirlooms. The process remains largely unchanged: every sliver of bone is hand-cut, shaped, and individually inlaid into carved wood. 'The bone inlay work we do is deeply rooted in heritage and built to last. Each piece is meticulously verified for quality and strength. We ensure that all camel bone used is ethically sourced, primarily from camels that have died naturally, and is often certified by local authorities,' says Priyank Gupta, Partner, THC. The firm is also dedicated towards preserving the intricate woodwork of Nagaland. 'We revive this age-old craft rooted in symbolism, community identity and storytelling. Each piece is ethically sourced from old structures and carefully restored using reclaimed teak wood, ensuring sustainability and authenticity at THC's Jodhpur workshop. The hornbill and geometric patterns, which reflect deep cultural meaning, are now adapted for modern interiors,' adds Gupta.
