The Transformational Console 001
by Kohelika Kohli Karkhana · New Delhi, India

BIOGRAPHY: Kohelika Kohli graduated as an architect in 2004 from the Pratt Institute of Design, New York USA. She completed her A-levels from Millfield School, Somerset, England where she first began to study art, design and carpentry. Before her return to India from NYC, Kohelika had spent time studying architecture in Italy and had travelled extensively throughout Northern and Southern Italy, with her professors and fellow students. It is in Italy that she discovered the works of Carlo Scarpa who has been till date a source of inspiration. She also interned in England with Sir Norman Foster and worked in New York for the well-known architectural and design firm, Oliver Cope Architects. They specialize in high-end town houses in NYC and homes in the Hamptons.On her return to India, Kohelika pursued a career in Architecture, Interiors and Furniture Manufacture. She is the Co-Founder and Creative Director of K2India, a multi-disciplinary company that has designed some of most beautiful homes in India and beyond. Kohelika’s spatial designs are immersive experiences that respect all five elements and emotively evoke all five senses. The hallmark of her work is a timeless sophistication, rich in understated detailing and fine hand craftsmanship.K2India’s work has been on the covers of many design magazines and in design books. In December 2023, Kohelika was awarded the 'EDIDA Designer of the Year India', for her range of unique and innovative furniture, designed for the furniture and product brand *KoKo by K2India. Kohelika Kohli Karkhana is her own specialised Atelier for which she selectively designs exceptional and limited editions of sculpturesque furniture. Her design vocabulary for products is enriched with working in tandem with wood, stone, textiles and bronze and other metals like steel and brass.PHILOSOPHY: Exploration and juxtaposition of contrasting materials is core to how Kohelika works. Constantly learning and applying new techniques allows Kohelika Kohli to fashion ideas into realisation. Materials often suggest the path and the next steps in the design process. While luxury is central to Kohelika’s designs, so too is minimalism and the repurposing of those materials that are considered waste or are supposedly mundane and ordinary. The idea of giving materials a second life, beyond just being a waste material, resonates deeply within her as an architect and as a designer.