Design Destination: The New Voices of Indian Design

Aku Zeliang works with indigenous artisans in Nagaland who carry generations of knowledge in their hands. The collaboration runs deep: he learns from their material wisdom, they explore new forms together. The resulting pieces – lighting, furniture, textiles – have reached luxury clients like Loewe and Caravane Paris, proving that authenticity travels well.

But Zeliang thinks bigger than individual pieces. His studio sustains entire communities of weavers, dyers, and carvers whose skills might otherwise disappear. His planned Craft School of Excellence at the Heirloom Naga Centre will preserve and advance loin loom weaving, natural dyeing, and lost-wax casting. For him, sustainability means ensuring artisans have work, not just using eco-friendly materials.

His approach challenges the typical luxury model. Instead of extracting craft traditions for global markets, he’s building systems where communities benefit directly. The rhythm isn’t set by deadlines but by the material itself: bamboo that needs proper seasoning, dyes that require the right season, hands that won’t be rushed.

“The process I value most is the shared rhythm — the quiet understanding that comes from working with hands, not just minds. It’s in the way materials are handled with care, and how time isn’t rushed. That respect for process — for listening to the artisan, for letting tradition guide the pace — is what brings real depth to the work. It’s less about control, more about trust”

Sona Reddy treats Indian design like it deserves museum-quality attention. Her Hyderabad gallery, Room Therapy Collective, showcases work from independent designers and small businesses, pieces chosen for their ability to transform spaces through pure craft excellence.

Each annual curation feels personal, grounded in Reddy’s two decades of design experience. She hunts for objects that will become heirlooms: functional pieces with enough artistic weight to pass down generations. The limited quantities and time windows create urgency, but also exclusivity. Each piece feels special because that is exactly what it is.

Room Therapy Collective works as both gallery and advocate. By bringing diverse voices under one roof, Reddy creates a stage for Made in India design that might otherwise stay hidden in small workshops. Her eye for quality and emotional resonance means every selection carries meaning beyond its function.

“these pieces are more than just functional objects; they are design objects—heirlooms that will elevate your home and endure for generations”

Vritima Wadhwa’s Delhi studio strips away everything non-essential to find what’s truly Indian underneath. Project 810’s work starts with materials – how they feel, what emotions they evoke – then builds forms that honor those qualities without falling into nostalgia.

The studio collaborates with local artisans but interprets their techniques through a contemporary lens of simplicity and restraint. The result feels both grounded and globally relevant.

Their process is research-driven but not academic. They explore material possibilities until something resonates, then refine form and proportion until it feels inevitable. Each piece carries what Wadhwa calls “the soul of craft” without looking traditionally Indian in obvious ways.

That restraint gives the work its strength. Project 810’s furniture travels well because it’s built on universal principles: good proportions, honest materials and thoughtful details that work whether you’re in Mumbai or Milan.

“We strive to engage local resources and collaborate with skilled artisans, creating work that feels authentic without being overtly traditional. This approach allows our pieces to resonate with a wide audience: they carry the soul of local craftsmanship while maintaining a timeless elegance that appeals to audiences everywhere”

Dhruvkant Amin makes minimalism feel warm. His Ahmedabad studio, Tectona Grandis, strips furniture down to its essence, then adds unexpected materials like hand-worked stone to bring it back to life.

The philosophy is “functional minimalism”, removing everything unnecessary until only the essential remains. But Amin avoids cold modernist perfection by collaborating with local artisans who bring expertise in stone carving, metalwork, and traditional joinery. Their skills add texture and humanity to otherwise clean forms.

The stone work has become a signature, blending natural textures with modern furniture. It’s technically challenging, achieving structural precision while honoring the organic qualities of the material, but that tension creates the studio’s distinctive character. Instead of copying historical forms, he gives traditional craftspeople new problems to solve. The result honors heritage through evolution, not imitation.

“Contemporary design can preserve heritage by adapting traditional skills to modern needs, making them relevant and marketable today. By collaborating with artisans and integrating their craft into clean, functional design, we create opportunities for sustainable livelihoods—honouring heritage while building futures. It’s about evolution, not imitation“

Josmo designs for how Indians actually live. Their furniture responds to multigenerational homes, tropical climates, and the reality that good design should enhance daily life, not impose aspirational lifestyles from magazines.

Each piece aims to evoke sensory memories – the feel of bark, the curve of a leaf, family gatherings. The work is playful but considered, witty but elegant.

Their approach prioritizes experience over form. Rather than creating objects that are meant to simply photograph well, they focus on how pieces feel in use, how they adapt to different lifestyles while maintaining distinct personality. The goal is furniture that grounds you in your space.

Josmo believes authenticity creates universal relevance. By designing honestly for their own context – Indian families, Indian weather, Indian ways of living – they create work that resonates everywhere. The specificity makes it universal, not limiting.

“We’re making furniture that responds to how we want to feel in our living spaces , not some aspirational lifestyle from a magazine. The pieces we create—they have to work in our climate, with our families, in our homes where multiple generations gather. That context shapes everything”

Creatomy uses advanced CNC machinery to achieve forms that would be impossible by hand, then finishes everything with human touch. The Ahmedabad studio sees technology as an enhancer of craft, not a replacement.

Their most successful pieces hide their technical complexity. Joints disappear into forms, structures support without drawing attention, engineering becomes invisible. This allows the emotional and cultural content to take center stage while ensuring everything works perfectly.

The studio collaborates primarily with artists rather than traditional craftspeople, bringing distinct creative perspectives to material and form. The process often starts with abstract ideas – brushstrokes, sculptural gestures – that get translated into functional objects without losing their essence.

Founded in 2014, Creatomy has spent a decade refining this balance between precision and soul. They use digital fabrication for consistency and strength, then add handmade details for individuality. The result feels both reliable and personal: contemporary Indian design that expands possibilities without losing character.

“Contemporary design can honour the past not only through technique but also through context. By inviting artists and makers to interpret their own narratives. This approach creates space for newer voices and evolving traditions, while also building sustainable ecosystems where creativity is valued as both cultural and economic capital”

Kohelika Kohli bridges classical proportions with contemporary needs. Her New Delhi furniture studio specializes in pieces that feel both timeless and thoroughly modern, drawing on India’s deep traditions while incorporating modernist principles of clarity and function.

Collaborations with artisans skilled in carving, inlay, metal casting, and embroidery give each piece emotional depth. But technology plays its part too: the use of CAD modeling and CNC machining ensures precision alongside craftsmanship, but the final expression always comes from human hands. Her work seeks balance: traditional and contemporary, handcrafted and architectural, rooted in place but relevant everywhere.

The studio’s approach demonstrates that heritage and modernity aren’t opposites, they’re different aspects of the same conversation. By understanding both classical proportions and contemporary needs, Kohli creates furniture that will age gracefully in any era.

“I believe spaces must reflect the people who inhabit them, the landscape they sit in, and the history they carry forward. Design, to me, is never static—it should evolve with time, while staying rooted in something meaningful. That search for timelessness, soul and relevance continues to shape everything I create”