Houzz Forum: State of Indian Design
Leading minds of the design and art world give their views on where Indian design in headed
This discussion series brings together the country’s top design professionals to voice their opinions and insights on all matters related to architecture & design.
Indian design has experienced myriad changes through history – varied cultures, religions, rulers and climates have had numerous influences on it. Over time, globalisation, modernisation and technology affected the industry and a slow but steady change took place – the culture of handmade was replaced by machines, niche and one-of-a-kind design moved to mass-produced products and so forth. In today’s time, while there is a ‘throwback’ trend of reconnecting with our roots, there is also a leaning towards modern, western practices and aesthetics. So, what truly defines Indian design today? And where is this sector headed?
To answer the above, five leading creative thinkers from the industry share their views on the state of design in India.
Indian design has experienced myriad changes through history – varied cultures, religions, rulers and climates have had numerous influences on it. Over time, globalisation, modernisation and technology affected the industry and a slow but steady change took place – the culture of handmade was replaced by machines, niche and one-of-a-kind design moved to mass-produced products and so forth. In today’s time, while there is a ‘throwback’ trend of reconnecting with our roots, there is also a leaning towards modern, western practices and aesthetics. So, what truly defines Indian design today? And where is this sector headed?
To answer the above, five leading creative thinkers from the industry share their views on the state of design in India.
Sarita Handa
Founder and Creative Head,
Sarita Handa, New Delhi
I believe design today is an eclectic mix of our heritage and innovation. We are going back to our roots and taking inspiration from our heritage crafts and architecture to design something that is contemporary. The industry is heading towards parameters that are more personal and individualistic.
With this co-existence of traditional and contemporary there are challenges because to take something so pure and authentic and to translate it into something trendy yet classic requires phenomenal understanding of innovation and design. With the Make in India campaign now, I see a paradigm shift in how consumers and designers are viewing design today and relating to it.
Founder and Creative Head,
Sarita Handa, New Delhi
I believe design today is an eclectic mix of our heritage and innovation. We are going back to our roots and taking inspiration from our heritage crafts and architecture to design something that is contemporary. The industry is heading towards parameters that are more personal and individualistic.
With this co-existence of traditional and contemporary there are challenges because to take something so pure and authentic and to translate it into something trendy yet classic requires phenomenal understanding of innovation and design. With the Make in India campaign now, I see a paradigm shift in how consumers and designers are viewing design today and relating to it.
Bose Krishnamachari
Founder member and President,
Kochi Biennale Foundation, Kochi
De-Sign – the hyphen is essential. Our current design culture needs to delineate itself from artifice and surface, and look to our past in a refreshed manner. I often wonder about what we have lost and, more worryingly, forgotten. Indians are born into an incredible wealth of traditional wisdom: in architecture, folk and vernacular painting, performance and design born of practicality. We are blessed with millions of human stories, boundless heritage and societal complexity. We live with maximum density of human habitation and a diversity of real-estate monstrosities, replete with glass and mirrors, the white elephants encroaching on the left-over green, the expanding slums, their roof tops adorned with Bollywood imagery, faded and decayed political propaganda, the rusted corrugated tin sheets that mask our indifference. Here our hedonism and the less fortunate co-exist and in every part of the nation that remains sadly true. We are all influenced and bought by the brands of the first world but not by the soil we were born in. I hope that we walk the path of Gandhi and Buddha, and continually erase, delete and renounce the dictatorship of visual (and other) demagogueries. Philosophically, we talk about giving up egos, petty issues, forms, ideas, in yoga or in our prayers but we are failing to be steadfast enough to be aesthetically minimalist, in the way Gandhi always said – less is more. Always.
Founder member and President,
Kochi Biennale Foundation, Kochi
De-Sign – the hyphen is essential. Our current design culture needs to delineate itself from artifice and surface, and look to our past in a refreshed manner. I often wonder about what we have lost and, more worryingly, forgotten. Indians are born into an incredible wealth of traditional wisdom: in architecture, folk and vernacular painting, performance and design born of practicality. We are blessed with millions of human stories, boundless heritage and societal complexity. We live with maximum density of human habitation and a diversity of real-estate monstrosities, replete with glass and mirrors, the white elephants encroaching on the left-over green, the expanding slums, their roof tops adorned with Bollywood imagery, faded and decayed political propaganda, the rusted corrugated tin sheets that mask our indifference. Here our hedonism and the less fortunate co-exist and in every part of the nation that remains sadly true. We are all influenced and bought by the brands of the first world but not by the soil we were born in. I hope that we walk the path of Gandhi and Buddha, and continually erase, delete and renounce the dictatorship of visual (and other) demagogueries. Philosophically, we talk about giving up egos, petty issues, forms, ideas, in yoga or in our prayers but we are failing to be steadfast enough to be aesthetically minimalist, in the way Gandhi always said – less is more. Always.
Krsna Mehta
Founder and Design Director,
India Circus, Mumbai
The Indian home has always had a strong hold on design and functionality. Through history, we have been exposed to varied influences, from the Mughals to the British Raj, to modern-day cultural experimentations.
The Mughals left a large and visible mark on Indian design and this can be seen across contributions such as architecture and art. The Mughals were greatly influenced by Persian styles, showing uniform patterns both in structure and character. The paisley print that is today considered as exceedingly Indian, sources roots in the same Persian influence, as brought In by the Mughals.
In the post-British era, Indian art saw a rediscovery of colours and careful experimentations with global design. The Indian kitsch has outlasted and found itself a strong footing in the Indian art front. Indian design holds inspirations in heritage and modern interpretations of them. The emerging design trend is a pragmatic mix of culture, objects, and iconic elements, that contextualise contemporary Indian. Re-instigating traditional attributes and artistic adjustments through art, craft and material in well-balanced proportions is the future of progressive Indian homes.
Founder and Design Director,
India Circus, Mumbai
The Indian home has always had a strong hold on design and functionality. Through history, we have been exposed to varied influences, from the Mughals to the British Raj, to modern-day cultural experimentations.
The Mughals left a large and visible mark on Indian design and this can be seen across contributions such as architecture and art. The Mughals were greatly influenced by Persian styles, showing uniform patterns both in structure and character. The paisley print that is today considered as exceedingly Indian, sources roots in the same Persian influence, as brought In by the Mughals.
In the post-British era, Indian art saw a rediscovery of colours and careful experimentations with global design. The Indian kitsch has outlasted and found itself a strong footing in the Indian art front. Indian design holds inspirations in heritage and modern interpretations of them. The emerging design trend is a pragmatic mix of culture, objects, and iconic elements, that contextualise contemporary Indian. Re-instigating traditional attributes and artistic adjustments through art, craft and material in well-balanced proportions is the future of progressive Indian homes.
Laila Tyabji
Founder member and Chairperson,
Dastkar Society for Crafts & Craftspeople, New Delhi
India is a treasure trove of materials, motifs, forms and techniques. These are an amazing foundation for innovative new design. The challenge is to use these traditional inspirations in a lively, fresh way – to be Indian without being boringly ‘ethnic’, to be contemporary without being derivatively western. Foreign designers borrow freely from our Indian design directory while preserving their own signature. We, too, should see tradition as a springboard, not a cage.
Wall murals, blinds, doorknobs, drapes and upholstery, furniture, light fixtures, floor-coverings, tiles and panelling … there is a material and technique to fit every application. The wonder is that contemporary Indian architecture and interior design uses so few of them. Neglecting this rich indigenous vocabulary diminishes both our creative potential and our living spaces.
This story was last published in 2017
Read more:
Houzz Forum: State of Indian Architecture Today and Tomorrow
Tell us:
What are your thoughts on the state of Indian design? Share in Comments below.
Founder member and Chairperson,
Dastkar Society for Crafts & Craftspeople, New Delhi
India is a treasure trove of materials, motifs, forms and techniques. These are an amazing foundation for innovative new design. The challenge is to use these traditional inspirations in a lively, fresh way – to be Indian without being boringly ‘ethnic’, to be contemporary without being derivatively western. Foreign designers borrow freely from our Indian design directory while preserving their own signature. We, too, should see tradition as a springboard, not a cage.
Wall murals, blinds, doorknobs, drapes and upholstery, furniture, light fixtures, floor-coverings, tiles and panelling … there is a material and technique to fit every application. The wonder is that contemporary Indian architecture and interior design uses so few of them. Neglecting this rich indigenous vocabulary diminishes both our creative potential and our living spaces.
This story was last published in 2017
Read more:
Houzz Forum: State of Indian Architecture Today and Tomorrow
Tell us:
What are your thoughts on the state of Indian design? Share in Comments below.
Indian designer, scenographer and art curator
Rajeev Sethi, New Delhi
Tradition finds no one word for ‘design’ but recognises its presence in all civilisations. Design, as an all-encompassing but elusive concept, may sound like a wayward dog that doesn’t belong till it is willing to stay home. For instance, South Asia has no single word for cross-cultural constructs in many of its dialects and by last count there may be 2000 variants forming 400 languages – each with a different script.
Even gesture has an eloquent language and design in India. The Margis have hast mudras canonising an entire vocabulary as a part of classical dance, while the Deshis improvised unmapped body movements to articulate a felt need. Charles Eames came to India in the fifties and understood how everything connects.
Against all odds and smothered with the excess baggage of the colonial ‘other’, much happened in our country the last few centuries and is continuing to happen. However, the daunting ethnological zoo of the undefinable has left a lot that merits renewed attention.
Check out these 6 Indian brands that celebrate ‘Made in India’