Design ni Dukaan renders everyday objects into sculptural designs with new launch

Blending music, art, literature and cinema into a harmonious design philosophy that imbibes and evokes emotions in the viewer, is what Gujarat -based multidisciplinary design brand Design ni Dukaan has adopted as the process behind their large-scale projects, which encompass architecture, interior design and furniture design. Design ni Dukaan (a shop for design), is helmed by the multifaceted Veeram Shah, the principal designer and architect at the firm. With a focus on implementing materiality to achieve an inspiring design language, Design ni Dukaan unveils product designs that explore the abstraction of form and materials. “The idea was to push the audience to see beyond the mundane. Can functional pieces also be designed as art? Can we push a material to see it in a completely new light? Can we push artisans to create beyond the generational learning they have acquired? These are some of the questions we addressed in the collection,” shares Shah.

From chairs to tables to accent pieces, micro research into form, expression, texture and technique drove the collection. The idiosyncratic pieces from the collection hold unique names—Monolith, Prismatic, Entangled, Embrace, and Diphanous, inspired by the emotions they evoke. “The names followed the form. This was a meditative process. Since all the pieces were being made in different parts of the country, while in process and in conceptual stages I tried to see what it invoked in me. It was followed by Haikus that I wrote for each piece and what it represented,” explains Shah.

By crafting a sensory display of sculptural designs, evoking emotions and eliciting diverse dialogues that stimulate new sentiments, the products question existing perceptions. “Can we create objects that completely redefine the visual story?” shares Shah on his process of abstracting everyday objects into unique collectables, infusing spaces with personality and character, and satiating the studio's vision.

Monolith—a juxtaposition of various elements—was born to capture the essence of human curiosity and narrate a tactile exploration of form. Each hidden nuance triggers a different functional element, co-existing as a new-age sculpture of interaction. Embrace is a sculptural chair design crafted with just one fold; from the front, the chair seems to have open arms and from the rear, it appears that the chair is embracing its user. Prismatic, a mirror and lighting design is crafted as a celebration of colours with hues and lights invoking curiosity. Material exploration is achieved by overlapping layers that change in accordance with the light, position and height of the user, thus creating an individual experience. Entangled is crafted as an ode to the softness achieved by multiple hammer beats, shaping the flow of the form. It presents as a dance of hollow paisleys abstracting human limbs, entangled with magnetic force, lighting each other up, while bringing forth the darkest spots. Diphanous is a table design rendering a collision between irregularity and imperfection, with earthy tones of terrazzo as the tabletop, creating an overall warm aesthetic. The irregularity is achieved by embedding different sizes and patterns of stones and imperfect curves breaking the monotony of the form.

Each piece in the collection is traditionally crafted by carpenters, reflecting their expertise with the materials. “I define the kind of practice I do into two parts. The craftsman and the intellect. If you understand a traditional technique as an intellect you can decipher how to deconstruct the craft into various forms, volumes, and details which the craftsmen lack because for them the knowledge is generational. Moreover, I firmly believe that the best practice for a country like ours is the balance of these two aspects of design. The collaboration of the craftsmen and the designer,” shares Shah.

With the aim of sourcing materials locally that are close to their natural state and bringing on board local craftsmen, Design ni Dukaan grasps a sustainable design approach for their practice. The forms embrace imperfections, steering away from conventional synthetic spaces and towards spaces that are timeless, evolving with the user and social context. “Our intent lies not in creating to impress or impose but rather to engage and exemplify daily experiences. Experiences from just being inside the space; to feel the intangible from the tangible,” concludes Shah.