What is contemporary Indian design? Given globalization, is that even a valid question?
I think it’s very valid. India has seen so much happen in the past four or five years. The world is shrinking in size, and design is becoming homogenized but, for anyone living in India, traditional culture is so embedded at a subconscious level that it re-flects itself in what we do. Not so much in terms of the obvious patterns or motifs, though. Rather, we tend to use a greater diversity of colors, textures, and materials. There’s perhaps a bit more vibrancy. What about crafts? That’s another facet of reinterpreting tradition. For example, wood marquetry was a dying craft that, like many in India, was associated with religious practices. But I’ve used marquetry on several occasions to create something very contemporary. At a house in New Delhi, for example, I employed a specific craft in every bedroom. Wood marquetry covers the walls and ceiling of one. We used charcoal-tinted plasterwork, another Indian craft, in another and enamel to do furniture in another. Is India becoming incre
