Design ni Dukaan Studio

Does your workspace inspire you to create? Does she soak in the music you listen to? And hum it back when you need it? Do the walls remind you of the people she has cradled? The books that have stirred your soul? The unforgettable films that have changed your life? That bittersweet melancholy of being a better designer every day and the stress that this field comes with? Do the forms and materials express your passions, frustrations and joys? Does the furniture remind you of meaningful and also mundane conversations? Does the light come in like long lost memories? Nostalgia that leaves a smile you can't recreate. Does she cradle you like a child and help you face the inevitable odds of following your art?

We used to work out of a balcony for the intial 2 years, we shifted to this studio in 2015. At that point, we had to put in all we were earining into this space. It was envisioned to be a space which would embody all the intangible things that have been a part of our life and that eventually translated into our work. The music, the art, the literature, the people, the principles and the philosophies were to seamlessly translate into a box of our dream - Constantly evolving, disintegrating and restructuring but always "creating". It was to be devoid of walls, devoid of cabins, devoid of designations; of age, of gender, of sexual inclinations, of politics, of society, of god, of capitalism, devoid of a structure, but yet a place where people meet and create, destroy, live, love, disintegrate, and leave behind experiences which help this space grow. It was a place where you are judged only by your abilities and your drive to be better the next day. Every detail had to have a meaning, had to have substance. We pushed ourselves; mentally and financially to achieve this. We have not had an official opening or an initiation party nor have we bothered about it because the point of this space was to celebrate everyday by creating more, by pushing the limits. Design has never been about glossy photo shoots for us and we wanted to wait these years to see how this space grows, how the intangible takes over, how people's hand prints are forever embedded in the red door, how we can collect more art, more books, where our lives take us, how the walls crack, how the brass ages and how this space fills up with more dreams and aspirations.

Gazeebo
Built as a small community space, the gazebo wall was made with IPS - Indian Patent Stone, an age-old dying technique. IPS is done entirely by hand and hence there are subtle imperfections that are found in this technique and here, lies its beauty. The simple design is covered by a cane roof placed on a metal structure which weaves together the tangible and the intangible elements of this design with a play of shadows and patterns.