Sandeep and Tania Khosla Simplify the Cluster
Tania Khosla and Sandeep Khosla
If one were to go with essentialist definitions, then Khosla Associates, a leading Architecture and Interior Design firm based in Bangalore, India is defined by their distinct style of tropical residential architecture which uses local materials and concepts, but reinterprets them with a unique and contemporary design sensibility. Established by Sandeep Khosla in 1995, after he returned from New York post studying architecture at the Pratt Institute, the firm has set itself up as an ‘alternative style of living an uncluttered life’. The firm now has the creative strokes of graphic designer Tania Khosla, a Yale University School of Art Masters student, who brings her artistic sense to the utilitarian.
We recently were introduced to a curated segment of their design approach and knowledge under the catchy title ‘What’s Your Story?’ at a large booth at the India Design Week. The exhibition was broadly curated into six clusters: Nostalgia & Memory, Whimsy & Joy, Conscious Consumption, Hand-crafted Luxury, Simplicity and Accessibility. “We have attempted to span from limited-edition and luxe to mass-produced and accessible – each object chosen because it resonates with us as a piece of good design,” opine the Sandeep and Tania team that brought forth, showcased the creativity and the stories that unfolded.
The Khosla’s opine that the objects within each cluster have been juxtaposed to prompt dialogue between them. “The hand-knotted Kolam carpets designed by us in the Handcrafted Luxury cluster draw from the ancient South Indian ritual of creating patterns with rice powder. The carpets, however, unexpectedly break the sacrosanct symmetry of Kolam to create a language that is bold and contemporary,” writes Sandeep.
The Channapatna Chairs from Sangaru Design Objects are crafted from turned wood lacquer (traditionally used for toy-making), and under the designers, this ‘unique small-size craft technique’ is reimagined into dramatic throne-like forms.
In the Simplicity cluster, Nila House celebrates the intrinsic beauty of handwoven cotton textiles using natural indigo, while Casegoods’ Topologic Bowls reveal the grains inherent in the wood – both respect their elemental materiality.
“By no means are these categories impermeable or confining. In fact, many objects cross over from one section to another,” says Tania. Himeya’s bed linen in Conscious consumption threads the provenance of your sheets, through a propriety track-and-trace technology, while being consciously priced to make thoughtful design accessible to many.
Responding to this osmosis, the exhibition spaces are fluidly designed, encouraging you to flow between clusters. Along the way, playful cut-outs should lure you to peek from one section into the other, hopefully, encouraging you to make your own connections.
With a range of projects that speak from the home to the studio, the restaurant to the hotel, from innovatively designed flooring tiles, Wallpaper magazine (UK) has listed Khosla Associates in 2011 as one of India’s 10 most innovative architectural practices, and one can expect exciting projects from Khosla Associates, that has bagged its fair share of awards in 2019, including the ID Honours for Top 10 Holiday Homes.
Text & images by Georgina Louella Maddox
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