Voices Devdutt Pattanaik Anuja Chandramouli S Vaidhyasubramaniam Ravi Shankar Dr Deepali Bhardwaj Mata Amritanandamayi MAGAZINE NEW DELHI august 2 2026 SUNDAY PAGES 12 Take a Seat From sculptural designs to creating a visual impact, furniture today is becoming the focal point of contemporary interiors S By Samiya Chopra top. Gape. In a dimly lit living room, a wave of water is frozen in stone, making a statement under a spotlight. With backrests that rise like a cresting tide and polished seats carved from Rainbow Quartzite, the bench is a compelling sight. In another room, flat German Silver boulders are bound together—a piece difficult to classify . Is it a stool? A chair? A side table? It can be any of those. Or none of these. All that matters is these are objets d’art. Both these, and other similarly unconventional expressions of design furniture that occupy—and often flaunt—their presence in design studios and homes across India, defy easy classification. Depending on where each piece is placed, it becomes an unexpected interruption—an object that demands to be contemplated before it is used. Neither the bench nor the boulder resembles furniture in the conventional sense. Neither appears particularly interested in explaining itself. “The mindset is shifting from filling a room to curating a space,” says Sarita Handa, founder and chairperson, Sarita Handa. From the woven charpai that anchored generations of Indian homes to the flat-packed efficiency of IKEA now seen in Gurugram’s new residential townships, furniture in India has travelled a remarkable distance. What was once purely functional has steadily become aspirational, reflecting changing lifestyles, global influences, and evolving ideas of home. Designers are moving away from mass-produced functionality—of course, not totally because of market demands—towards collectible, sculptural pieces that blur the boundaries between furniture, art, and décor. Sofas, benches and tables are increasingly conceived not as supporting elements but as conversation starters. Handa says, “By being more thoughtful about what they bring into their space, clients are choosing pieces with strong form and made of unusual materials.” The once-ubiquitous L-shaped sofa is giving way to curved seating, oversized lounge chairs and fluid tables. For Vratika Gupta, founder of Maison Sia, sculptural furniture is “a breath of fresh air. The space has to talk to you. So I suggest my clients to choose something magnanimous and monumental”. Maison Sia’s On The Rocks sofa replaces the conventional rectangle with curved forms that can be approached from any side when placed as an island in the room. Experimentation with form defines Delhi’s Vakr Studios’s philosophy Founder Devyani Gupta . says, “Generally we top our furniture with home decor to highlight it. But a furniture piece can , already be artistic and sculptural, not needing an artefact on top to stand out.” Delhi-based studio Dimensions adopts a similar approach through its Zuri collection, where bedposts resemble tree branches and coffee tables evoke inter-connected rock formations. Tanvi Deolekar, founder of Studio Indigene, feels sculptural design should invite interaction. Her studio’s coffee tables feature detachable trays that fit like puzzle pieces and can be rearranged. “They add both sculptural value and functionality to the space,” she says. Such evolution is made possible when designers experiment with materials once considered too rigid for furniture. Stone, metal and engineered surfaces are increasingly replacing conventional wood, while seating itself is changing. Sofas are becoming lower, deeper, and rounder, and chairs are wider and more relaxed, balancing comfort with visual drama. If IKEA democratised design by making good furniture accessible, this new wave makes it memorable. Pavitra Rajaram of Nilaya Anthology observes, “People are investing in narrative. An object acquires value if it has a story attached to it.” These stories, however, come at a price. Sculptural furniture often costs several lakhs of rupees a piece, transforming furniture from a household necessity into a collectible investment. Sahiba Madan, principal architect and director at Insitu Design Studio, sees this as a decisive move away from uniform interiors. “Clients want their homes to mirror their lives and the furniture to be heirloom-quality art that will age alongside the family she says. Interior stylist Jasmine Jhaveri believes the idea ,” of luxury has changed. “Luxury is no longer about how formal a space looks, but about how it feels,” she says. New living spaces are designed for comfort, connection, and slow living. Younger buyers no longer want a matching furniture collection but a single object that defines the space—a dramatic centre table from Delhi’s crowded second-hand markets or a vintage Kerala Planter’s Chair. These focal pieces are curated to complement other pieces rather than to compete. “Such statement pieces sit at the intersection of art and function,” says Gunjan Gupta, artist and creative director of Studio Wrap and Ikkis. Her work deliberately blurs the boundaries between collectible art and functional furniture, drawing deeply from India’s craft traditions. Traditional weaving, carving and textile techniques, she believes, naturally lend themselves to organic forms. “When crafts are taken out of their expected context and transformed into sculptural elements, they become storytelling devices rather than decorative accents.” It is true of materials. Jaipur-based Pasana reimagines stone as sculptural furniture. Co-founder Saloni Agarwal believes it brings inside a sense of nature indoors. “Stone is alive. Placed in a house, it makes the homeowners feel like they are amidst nature,” she says. It Sagar Baheti, founder of Bengaluru-based Paarkhi, argues that permanence and comfort need not be mutually exclusive. “Stone furniture will stay in the same condition for decades,” he says. Wood is undergoing a similar transformation. Objectry’s Organic Throne, carved from a tree trunk and bound with rope, reflects a growing preference for raw textures over highly polished finishes. According to Gunjan Gupta, Indian homeowners are becoming more adventurous while remaining rooted in restraint. “While Indians may still hesitate over very bright colours, they are far more open to choosing sculptural forms and unconventional silhouettes,” she says. Jhaveri expects the trend to strengthen. “Textures like bouclé, brushed velvet, suede-like finishes and layered upholstery will dominate this year.” Even as sculptural furniture gains momentum, another design cycle is a U-turn. Actor Sonam Kapoor Ahuja’s Mumbai home has layers of murals, Tanjore paintings, and bold colours; fashion Turn to page 2 Sahiba Madan, principal architect and director, Insitu Design Studio “We’ve moved beyond the era of catalogue living. Clients want their homes to be a mirror of their lives and the furniture in it to be heirloom-quality art that ages alongside the family.” Sachin Gupta, founder and principal designer, Beyond Designs Maximalism is his design language. With traditional carpets, European chandeliers, and warm fireplaces, his homes are the epitome of grandeur (Clockwise from far left) Dveep Coffee Table by Atelier Ashiesh Shah; vintage furniture at the Belgadia Palace; a bar by Dimensions; The Huh Tu Chair by Urra Design; b.form’s revolvable Dhurba bar; Alaiia Gujral's coffee table; an antique seat Buffet People Wellness Books Food Art & Culture Entertainment