Building a toy universe

As Indian toy making fades into the background, a series of quirky furniture reimagines it in a playful new language. At the centre of this exploration is Huzefa Rangwala, cofounder of Mumbai-based studio MuseLAB and its newer craft-led extension, MuseMART. The idea began in Channapatna, known for its colourful handcrafted wooden toys, its lacquer work and its signature turned-wood forms that sparked the designers’ imagination.

The project supported the craftsmen and focused on making gender neutral toys that children could stack and rebuild in many ways. As the designers kept shaping these toys, it began to feel like they had character and a story. They followed that instinct and crafted a fictional toy universe anchored by four guardians, each with its own role: the Ruler, the Gatekeeper, the Mystic and the Explorer.

The furniture series is framed through the eyes of Scientist Beasley, who happened to step into this universe. After hearing of his disappearance, Grogg, a close friend and protector of the toys, went searching for answers. When he entered Beasley’s hideout, everything was intact: the cloches, the miniature dioramas and the furniture pieces he had collected or made. But Beasley himself was gone.

Worlds inside glass

To articulate this story, Huzefa’s studio collaborated with Mumbai-based miniature artists Nayan Shrimali and Venus Bird of The Paper Ark. Their intricate dioramas became tiny windows into each guardian’s world. The studio worked at two scales: tiny cloches and larger furniture. The cloches were built slowly by hand with turned-wood figures, sculpted plants, resin terrains, painted details and small metal inserts that catch the light. Each one, from flying fish to winged seahorses, set the mood and showed the flora and fauna of a guardian’s realm.

The Gatekeeper cloche introduces the entry point into the toy universe. At its centre sits a wooden figure surrounded by plants and tiny companions. A small squirrel-like creature offering a pineapple brings a touch of humour and hints at their friendship. The entire scene rests on polished reflective metal that lends the feeling of strength.

The Mystic cloche has a more hazy aura. Resin layers create a drifting smoke that recalls rituals. Beside the Mystic sits Psychowl, part owl and part spirit guide. A glowing sacred stone marked with symbols hints at repeated action, adding to the sense of ritual.

The Explorer cloche shifts into a more dynamic world. A wooden figure floats above a molten red river sculpted in textured resin. The landscape mirrors the Explorer’s movement, with a bright colour palette that traces the pathways of their journey.

The Ruler cloche moves into a gentler tone. Pastel colours, soft vegetation and tiny pets surround a calm figure. A fragment of a castle hints at royalty, while a creature with oversized ears rests nearby as if listening closely to the Ruler’s thoughts.

Toying with scale

Bridging these miniature worlds to the furniture scale is the Guardian lamp, which turns the Gatekeeper into a small figure carrying a light. Made with sculpted wood, turned components and a balanced metal frame, it recalls old stories of people guiding themselves through forests with a lamp held close.

Kingpin, the scientist’s favourite working chair, is royal and rotatable, almost like a throne reimagined for a curious mind. It is made with ash wood, and its manual swivel and carved base give it a handcrafted look. The painted upholstery brings in a burst of colour, like the splash of ink someone might throw down in frustration while thinking for too long.

Totemic is a tall accent chair that carries the language of the toys into full furniture scale. Its stacked backrest resembles a totem pole, which is why the studio named it Totemic. The form is also inspired by how the toys themselves stack and connect. The hand-carved details have a tribal rhythm.

The Mystic, Explorer and Gatekeeper tables were originally made as bases so the cloches could sit securely and look like artefacts, not objects floating on a shelf. As the designers refined them, these bases naturally evolved into sculptural tables that carried the same visual language as the cloches.

The Gatekeeper Table uses a chrome-finished form with a ladder-like element that hints at an entry into another universe. The Mystic Table has repeated arches that give it a ritualistic feel, echoing the Mystic’s meditative world. The Explorer Table uses a tiered pedestal structure, creating a sense of movement and unpredictability that fits the character. “This long partnership with the Channapatna artisans has since developed into a steady exchange that benefits both the toy makers and our studio,” Huzefa adds.

In the end, Beasley might have vanished, but the world he documented remains, in dioramas, in furniture, in characters made of wood and metal, and in the small universes sealed under glass.