Heritage reimagined: A blend of tradition and modernity

When it comes to design, India is big on the global stage today. There’s also a renewed interest in things that feel personal and local. Which is why designers today are bringing India’s cultural memory into functional art. From the hill stations of Dehradun to the sacred textiles of Gujarat, each piece becomes both an ode to a place and a contemporary object for daily life.

Yellow Marigold, a studio creating handcrafted décor, unveils a collection of serveware inspired by founder Ella Garg’s memories of growing up in the Himalayan town. The series reflects the city’s calm charm and familiar corners even as it continues to change; the mochi (local cobbler) repairing shoes on every lane, and the bubble snack stalls selling puffed treats and fried bites that once dotted the town. The collection features illustrated serveware crafted in solid wood with an enamel finish, each design holding a fragment of memory.

The Rajpur Dream tray captures the peaceful life of the Rajpur settlements, showing people walking with prayer beads in traditional attire. The Kanak Chowk tray reflects the energy of Dehradun’s market corners, blending the old-world charm of the city with its faster modern rhythms. Iconic names like Orient Cinema and Book World appear in the illustrations, reminders of a time when these places were at the heart of the city.

The Ashley Hall tray turns to one of Dehradun’s oldest hubs, with patterns that echo colonial facades and the bustle of the city centre. The illustrations include landmarks that no longer exist, from shops like Diwan Brothers to everyday scenes of men sitting in corners reading newspapers. Garg also highlights the area’s historical charm, noting that members of the Beatles, the famous British rock band, were closely associated with the town and that the Grant Road airport strip was made for them to land. “The illustrations depict a combination of my childhood and the present,” she reflects, showing how memories of the past still echo across the ever-changing city.

Sacred layers

Joya Nandurdikar and Amrita Guha of Furgonomics, a venture making handcrafted pieces that reinterpret traditional Indian crafts, use the Mata Ni Pachedi Shutter to celebrate Gujarat’s craft.

Mata Ni Pachedi is a devotional textile art usually seen in temples or as framed paintings. The shutter came to life in Gujarat, where the designers spent time with the artisans, watching each line being painted with care as the cloth stretched in the sun. Mata Ni Pachedi is created step by step, with figures, motifs, and colours added one at a time. The designers brought this same idea of “sanctity in layers” into their work.

At the centre is a painting of goddess Lakshmi, placed between two glass panels framed in brass. Encased in glass, the painting feels like a relic, protecting these layers while still working as a shutter. The artwork follows the traditional Mata Ni Pachedi style, with wide, expressive eyes and hands raised in blessing. Earthy shades of red, black, and off-white, are typical of the craft. The design doesn’t copy old motifs but reimagines the craft for today. Even the brass handle reflects this intention, inlaid with malachite and finished with a sand texture, a reminder of a time when even the smallest objects were made with intention.

Craft across borders

Travelling across India, Nandurdikar and Guha bring together the crafts of Bengal and Rajasthan, Tarkashi and Kantha, in a single furniture piece. Tarkashi, with its precise brass inlay on wood, is geometric and architectural, with sharp lines and symmetric details. Kantha, stitched by hand, tells stories in layers of soft patterns.

The two crafts stand in striking contrast. Tarkashi feels deliberate and structured, while Kantha depicts something more organic and personal, the designers explain. The piece has two shutters, each reflecting one craft. The Tarkashi-inspired shutter draws from Rajasthan’s archways and jharokhas. The Kantha shutter draws from rural Bengal, where quilts were often stitched with patterns of vines, waves, and dotted trails. The vines stood for plants, the waves for rivers, and the dotted trails for pathways — turning each quilt into a countryside map.

On the shutter, these patterns are carved and etched into solid wood, turning stitchwork into surface texture. One side of the unit carries Tarkashi brass inlay, and the other is etched with Kantha-inspired motifs. Both are left natural, with no stains to distract from the craft. Tarkashi began with ceremonial weapons and later moved into furniture and doors. Kantha was born in homes, as women stitched together worn sarees into quilts filled with everyday stories. Bringing the two together celebrates both traditions and places.

Each work is a passage into a place. A tray might recall the bustle of Dehradun’s chowks, the shutter reflecting Gujarat’s painted cloth traditions, and here, one unit balances Bengal’s lyricism with Rajasthan’s geometry. Together, these works sketch a living map of Indian artistry. More than decoration, they carry the spirit of the place into present-day design.