Sahil Bagga and Sarthak Sengupta have mastered the art of synchronising their individual creative expressions to create projects and objects that are reflective yet bold, provocative yet poetic. The decision to combine their creative forces took place in Milan while they were pursuing their MSc in design as a part of a scholarship programme awarded by the Italian Chamber of Commerce, in 2006.
After receiving their MSc in Product Service System Design from the Politecnico di Milano, they were selected for the prestigious Project I-nova, a scholarship programme by Scoula Politeca del Design, Milan. Under this programme, they worked for the historic furniture company, the Poltrona Frau Group. During this period, Poltrona Frau Group was launching itself in India and therefore they worked on various multi-disciplinary projects in this direction. This gave the duo an international perspective towards the Indian market and also the opportunity to converge their varied design skills in an effective way. In 2009, they came back to India and started their own design studio in Delhi, with the belief that ‘Ethic, Ethnic and Ecology’ can be interwoven with their contemporary lifestyle.
Since then Sahil and Sarthak have transformed their skills and ideas into a successful brand that creates products and spaces that are beautiful, functional and sustainable. “Our expertise lies in customising products, furniture, lighting and installations by innovatively using Indian craftsmanship and materials to furnish contemporary living spaces,” they say. Going by the same philosophy, they introduced the ‘Zero Kilometre Design’ approach in designing commercial spaces such as boutique hotels and landmark restaurants. This was employed at Lakshman Sagar resort in Rajasthan. “All elements of design of this property had to be inspired locally, sourced locally and/or fabricated by local artisans. The objective was to identify and source various skills, crafts and materials around Raipur region which then could be improvised and reinterpreted. Thus, making Raipur the epicentre, a thorough research was conducted in neighbouring towns such Jaitaran, Pali, Biawer and Ajmer. By applying this design philosophy, we assured that it stood out from the clutter of heritage destinations that are everywhere in Rajasthan. Moreover, we ensured that the carbon footprints of this entire project was minimised as products were not transported from the big cities. This way the local population also felt inclusive.”
For Sahil and Sarthak, design solutions go beyond aesthetics and functional needs. “We are a very diverse studio. It is our passion to explore and reinterpret different traditional crafts, techniques and materials from different parts of India. Our effort is to reconceptualise and reinterpret handmade traditions, objects and materials without diluting the core values of that tradition,” they say. The studio also provides holistic design solutions such as creative management, knowledge of the overall production chain of the system, graphic and communication, and most importantly synchronising all these different elements towards building an overall customer experience and creating meta systems for their clients. Recognising their diverse services and interesting product mix, British Council India selected them as the finalist for Young Creative Entrepreneur Awards, 2010. This year, their Love Chair from the Katran Collection has been awarded as the Best Product at the India Design Forum 2013.
Their products and furniture have been selected and showcased at international design events such as Salone del Mobile Milan 2010, Alchemy Festival London 2010 and are going to be showcased at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London for the ‘India Now’ exhibition 2015. Most recently their Katran Furniture Collection was awarded the Elle Décor International Design award, India 2011.
“We also feel that luxury itself is getting redefined. People are aspiring for luxury with a conscience. People want beautiful high quality products, but they also want to be associated with the human story that has led to the creation of these products,” they say. The duo also has a clever spin on everyday objects. They have made gorgeous lights out of hangers and milk cans. “We love to play with nostalgia. For example, we have come up with a new collection of quirky products inspired by utensils like the tava, grain strainer, pickaxe.” The Tava Table and Perfo Seat is being showcased as art at the Kochi Biennale at Pepper House Design Gallery, till March 2015.
This year Sahil and Sarthak were the only Indians to be invited by the Thailand Government to Bangkok to showcase their designs at the Thailand Eco Design and Innovation Fair called ‘Asia Talent’. “We received one of the 10 ‘Asia Talent’ awards for our body of work, especially for the Katran collection.”
At the moment, the duo is designing two interior projects. Both are boutique resorts, one based in the Jim Corbett Forest reserve, another is located at the Andaman Islands. For the Andaman properties, they are applying ‘Zero Kilometre Design’ approach. They are also working on what they claim to be their most ambitious project yet. “We are designing a collection of 20 light installations, where the biggest installation would be five metre high. Each and every light installation is handmade and 90 per cent of the fabrication is being done by traditional artisans in Kerala.”
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