When your place of work is Puducherry, and your place of learning is NID, Ahmedabad, your creations are bound to be art as much as craft. This is exactly the case with architect and furniture designer Nandha Ravichandran, who has put his training at India’s hallowed design institute to good use at his studio located at another hallowed design fraternity, Auroville. With an interest in exploring forms and an impeccable eye for detail, Ravichandran has been designing furniture for the past six years. In 2017, he set up his firm––AGAM Studio––working closely with a team of skilled and experienced carpenters, weavers and polishers.
Abstract shapes, organic curves, earthy colours, locally sourced materials, coupled with a certain surreal quality, are some of the key aspects of Ravichandran’s pieces. “We design pieces around a theme which is inspired by various facets of nature and everyday life. We turn to nature for inspiration as that is where we all essentially belong, and this makes us feel connected to our products,” says the 30-year-old, adding that he conceptualises each theme based on the core material and its properties. Once that is decided, other aspects like the form, look and feel of the furniture take shape.
“For instance, in the case of our Ukiyo-themed range, we chose cantilevered wooden boxes that are enclosed with cane weaves and supported by wooden legs. The products are accentuated with brass inlays which are inspired by rays of the morning sun as they pass through a bird’s nest resting on a treetop,” he explains.
His ‘Ukiyo’ series is a collection of wooden furniture characterised by solid hollows with elaborate cord weaving. Ravichandran has also conceptualised other themes like ‘Rime Forest’, ‘Fall’, ‘Elysian’ and ‘Parabloom’ with wood, cane, cord and brass being the primary materials used. All furniture at AGAM can be customised with regard to dimensions, colour, material and finish.
Ravichandran is a firm believer of the fact that furniture is not just a piece that has decorative value but should be functional too. There is a conscious endeavour to ensure that every part of the piece has a utility quotient. “The form dictates the functionality and we avoid using complex layouts for parts of the furniture with functional aspects. We thus ensure that our furniture is both aesthetically appealing and usable,” he adds.
Given that sustainability is the need of the hour, the studio’s biggest focus is to incorporate natural materials like cane and cord in their furniture. Ravichandran is also toying with the idea of introducing banana fibre in his new collection. “Also, during the entire design process we adopt several techniques such that there is minimum wastage during production. This definitely has fewer negative repercussions on the environment,” he says.
In fact, says the designer, the whole idea to set up his workspace in Auroville was the fact that it was best suited for sustainable design sensibilities. “By submerging ourselves into nature, we draw constant inspiration to incorporate natural materials and formations into our designs,” he says, adding, “We also wish to adopt the indigenous sustainable architecture practised in Auroville and the Chettinad style of craft that has been in existence in Pondicherry into our designs.”
As for future plans, the firm is all set to open its doors to the international market soon by exploring and leveraging the finer aspects of native Indian crafts in his designs. Ravichandran also hopes to venture into designing home decor products and lighting fixtures. The goal, he says as he signs off, is to ideate timeless and relevant designs and give spaces a contemporary and functional appeal.