Innovation stems from collaboration.
Whether it’s our partnership with revolutionary South Asian designers, or a visionary creator’s symbiotic relationship with the artisans who bring their ideas to life, history has repeatedly proven that the human race is only pushed forward when ideas are exchanged and novel perspectives are sought out.
A truly impactful example of this principle can be found in Le Corbusier’s legacy – but not just in Europe. Legendary architect, urban planner, painter and designer Le Corbusier left an impression worldwide.
Despite his primary base of operations being in France, Corbusier’s influence is perhaps most evidently steeped into a culture continents away: India.
Having just earned its independence from England and rebuilding from the partition from Pakistan, India was on the path to upwards development. In 1951, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s vision of a new capital city for the state of Punjab was entrusted to Le Corbusier.
Creating India's first planned city
Chandigarh would go on to be known as India’s first planned city, and was of great symbolic importance to India at the time. Exposed concrete and inspiration from both Purist and Brutalist design manifested themselves in a decidedly modernizing city; a symbol of a renewed, futuristic India. Chandigarh’s foundation is designed around a grid, divided into “sectors” similar to neighborhood units, and based on four main functions: living, working, care of the body and spirit and circulation. Ample greenery and public parks were also prioritized, with 2000 acres of the total 20,000 acres being designated to the cause.
In a departure from the rectilinear silhouettes of his early work, Corbusier’s post-World War 2 designs incorporated sweeping curves that often became focal points of this work. Take the grand hyperbolic portico of the Palace of Assembly or the unmistakable primary-colored pylons of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, which form arches when viewed from the front. Both of these buildings are part of Chandigarh’s Capitol Complex, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Much like people and animals, ideas travel. And Corbusier’s signature curves made it into the minds at Design Ni Dukaan, a multidisciplinary architecture, interior design and furniture studio, proudly featured by House of Santal.
Bringing the Corbusian curve to House of Santal
At Design Ni Dukaan, creation is rooted in community, resulting in sculptural furniture and functional art pieces. A focus on responsible material sourcing and narrative storytelling manifest in a collection of deeply collaborative pieces rooted in Indian culture. Each piece spotlights the beauty in the mundane, often heroing legacy techniques and drawing inspiration from the creators that came before us.
A standout piece by Veeram Shah and the Design ni Dukaan team, in collaboration with Majja Studio, is the Beevi Pai Swing, suffused with Corbusian references. Majja Studio’s founder, Mohana, worked with the women artisans of Pathamadai, India.
The cluster of artisans hand-wove the signature Chatai mat, which features a geometric pattern inspired by Corbusier’s murals. These mats are composed of beige and dyed indigo korai grass.
Furthermore, the soft contours of the commanding teakwood frame draw reference to Corbusier’s usage of curves.
Beevi means “wife” in Hindi, Urdu and a host of related South Asian languages, and is the suffix attached to each artisan’s name. Pai means mat in Tamil. Thus, the Beevi Pai swing is a manifestation of collaboration, and of stories, both local and international, held tightly and reimagined to outlast generations.
Discover contemporary South Asian collectible design at House of Santal, in the heart of New York City.