Art Deco through a modern lens

A feminine form in blue and ivory, flanked by Art Deco iconography. Here, indigo and sholapith become the medium to reimagine Deco. Elsewhere, the ocean is evoked in a kottan- (Chettinad basket weave) inspired backless seat, by architect David Joe Thomas, whose design is part of a trio presented by Bengaluru-based Kaash Space.

These striking pieces have been hand-picked by fair director Misha Bains for ‘Neo Deco’, a curation of over 40 pieces that shine a spotlight on Art Deco in its centenary year, at India Design ID 2025. The objet d’art signals a reinvention of Deco through a modern design lens. Bains elaborates, “As an ode to Deco, we wanted to showcase designers who offered a contemporary perspective, inspired by its geometry, bold lines and motifs. We want to highlight Indian design because historically, Indians have been viewed through the lens of makers or craftspeople, not as designers. Now, finally, our designers and artforms are getting recognition.”

Neo Deco is a marriage of Indian and French (Paris being the birthplace of Art Deco) designers, showcasing traditional art forms such as Channapatna, Tholu Bommalata, Bidri, Dhokra and glassblowing, to present a uniquely artisan-led contemporary collection. “We are currently in an era in India, where designers are aware, educated, well-travelled and open to experimenting,” explains Bains, adding, “There are experiments with glass, and a surge in the use of metal and chrome finishes.”

Urban Patchwork

Jit Chowdhury — for 47-A Gallery

Urban patchwork in natural indigo and alta applied on sholapith canvas.

The work is an amalgam of modernist Deco language with the lived textures of Bengali craft in sholapith, reflecting how heritage can be viewed in a contemporary context. Artist and illustrator Jit Chowdhury is inspired by the geometry and ornamentation emblematic of Art Deco buildings in Mumbai, Kolkata, and Delhi.

Soonawala Sofa

Bobby Aggarwal — for Portside Café Furniture Studio

Soonawala Sofa is crafted in leather, velvet and teakwood.

The shape of the seat takes its cues from Deco buildings along Mumbai’s Marine Drive. The print, designed in-house, is inspired by the bas-relief facades, window grills, and the chevrons that decorate these buildings. The blue palette is an homage to the sea and the hue found on Wedgewood ceramics.

Adamastor Cabinet

André Teoman — for Scarlet Splendour

Adamastor Cabinet in resin, brass, plywood

Made with handcrafted brass components, this dramatic cabinet blends nautical imagery with an enticing blue palette to offer a fun and functional ode to Deco. Portuguese designer André Teoman, in collaboration with the craftsmen at Kolkata-based Scarlet Splendour, reimagines the tale of Adamastor, depicted in Portuguese poet Luís de Camões’ epic, The Lusiads. The fearsome giant, Adamastor, once symbolised the perilous voyage of explorers on their way to India. But after the Cape of Storms was renamed the Cape of Good Hope, he metamorphosed into a symbol of optimism.

Sculptural Light

Kickie Chudikova x klove — for Shakti Design Residency

Sculptural Light, Vista Collection.

Taking its cue from architecture, the light piece uses nested amber glass structures that turn luminous once lit at the centre. Drawing inspiration from Indian arches in scalloped forms, klove studio celebrates the country’s craftsmanship and storytelling through glass, which is feted for its malleability and how it offers transformation when paired with light.

Lac Tapestry

Built Editions

Lac tapestry in hand-turned wooden beads finished with lac derived from organic resins and plant-based pigments.

Created with (and honouring) Channapatna’s lacware artisans, the tapestry — shaped as a geometric composition of laced beads — becomes an artefact that combines tradition and contemporary design. Straddling Mumbai and Amsterdam, Anne Geenen co-founded architecture and design studio Site Practice, and furniture and design brand Built Editions, with David Schmidt, carefully considering designs that are socially and materially anchored in community.

Bāle Asandi

The Vernacular Modern

Bāle Asandi is a hand-finished brass and wood body with PU cushions and fabric.

The form evokes the gentle sweep of a banana leaf, with sensuous velvet seating echoing the tropical foliage. The Bāle Asandi seating ensemble is a convergence of vernacular symbolism and craftsmanship. Using joinery-based woodworking, the oeuvre, by founders Deeptashree Saha and Abhirup Dutta of the Bengaluru-based multidisciplinary design studio, celebrates reclaimed solid teak and materials such as natural rattan and solid brass.

Le Nid

Sona Reddy

Le Nid is crafted from blown glass on a brass Dhokra shell.

Le Nid (the nest) symbolises cocoons of light, and the beauty of an enveloping embrace. The sculptural lamps by Hyderabad-based Sona Reddy Studio, reinterpret Art Deco’s ornamentation through handcrafted dhokra, fusing blown glass with wax-cast brass dhokra elements. 

Maske Console

DeMuro Das

Maske Console in lacquered stone top on cast bronze legs.

The metal base elements reflect the tactility of the foundry process, while the tapering volumes recall the pilaster forms and mask motifs seen in Deco iconography. DeMuro Das, founded by Brian DeMuro and Puru Das, blends traditional craftsmanship with modern materiality to create a decorative console, referencing the theatricality of Art Deco.

SLABS Treasure Box

Destroyers/Builders for æquō

SLABS Treasure Box (SLABS Collection) in hammered silver sheet on wooden blocks attached with brass welds.

Its inspiration is rooted in the rugged landscapes of Karnataka, where granite boulders meld into each other. Reinventing the traditional methods of repoussé (a metalworking technique that creates a raised design by hammering malleable metal from the reverse side), thick metal sheets envelop hand-carved teak wood blocks. In 2023, æquō invited Dutch designer Linde Freya Tangelder to extend repoussé research in India. Working with the gallery’s partner workshop in Alibag, led by Jeevaram Suthar, blocks are joined by brass soldering, with the exposed welds serving as an honest expression of the process.

Naga

RoWin’ Atelier

NAGA in sterling silver on stone column.

The sculptural champagne bucket is a confluence of French modernist heritage and Indian sculptural traditions. The inner core holds the sparkling wine, while the circular rim acts as a vessel for flowers. Mounted on a stone column marked with Deco geometry, the steel-stone objet d’art by the French transdisciplinary firm RoWin’ Atelier celebrates the union of form, function and ornamentation.

Skylight

YMER&MALTA

Skylight-Aspherical Twilight in an aspherical sealight in oak and LED.

The Skylight sculpture, by YMER&MALTA, an art furniture house based in Paris, is understated at first glance. But when illuminated, it shifts from sunrise to night invoking forests, glaciers, deserts and oceans. Its carefully calibrated facets are reminiscent of the geometry and form of Art Deco.

Lodge Armchair

Pinto

Lodge armchair is crafted from textured and patinated brass structure with solid cork armrests wrapped in woven leather fabric.

Made at a French atelier, the armchair is adapted for exteriors, moving seamlessly from the living room to the terrace or garden. With a textured and patinated brass structure, this luxurious creation by French design studio Pinto, revisits the Deco era with added sophistication.

Jellyfish

Mathieu Lustrerie

JellyFish chandelier in antique bronze work with applied gilding and aged silver, and rock crystal beads.

Medusa, from Greek mythology, with snakes for hair, could turn onlookers to stone. Medusa is also the name of the free-swimming phase of a jellyfish’s life cycle. This form is alluded to in slender filaments in this jellyfish luminary artefact by Mathieu Lustrerie Atelier in Marseille. The suckers offer refuge to cut rock crystal drops, where gilt bronze is combined with the soft transparency of stones. 

Kasera 2

David Joe Thomas — for KAASH Space

Kasera 2 (Kasera Collection) -woven polypropylene straps on steel frame.

Inspired by the Indian charpai, architect-designer David Joe Thomas’s seats interpret traditional weaving skills across tape, basket (kottan) and cane furniture from Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu. Kasera, a modular seating collection, uses planes as armrests and structural supports, fashioned from the half-inch tape as a repetitive unit. The structure of the backless seats is a series of intersecting planes to enhance the flat graphic quality of the checkerboard weave.

The freelance writer is based in Chennai.