ROOTED IN INDIA, GLOBAL IN APPEAL

Architect Anupriya Sahu talks about the journey of her furniture design firm Alankaram, the collaborative efforts of her family and how their pieces blend traditional design aesthetics with contemporary finesse

How did the thought of Alankaram come about?

Since childhood, I have had a keen eye for art, colour and design-thanks to my mother who is an artist and my dad who is a Civil Engineer. After studying Architecture at the Pillai College of Architecture, I pursued Urban Design at the master's level. Post that, I worked for about 3-4 years at various architectural firms. I was fascinated with furniture design, especially wood. I wanted this material to shine in my design practice, so I decided to start designing furniture. However, I noticed a massive void in the market for skilled artisans. My husband, Dhwanit Parmar hails from an IT background, and I from an architectural one. So, we decided to create Alankaram that blends his business acumen and my passion for design. Alankaram aims to bring together the diverse nuances of varied cultures, through the cohesive thread of design.

Take us through the journey of your firm.

Even though we had set up Alankaram in 2013, the lack of local craftsmen and artisans made us realise that we needed our own furniture manufacturing unit, which we eventually set up in 2015. Alankaram strives to craft a blend of culture, sensibility, technology and fine craftsmanship, thereby giving birth to products that have won global acclaim and recognition. From merely a handful of artisans and a knockdown shed, we've grown into a company with one of the largest solid wood furniture units in India, having 2,00,000 sq ft of workspace, 10+ state-of-the-art CNC machines and 300+ skilled designers and artisans.