Amongst the noteworthy interventions is the architectural imagining of Abraham & Thakore’s famed kantha stitch. It manifests variously throughout the space: on the floor as granite inlay, on the glass partitions and tussar silk chandeliers as laser-cut abstractions, and yet again, on the marble reception desk, in imitation of an embroidered fabric. Another case in point is the Kadappa-clad staircase, which rises to reveal a kantha-inspired landing, emblazoned with black stone chips individually embedded in white cement. In the meeting and conference rooms, the designers softened their touch, skewing tactile with black-and-white carpets that reinterpret traditional themes from kantha embroidery.
Curiously, the crown jewel, per Abraham and Thakore, isn’t any of the aforementioned spaces, but rather the specially designed archival room, where key pieces from collections over the years have been preserved for posterity. “These designs represent the design interventions initiated by the brand over the years, with experimental work done in collaboration with weavers in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and other traditional craft clusters,” says Abraham of the collections, many of which have been exhibited in prominent exhibitions and leading museums around the world, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Peranakan Museum in Singapore.
The meeting room, which houses delicate objets d’art.
Of course, the brand’s artisanal legacy isn’t limited to the archival room alone. It is writ large across the corridors and conference rooms in the way of specially commissioned textiles that tip their hat to traditional Indian crafts. There’s a double ikat weave from Telangana here, a jamdani from Venkatagiri there, chikan embroidery from Lucknow by the entrance, brocade weaves from Varanasi at the back—each distinct, yet bound by a common leitmotif: a circle, or circles, in black and white, interpreted by hand. Meanwhile, Naga tribal sculptures animate the reception, magnifying the relationship between modernism and tribal art.
For a brand that started in fashion, and subsequently segued in and out of homeware some 30 years ago, Abraham & Thakore’s future involves turning back the clock. The brand’s latest collection, for example, isn’t one of apparel at all, but of home goods including cushion covers, bedspreads, and tableware, informed by ikat, bandhani, and traditional chain stitch techniques. The office pays ode to the past, yes, but it also steps out of the shadows of its predecessor, paving the way for a world full of possibilities.