Reimagining Heritage: Decoding Magari studio's design language
Magari’s design philosophy is rooted in combining heritage with a contemporary flair
When you step into the restored 97-year-old ancestral bungalow, Papali House, on Chittoor Road in Kochi, the first thing that strikes you is the generous natural light that fills it. This is home to Magari’s newest boutique store, spread across 9,000 sq ft, in the port town. Within this space, you can see furniture series such as the Aayutha, inspired by the geometric forms found in the Tamil script, or the whimsical Gola armchairs, whose tubular contours are inspired by Play-Doh. The bespoke furniture brand, which has outposts in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai, is bringing its distinct aesthetic to Kochi. “This city has an incredibly rich architectural landscape—one that is consciously cared for," shares Amitha Madan, founding partner and principal designer, Magari. “There’s a strong sentiment of preservation here. That’s also how we design a piece or retell its story. In that way, Kochi was a natural progression for us."
Magari’s design philosophy is rooted in combining heritage with a contemporary flair. For instance, the studio reimagines a classic dining table for intimate gatherings. They present it in a new avatar as a low-rise piece with polished black stone top handcrafted by artisans in the temple town of Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu. Madan stumbled upon the stone serendipitously while visiting Chennai for a different project. Collaborating with craftspersons from the temple wasn’t without its share of challenges as they were used to carving deities and pillars entirely from memory. “So, it was difficult for them to follow a drawing," she shares. Achieving uniformity also proved demanding; with each piece handmade, maintaining consistent dimensions required careful adjustment.
This black stone top table, part of the Aayutha collection, can be paired with floor-level Kelir chairs, which have leather-corded and paper-corded backrests and discreet wheels. “The wheels were incorporated to improve usability, as many people are not used to seating on the floor with ease," she adds. Madan also drew inspiration from her own childhood, where a family of 13 would sit together on the floor to have a meal. “I wanted to go back to the idea of celebrating that very simple communal and grounded aspect of everyone eating together. When you’re seated on a higher table, there’s a sense of prestige and stature. However, when you sit on the ground, everyone becomes equal," she adds.
In Tamil, Aayutha means “nothing and everything…where everyone is one" and this emotion is metaphorically melded into these works of art. The furniture’s contours are smooth and rounded, its design punctuated with knots and circular brass studs that subtly echo the form of the Tamil script.
While Aayutha looks to the past to reinterpret eating rituals, the Timeless collection lends a glimpse into Magari’s foundational design vocabulary. One of the collection’s highlights is a table that features a leather-finished, textured granite top, speckled with variegated stone, and paired with six solid-wood chairs with cane-woven backs. According to Karun Matthew, director (operations) and founding partner at Magari, this series represents the founding aesthetic of using cane and wood in modern furniture pieces. The flipside was that the studio started getting typecast with this design vocabulary. To change that view, Magari began experimenting with materials like stone, brass inlay, glass and metal. Its latest offering, the Ivai collection, extends this idea in cabinetry pieces with stone tops, fused glass, leather and facades clad in naturally-dyed Italian veneer. With sections mimicking the sway of the sari, the collection incorporates gold-inlay details which echo the opulence of zari.
Magari’s latest outpost draws inspiration from Kochi’s cultural and natural landscape. Within the store, you can see diaphanous partitions with mul fabric—featuring appliqué, patchwork and jamdani techniques—stretched across wooden frames. These installations, created by artist Unmesh Dasthakir in collaboration with textile outfit MyKynd, refer to rivulets and hills that dot the port town. Nature finds expression in several other pieces, including the Ibbani side table—named after the Kannada word for ‘dew drops’. Part of a capsule collection, created in collaboration with Bengaluru-based architect-designer Amaresh Anand, the design features a fused-glass top, supported by kiln-dried Ashwood legs. “The glass is heat-pressed and fused," explains Anand. “That process creates tiny, droplet-like formations on the surface. The wooden legs are shaped to mimic the blades of grass. Together they represent dewdrops on grass." It took him five to six trial iterations to achieve the final glass surface, which has a soft texture that captures the essence of his inspiration.
At the heart of the store sits a circular table characterised by a wheel of materials, finishes and colours—a tactile map of sorts. Designed for both function and play, it serves as a tool for Madan to explore different combinations for upcoming collections. Inspired by the Lazy Suzy turntable, the rotating surface makes it easy to experiment. “Sometimes it’s hard to visualize how different materials will look or work together," shares Madan. “This table helps bring those possibilities to life."
Radhika Iyengar is the author of Fire on the Ganges: Life Among the Dead in Banaras, and an independent arts and culture journalist.
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