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AS SPACES SHRINK AND ECO-AWARENESS RISES, URBAN INDIANS ARE EMBRACING MINIMALIST DESIGN

- By SAYONI BHADURI

There is a hush settling over India's most stylish homes. A quiet luxury that shimmers across lime-plastered walls, the grain of teak, and the scent of raw wood and linen. It is not austerity masquerading as design; it is a distinctly Indian aesthetic awakening. Minimalism, long celebrated abroad, has arrived home—not imported from Scandinavia or Japan, but born of India's own sensibilities, where poetry is found in restraint and meaning in materials that have always been ours. Indian minimalism is its own originality. Minimalism is primarily seen as having less things and a space that is not as cluttered. It doesn't necessarily mean cutting back on colour or texture.

The concept isn't new to India-it's intrinsic. From monasteries in Ladakh to the earthy austerity of South Indian agraharams, our architectural vocabulary was shaped by climate, craft, and clarity. Today, that sensibility is being rediscovered, albeit with a global polish.

Among the most telling symbols of this quiet return is the Chandigarh Chair. Originally designed by Pierre Jeanneret in the 1950s, it has seen a remarkable global resurgence in minimalist and modern interiors. Its simple teak frame, cane seat, and clean geometric lines embody the essence of understated elegance. Today, it's celebrated as a timeless icon of functional beauty-bridging Indian craftsmanship with mid-century modern design. From art galleries to chic apartments, the Chandigarh Chair has become a symbol of authenticity and quiet sophistication in minimalist decor worldwide. On its heels is the Kerala Planter's Chair. A colonial-era relic with elegant teak arms extending like wings meant to rest a planter's weary legs—it is now finding its way into the living rooms of design-conscious homeowners from Mumbai to Milan. Equally resurgent is the