At Mohan Wooden Arts & Crafts, wood inlay and marquetry have been practised for more than six decades. The South Indian city of Mysore has been home to the tradition since the early 18th century and remains one of India’s foremost woodworking centres. K. Mohan built his practice around an encyclopaedic knowledge of timber sourced from forests around Mysore. In 2013, the Government of India recognised his work with the National Award for Handicrafts, its highest honour for master craftspeople. His son Suresh Mohan now leads the workshop with his brothers. Suresh also teaches at the National Institute of Fashion Technology, one of India’s leading design schools and conducts specialist workshops, passing on material knowledge his family has spent generations accumulating.

Every piece begins with the reading of wood. The atelier works across 60 species and each one carries its own grain, density and natural hue. The selection of timber determines the composition as much as any design drawing does. Every component is cut individually by hand and fitted into place to produce surfaces in which the joints disappear entirely. Rosewood, a dense, fragrant hardwood native to the forests in the region, has historically been the base material and gave Mysore inlay its internationally recognised name. The family workshop takes commissions from designers, architects and furniture makers across India. Among its collaborators are ChippiWara in Delhi and The Vernacular Modern in Bengaluru, both of which work at the intersection of Indian craft and contemporary design. Depending on the complexity of the work, a single piece takes between one week and six months to come to life.