The inheritance of craft and nature

Founded by architect Abhirup Dutta and interior designer Deeptashree Saha, The Vernacular Modern is a research-led design studio in Bangalore, creating collectible furniture, objects and kinetic works at the intersection of craft and contemporary design. The studio collaborates closely with master artisans across India. Each endeavour begins with an enquiry into a craft, its materials, techniques and inherited rules, developed through dialogue with the makers. From the in-house workshop at The Vernacular Modern, this knowledge becomes a starting point for experimentation and reinterpretation. At the heart of the atelier's ethos is the idea that tradition is living knowledge that finds its future through evolution.

In the chair presented for Homo Faber 2026, Sarpa Gaja Asandi, this approach takes form through a collaboration with Mysuru wood inlay master artisan Suresh Mohan. The Sarpa coils around the backrest, inlaid using multiple timber species from the Deccan Plateau. The piece was made entirely without artificial colour or stain treatment. Instead, each fragment is selected for its natural grain, texture and colour, that allow the palette to form the serpent. Resting upon the Gaja Pada, or elephant foot, the chair brings nature and inherited craft knowledge into dialogue through adaptation and coexistence.