Curvature, cantilevers and cashmere: Mumbai-based designer Rooshad Shroff on his new furniture collection

Designed to challenge perceptions around form and showcase the strength of natural materials, Shroff has drawn on his experience as an architect to “push structure to the limit.”

Inspired by nature, many of the pieces come together like pebbles stacked on top of one another. 'The delicate appearance of each balancing act belies the rock-steady character in an almost gravity-defying display,' says Shroff who worked for global architecture firms including OMA in New York and Zaha Hadid Architects in London before returning to India in 2011 to set up his own practice.

In the wake of his latest gallery launch in Mumbai this/last month, we spoke to Shroff about the new collection, his marble obsession and how we all need a bit of balance in our lives.

Wallpaper*: What sets the Balance collection apart in terms of your design style to date?

Rooshad Shroff: This latest collection is, in many ways, a radical shift away from what we have done previously. While we have stayed true to natural materials and the celebration of the hand in terms of making techniques, I really wanted to push the idea of structure. I wanted to play with it and push it to it’s limit. With some of the pieces we have stacked blocks of onyx on top of each other like pebbles in a precarious form so that it looks like it is in a state of unrest. So, it seems unstable or delicate but is actually both stable and functional. We have coffee tables with massive cantilevers, five foot long overhangs supported on a tiny pebble. The collection also includes chairs and sofas which is my first foray into upholstered pieces. The chair has an underbelly of cast white bronze with white bronze legs and a little tail of white onyx at the rear end tying into the materials palette. And they are all upholstered in cashmere.

Wallpaper*: Tell me more about the materials and why you have gone for this particular palette.

RS: We have used marble and white, pink and green onyx. There is no surface treatment as the beauty of the stone is the real hero. This is also the first time we have used metal bronze casting. We wanted to incorporate some more premium materials into the collection while staying true to the stone and marble. It’s the same reason we used cashmere for the upholstery. And that juxtaposes so well with the natural imperfections and uniqueness of the stone. Every piece of onyx has its own grain structure and own colouration.

Wallpaper*: How important is the provenance of these materials to you? And the making techniques?

RS: I love the fact that, while I am based in Mumbai, not all of the work happens here. The carpentry happens in Alibaug, the embroidery here in Mumbai, the marble carving in Jaipur, the marble inlay in Agra, the woodwork in Delhi. Different places dictate a particular craft and it becomes such a beautiful narrative when you see these pieces come together.

I was introduced to the crafts of India very early after moving into furniture design but it was not something I had always engaged with. In fact, I had often shied away from it as it was not in my design DNA at the time. But, when I started designing furniture, I realised it was going to be almost impossible to get bespoke, one-off pieces made through a manufacturer. I needed something low-tech and easily accessible whereby making a one-off piece was very doable. So, I started with two carpenters in my Dad’s garage. Everything was handmade from the beginning. Over time, I started to explore the potential of embroidery as a medium, but on wood rather than fabric. That became one of my early signature identities which started off on furniture pieces was then used on wall cladding in the Christian Louboutin and Louis Vuitton stores in Mumbai. The furniture effectively becomes a testing ground to investigate different crafts, techniques and materials that goes on to influence our interior works.

Wallpaper*: Do you tend to move through materials on a collection-by-collection basis?

RS: Well, I am marble obsessed at the moment. I became obsessed with creating a marble lightbulb out of a singular block which we managed to do after breaking the first 40. But we actually layer materials and skills on top of each other to keep working with the same people. The collections will always involve a mix of different techniques. For example, we have plans next to work with really thin copper, brass or silver wire which can then be chiselled or hammered into wood, which we obviously already use, to create a lace-like inlay. I love the idea of each piece marrying seemingly different crafts together by going through so many different hands.

rooshadshroff.com