Arjun Rathi Fate sometimes works in wondrous ways. In the case of Arjun Rathi, who did his B.Arch from the Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture, it led him on an adventure. Through one project opportunity after another, he made an exciting transition; and his multidisciplinary studio now interprets space through the lens of lighting, designing fixtures and aweinspiring installations – like the one at Mumbai’s World Towers. With the idea that lighting and form could stimulate emotion, he explored a dialogue between the Indian factory and Indian craftsmen. “I wanted to create magical stories through a play of colour, shadows and darkness,” recounts Arjun. “As a self-taught lighting designer, I applied the methodical approach of architecture with ideals and archetypes influenced by modernist masters like Aalto, Corbusier and Mies, to develop my design process.” An accidental introduction to Firozabad, the glass capital of India, introduced Arjun to the magic of blown glass. His initial experiments were limited to industrially-produced glass and lathe-blown bubbles. Exploring collaborations with factories abroad fuelled his passion for hand-blown glass, and he dreamed of having his own glass studio one day. Post-Covid, his eagerness to produce an Indianinspired, pop-colour whimsical lighting collection took Arjun on a nostalgia trip with Indian candies and desserts. The hand-blown, black-and-white Bullseye glass was initially imported from the Czech Republic – and when that supply channel became unsustainable, Rural Modern Glass Studio was born! Principal, Arjun Rathi Design; Founder, Rural Modern Glass Studio; Co-Founder, Design Democracy “Luxury is a great state of comfort and elegance” | 14
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