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India, whose crafts have inspired design legends like Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand, and George Nakashima, is often received today with hesitation, viewed through a lens of undervaluation and outdated perception when it comes to luxury design. Despite having over 3,000 documented crafts passed down through generations, many of these traditions have faded, like voices in a game of Chinese whispers, distorted, diminished, and increasingly disconnected from their origins. The erosion of these practices stems not only from a lack of appreciation, but from the absence of economic empowerment for the artisans who sustain them.
This thesis explores how spatial design can act as a vehicle to reframe Indian craftsmanship within a contemporary, global context. In cities like New York, where self-expression and cultural hybridity are celebrated, there exists an opportunity to reposition these crafts, not as static artifacts, but as living practices embedded in everyday experience. Here, sustainability is reconceived beyond material impact, as a means to preserve human heritage and empower artisan communities.
Through sensorial design, immersive storytelling, and exhibitionary strategies, this project proposes a retail gallery that celebrates the legacy of Indian craft. It educates, exposes, and immerses the viewer in the narrative. Drawing from the spatial logic of traditional Chettinad homes — courtyards, columns, verandahs — it reinterprets these architectural elements to shape an experiential journey through space. The result is a framework for designing immersive environments that reconnect audiences to the stories, materials, and makers behind each object. By exaggerating sensory cues, unfolding historical narratives, and revealing the making process of the craft, this thesis seeks to transform the act of shopping into an act of cultural engagement, where every surface tells a story and every step is part of a journey into the world of craft.