Sourabh Gupta
photo by Sourabh Gupta
If you could have a second home anywhere, where would you live? Dharamkot, a quaint town in Himachal Pradesh, India
What are three words to describe your style?
1. Natural
2. Age
3. Comfort
Tell us about your childhood bedroom? It was a makeshift arrangement that changed every few weeks depending upon the season and the family’s financial situation. There were no windows to the outside so it instilled a deep sense of inner reflection and contemplation and a lot of creativity to make it comfortable and cozy with handmade objects.
What’s the first investment piece you ever bought for your house? A painting that I absolutely fell in love with and will move with me everywhere I live.
In the history of design, if you could hire any designer other than yourself, who would it be? Axel Vervoordt
No room is complete without: a place to sit on the floor
People think of me as: People have seen my work in botanicals, but that is just one small corner of my world.
Things you omit from:
A flower arrangement: Perfectly shaped and formed flowers
An hors d’oeuvre platter: The idea of sharing XD
A bar cabinet: Yet to find that
A song for:
Dinner at home: ‘Aaj jaane ki zidd naa karo’ by Farida Khannum
Working at your desk: Coke studio jukebox
Going for a run: ‘Dusk till dawn’ by Sia or Janavi Eswar
Biggest Vice? A passionate desire to enjoy my tea with a pastry everytime
If you were on an Ambien high and internet shopping, what would you buy? For one reason or the other, I find myself always on that high. My shelves in the studio are an evidence of that. But if I have to be specific, I am a huge fanatic for used and aged tools and objects. I have an innate relationship with objects that have lived a life of their own and bring an experience and a history with themselves.
Do your clothes reflect your design sensibility, if so, how? Not yet but hopefully soon enough, I will be creating some of my pieces/ accessories. I have sketches and samples that I would like to take on in my new studio and develop further.
Who is your star crush? Tom Ford
What is the thing you would never do on a project, but don’t detest when you see others do it? There's a threshold between lush and enough. In my world, just enough is more appealing and leaves room for the viewer to dream for more. When I see somebody going all out, I don't detest it and enjoy that too for a different spirit.
If there were a fire, and you could only keep one design book, what would it be? José Celestino Mutis: A Botanical Expedition
For posterity, what would you like your work to be known for? Respecting materials, giving a fervor chance to the overshadowed materials and techniques.
photo by Sourabh Gupta
A Few Favorites:
Movie: October Sky
Book: The autobiography of a yogi
Scent: Smell of wet clay
The fabric you always come back to: Canvas and cotton velvet in olive green
Dream project: A meaningful collaboration with Sabhyasachi and Thomas Heatherwick on a project
Meal: Pasta
Drink: Chai with cardamom
Hotel: A small rustic cottage with a private garden and dogs in Italian countryside
Artist: Sabhyasachi
A cause near and dear to me: I believe that in India, there are so many skilled women in the rural areas. I would love to play a small part in empowering and uplifting these sections of the community through craft and art.
Thing to collect obsessively: Small found metal and ceramic objects
Era in the history of design: Nothing specific in terms of an era, but any design that embraces rustic and celebrates the original nature and characteristics of materials.
Museum: The MET
Paint Color that always looks great: (Matte) olive green
Favorite person to follow on Instagram: Baron Ryan
Dogs, Cats, or No Pets? Dogs over anybody
