KOY by Kunaal Kyhaan Seolekar is an eclectic mix of luxury furniture and collectible design that encapsulates the spirit of contemporary India. The brand leverages the plethora of hand-crafting traditions and the diversity of material in India to create delightful expressions that celebrate individual style. A playful interlude of rich craftsmanship, elemental beauty and everyday objects re-imagined in a colourful world of emotions.
KOY stands as an ode to customization, inviting clients to curate pieces that resonate with their unique personality. Each creation is a vibrant intersection of opulence and eclecticism. With a mission to redefine furniture’s role beyond functionality, KOY envisions a world where every piece is a narrative, sparking conversations and becoming integral to contemporary living.
KOY is one of the few contemporary brands that showcase collections in Milan Design Week consecutively and is a testament to his unwavering commitment to honouring materiality, individuality, and the rich tapestry of Indian culture.
“KOY isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about honouring tradition. We source materials and utilize techniques employed by local communities from across India, fostering sustainable practices and giving back. This commitment to craftsmanship extends to our diverse collection: handcrafted furniture that celebrates raw materials, exquisite art objects, decorative lighting, and decor. This brand allows me to express my unwavering commitment to materiality, individuality, and the vibrant tapestry of Indian culture. It’s a vision that’s been recognized – I was awarded the Elle Decor India’s EDIDA “Designer of the Year” in 2019 and have won multiple EDIDA awards for my work. KOY is a culmination of my passions, a platform to celebrate heritage through contemporary design, and a commitment to empowering local communities,” says founder KOY by KYHAAN.
With a unique imaginative and creative spirit, Seolekar continues to innovate and explore the realm of design and opportunities in exciting new ways. How do your designs embody the essence of contemporary India? “Our tailored experiences affect the senses in a multitude of ways from furniture and art to emotion and interaction with an innovative approach. Born deep within an ethnic culture and inspired by the world, Koy reimagines and adapts the vibrant culture with a bold and modern design sensibility. All our products are meticulously handcrafted in our own in Haus workshops or by master artisans utilizing the best of local materials.” Recognised globally for picking the most precious and charming varieties of natural stones from across India. The brand’s aesthetic is an exuberant but still rigorous and coherent melting pot of cultures and languages. A constant experimentation in which chromatic boldness, hyper-modern technologies and artisanal traditions of the multi-faceted Indian territory get together with an extreme purity of shape. And the result is unique, in between modernity and exoticism, or in between urban rhythms and thousand-year traditions, in a fascinating dialogue that compares Indian identity and expressive codes of global architecture and design.
KOY is inspired by the philosophy of the good-luck charm, the Koi fish. “Much like the fish, its inherent need to swim upstream and against the tide with a purpose, strengthens our belief. We at KOY strive to be different/strive to evoke an emotion/ whilst creating our own journey. Emotionally, Koy is ambiguous, a desirable need for sensuality, ‘why art thou Coy?” (shakespear); it stirs an understated sexuality with a contemporary thought. We are an eclectic mix of thinkers and makers, who share a combination of curiosity, ingenuity and a simple but honest love for design and storytelling. KOY to us, is an emotion. It grows with age, just like you, through your journey. Our products are exquisite and playful and reflect a contemporary interpretation and reinvention of traditional design.”
An array of handcrafted objects of fantasy, primarily consisting of a menagerie of marbles, artisanal woods, rainbow metals and ethnic fabrics are on offer. “Since we have a craft based atelier, we experiment with various materials and over the years have refined our production in sculpted fiberglass, woodwork, and marble carving. A lot of the practice revolves around creating new finishes and exploring various possibilities with found materials. Stone and marble are a predominant material I love to explore, and India is diverse in its natural occurrence of a variety of colourful stones, granites and marbles.”
How do you strike the balance between utilitarian furniture and functional art? Taking inspiration from India’s vast and colourful culture, nature and topography, our designs are a contemporary interpretation and reinvention of its diversity and uniqueness. By blending innovative technology with traditional techniques and stories we aspire to produce pieces that are defined by quality, character, and emotion. Every design prioritizes comfort and ergonomics, undergoing meticulous prototyping and user testing to ensure each piece is not just stunning but also provides exceptional functionality.
Read the full story that first appeared in The New Indian Express dated June 2, 2024 here:
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