A claim to set itself apart in a sea of design-centric events was a tall order. In how many different ways could decor and product brands showcase their products?
Last month, I walked into Design POV — a new design event debuting in Mumbai that positioned itself as not just another exhibition but as a platform that ‘does design differently’ — with high expectations.
And I was greeted not by row upon row of neatly arranged stalls or pamphlet-heavy product displays, but by a welcome sense of discovery as I manoeuvred through the curated booths at the Jio World Convention Centre .
Be it Kumpal Vaid of Purple Backyard’s quirky cafe in neutral tones entitled The Mad Hatter’s Tea House, with an interactive game of fortune-telling teas or the crimson-drenched monochromatic journey into what could be a bachelor pad, a powder room or a disco bar, courtesy of Sumessh Menon’s design genius, the design interpretations ranged from the poetic to the absurd — for it was one of those rare occasions to build without a brief.
As Menon explains, “This is completely experimental, and that’s what excites everyone. We’re exploring new materials, new concepts, things that haven’t been done before.”
Sumessh Menon’s experiential, red-drenched booth defies a singular function.
Crafting an ecosystem
The concept needs decoding to be fully understood, which lent gravitas to its engagement factor. Visitors felt the need to ask about the story behind the curation. And here’s why. At the heart of Design POV lay The Core — the central concept of the event: 19 of India’s most innovative design studios were each given a blank 800 sq.ft. canvas to create installations under the powerful theme ‘Echoes of Tomorrow’.
The catch? All the products they used were to be provided only by the participating brands (luxury material and product brands such as Wriver, Colosseum, Swamy Marmo, Sunroof, Hybec, and Embellish). This is what positions Design POV as a beacon of transformation: to allow visitors to reimagine products seen in stalls (usually on display in sterile environments with many of their kind) as a part of a living and breathing ecosystem.
Decorative pieces by art and decor brands (such as the serving platter from Lotus Arts de Vivre) were displayed along the periphery.
Design POVsucceeded in cutting through the noise, offering a convergence of architecture, interior design, visual arts and material innovation. The ground-breaking event — conceptualised and executed by Totality Solutions and presented by Tabu and Elite Building Materials (EBM) with Design Partner Birla Opus Paints — offered an immersive dialogue between thought, form and concept while focusing on the essence of creativity itself.
The 19-participating studios are some of the brightest names in Indian design, including Gowri Adappa, Arun Sharma, Sumit Dhawan, Maha K & Vijay Kumar, Gayathri & Namith Architects, Hiren Patel, Quirk Studio, Rohit Bhoite House of Design and Sona Reddy, among others.
Rohit Bhoite House of Design’s booth, entitled Luxe Soirée, at Design POV.
Thinking beyond ‘typical’
When approaching The Core, each designer’s take was one-of-a-kind. For instance, Pooja Bihani’s Woven Air reimagined a hotel suite in West Bengal for a traveller of the future, one who seeks and doesn’t just use. “This was the first time I worked with so many textiles, grounding the space in the traditional kanthas, gamchhas and jamdanis of the East,” she elaborates about the rich, colourful space enlivened with swirls of indigo and reds.
Nishita Kamdar of her eponymous studio worked specifically with nature-inspired materials and motifs for her installation, A Walk in the Garden. “I wanted to create this meditative Zen space that feels like a pause for visitors and activates all their senses,” she explains.
Ameet Mirpuri’s Design Studio looked back to look ahead, employing tortoise shell trinkets and box-making (made in his father’s factory more than 50 years ago), and using the scanned textures of these shells on fabrics and furnishings to shine a light on the forgotten craft. reD Architects’s space was for a bold soul, one that compelled people to think beyond typical boundaries. In their booth, the living, dining, bath and bar all lie next to each other, punctuated by statements like a stairway to nowhere.
Strategically positioned interventions such as mirrors carved out plenty of interactive pause points at Design POV.
Amit Surve, of Talati & Partners, explored the power of different seatings, creating a cosy home theatre with curated seating pockets for all ages. Khushboo and Kunal Khandelwal’s (Studio Design Inc) Shifting Perspectives invited users to step into an art-inspired, immersive foyer full of bold hues (think blacks, whites and vibrant reds) and whimsical silhouettes, while Sanjyt Syngh’s signature style of bold forms and evocative hues carried through in his booth. Each thoughtful space served a specific story, giving visitors a chance to not only see the products used in different contexts, but also a peek into the creative geniuses of some of the best design minds in India. Along with this, multimedia art installations, art presentations and live panel discussions added another layer of nuance.
In the traditional landscape of design exhibitions, the sole focus and moneymaker remains showcasing products. But Design POV surprises, placing new emphasis on the process of design.
It focused on collaboration, experimentation, and narrative, encouraging designers and attendees to see beyond the aesthetic surface and dive into the stories and minds that shape our design.
The success of an initiative such as Design POV, from its very first iteration, is a testament to the need for the evolution of design events in India.
The writer is an architect-turned-journalist.
Published – July 12, 2025 07:10 am IST
