"Gurgaon's Best Kept Secret...." Little Black Book
The story of Khoj begins with India ~ a love for Indian Crafts, a search for meaningful design solutions and an inherent love of sustainability. Khoj's genesis came at a time when Western furniture and synthetic upholstery fabrics ruled the day and Indian design was very nascent.
The starting point for Khoj is always a single piece ~ Be it an intricately carved piece of wood, a marble jali, a painted fresco, a vintage trunk, an antique pillar, an embroidered fabric, it is the seed of inspiration for our creations. This singular piece is then re-imagined and re-crafted to work for modern design solutions at our workshop in Gurgaon.
Khoj's founders, Akhil and Manisha Kumar, have long had a deep and abiding love for Indian Crafts and Art. As an architect, Akhil has had the correct platform to incorporate Indian Design and Art forms into the practice. With Architecture and Khoj having tremendous synergies, both architecture and interiors have worked well together.
Gurgaon and Delhi NCR have long known about Khoj's hidden treasures. Opening our treasure box of unique, handcrafted furniture and home decor, only twice a year, we've developed a quiet and influential following over the years. Over time our collection has expanded to much beyond furniture ~ our luxurious, designer lamps with bespoke shades, our standout sideboards, our diverse fabrics and upholstery, our garden and terrace collections.
With creations flying all over the world, including New York, Singapore, Seattle, Cape Town, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Dubai and of course in India, we've been privileged to see our collections showcased over the world.
Our luxurious and unique pieces add a sense of drama and character to every space that they occupy. Having been in the business for 20+ years, we're in tune with what modern, contemporary homes really need.
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Sustainability Matters : When the idea for Khoj was formulated, it was a time when many old buildings, structures and havelis were being dismantled. Age Old Stonework, Wood Bannisters, metal railings, marble jharokas were being torn down with impunity. However, with time and sensitization, there arose a better understanding , a need to preserve and cherish the architectural and craft legacy of our homes and cities.
Currently #singleuseplastic is trending, but sustainability goes beyond just the ban. For us, in our own small way, we have long since built sustainability into our designs, into the very DNA of Khoj.
Our work with repurposed wood, vintage discarded textiles and embroideries , broken marble jallis, stained, coloured glass darwazas , and more lies at the very core of our design pieces. Our most enduring designs, our most loved pieces are those that have emerged from these broken pieces. Our journey is to craft and reimagine them in a way, that their brokenness is the real beauty and new stories are crafted using them.
In many ways, it is similar to the art of kinsugi, the Japanese art of restoring pottery , it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.
At Khoj, we continue to celebrate the old and the broken in new and unusual ways – Our serices of aged, and vintage Pichwais, embellished Ravi Varmas, a series of Burmese laquer bowls, vintage Gujrati toran, an old Hathi matha, a long tusker mask are all pieces that tell their story. Explore our Khazana Collection for some of our most memorable finds.
Celebrating the Handcrafted, Artisans & Livelihoods : With time and growth, we have expanded and widened the arts and artisans showcased. Our vision is to release the crafts from being archaic, "ethnic" designs and formats and to reimagine, rework them in modern, contemporary forms with an urban aesthetic.
To this end, we work with many Crafts and Artisan Groups and individual artists across the country including Bastar Artist Groups in Chattisgarh, Sabai Grass and Moonj Grass Craft Clusters in West Bengal and Uttarakhand, Handpainted Mask artists in Hyderabad and Tirupati, Gond Artists in MP, women SHG in Barmer and Pali for embroidered fabrics, Wood Carvings and Woodwork in Uttar Pradesh, Marble and Stone Carving from Udaipur, Mata Ni Pachedi in Ahmedabad.
Our support to the artisans is at many touchpoints -- investing in their inventory, marketing, building and showcasing their craft, getting them fair price, interventions for design Improvements, building in quality control etc. During Covid times ,we provided financial support to a number of artists, as it was a period of struggle across all.
With time, we have built a pipeline of artists, artisans and partners who are aligned with Khoj and have been able to scale businesses and products often with Khoj as a building block.
Here is what LBB had to say about Khoj
https://lbb.in/all/khoj-crafts-home-decor/
Shop at our online store : www.khojcrafts.com
Browse our Facebook Page : @khojcrafts
Indulge on our Instagram Page : @khojcrafts
Join our FB Community : The Khoj Commune
Details
Contact us at 9810001738 / 9818147901 for Collaborations and Bespoke pieces
Come to see our collection at
Khoj Crafts
A-30/2 Dlf Phase 1, Gurgaon 122002, Haryana