{"id":110606,"date":"2026-03-17T18:01:50","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T12:31:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/?p=110606"},"modified":"2026-03-17T18:01:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T12:31:50","slug":"colonial-influences-shape-goas-furniture-traditions-says-designer-nityan-unnikrishnan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/?p=110606","title":{"rendered":"Colonial influences shape Goa\u2019s furniture traditions, says designer Nityan Unnikrishnan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Goa Khabar : Goa\u2019s furniture still carries visible traces of its colonial past and its heavy wooden pieces, carved cupboards and cane-backed chairs found in many older homes reflect centuries of Portuguese influence on local craft traditions, according to artist and designer Nityan Unnikrishnan, who used this context to reflect on how furniture-making traditions in Goa and Kerala evolved along different paths.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking at a MOG Sunday session at the Museum of Goa, Unnikrishnan said that while both regions share humid coastal climates and access to similar wo<\/span><\/p>\n

ods, their craft traditions developed differently. Goa\u2019s furniture retains clear colonial influences in its forms and materials, while Kerala\u2019s traditions emerged through different craft practices and techniques. \u201cCraft traditions usually develop out of the materials, the climate and the people who work with them,\u201d Unnikrishnan said. \u201cGoa\u2019s furniture has very clear colonial influences,\u201d he said, adding that Kerala\u2019s traditions evolved through different craft practices.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Palakkad Chair itself began as a personal project for him in 2013, when Unnikrishnan designed a wooden chair as a birthday gift for a friend. The design later evolved through several iterations and collaborations, eventually becoming the iconic Palakkad Chair now produced with the furniture design studio Phantom Hands.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Inspired by the work of American woodworker and architect George Nakashima, the wood-and-cane chair gradually evolved through several iterations before taking its present form in collaboration with Phantom Hands. Unnikrishnan\u2019s practice spans painting, design and collaborations with traditional artisans across India. Trained in industrial design, he has also worked as a ceramic designer and explored furniture-making. His work has been featured in several solo and group exhibitions over the past decade and is currently on view at the 6th Kochi Muziris Biennale in Kerala.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking about the influences behind the design, Unnikrishnan referred to the work of Japanese-American woodworker George Nakashima and his approach to combining craftsmanship with design. \u201cDesigning and making for me\u2026 it\u2019s not two separate things, it\u2019s just one and the same,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reflecting on his practice across painting, ceramics and furniture, Unnikrishnan noted that designing objects intended for wider production requires a different approach from creating artworks. \u201cI was clear that I was not doing it for myself,\u201d he said. \u201cIt has to be easy to be made\u2026 it can\u2019t cost beyond a point.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Returning to the subject of traditional craftsmanship, Unnikrishnan said designers often misunderstand the needs of artisans. \u201cWhat they need help with is to find better ways to make a living,\u201d he said. \u201cThey don\u2019t need help to design.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

He added that despite the growing popularity of handmade products in global markets, the economic benefits rarely reach artisans themselves. \u201cNothing really benefits the artisans,\u201d he said, noting that while handmade design is widely consumed, the work often remains concentrated in small pockets and does not translate into sustainable livelihoods for craftspeople across the sector.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Goa Khabar : Goa\u2019s furniture still carries visible traces of its colonial past and its heavy wooden pieces, carved cupboards and cane-backed chairs found in many older homes reflect centuries of Portuguese influence on local craft traditions, according to artist and designer Nityan Unnikrishnan, who used this context to reflect on how furniture-making traditions in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25169,"featured_media":110607,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[155,6],"tags":[3794],"class_list":["post-110606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-155","category-6","tag-featured"],"read":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/25169"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=110606"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110606\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":110608,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110606\/revisions\/110608"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/110607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=110606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=110606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=110606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}