The Lahar and Tarang collections are furniture and object series created by American designer Kelly Wearstler in collaboration with Mumbai collectible design gallery æquō. The collaboration spans 15 pieces produced with artisans in workshops across Mumbai and Alibag. The Lahar collection includes furniture, lighting, and objects built around a geometric metal framework that holds glass enamel panels. The designs reinterpret traditional enamel techniques and bronze casting within contemporary furniture forms.
The Lahar pieces use a bronze-aluminium alloy structure fitted with enamel panels produced through layered pigment and firing processes. Colors such as bone, green, ebony, and grey are applied through custom enamel samples developed during production. The Tarang collection includes seating pieces such as chairs and benches carved from reclaimed burnt teak wood. Patinated cast-bronze rims frame the timber elements and accent the curved wooden structures.
Image Credit: Kelly Wearstler
What's Driving This Trend
- Heritage-enamel Revival
- A renewed focus on traditional enamel techniques combined with contemporary forms creates potential for novel decorative processes that merge artisanal surface finishes with scalable production methods.
- Sustainable-reclaimed Materials
- Integration of reclaimed burnt teak and recycled metals into premium furniture signals demand for validated provenance systems and circular-material workflows that redefine luxury sourcing.
- Artisan-designer Collaborations
- Cross-cultural partnerships between global designers and local workshops point to business models where co-designed limited editions and craft-led narratives disrupt mass-market homogeny.
Who This Affects Most
- High-end Furniture
- Bespoke furniture markets are positioned to adopt hybrid production techniques that pair artisan handwork with precision metal frameworks to offer differentiated, high-margin products.
- Luxury-hospitality
- Boutique hotels and branded residencies seeking unique, place-based interiors could leverage artisanal furniture programs to create distinctive guest experiences tied to local craft ecosystems.
- Material-science and Coatings
- Advances in enamel chemistry and bronze-aluminium alloys suggest opportunities for engineered coatings and composite structures that deliver new aesthetic and performance combinations.
