AGAM
Category: Furniture
Competitions: Home Competition 2025
Agam is a low seating chair shaped by the rhythms of Tamil domestic life. It brings together presence, slowness, and cultural continuity through grounded design. Inspired by the thinnai, a raised seating platform once found at the entrance of Tamil homes, Agam translates this shared social space into a functional interior object that fits contemporary living. The structure is crafted in solid teak using traditional carpentry techniques. While the chair uses glue to secure the joinery for long-term stability, every part is carefully hand-finished and aligned to honor the clarity of construction. No screws or fasteners are visible. The seat is woven in cane using a double Victoria weave, a pattern known for its tension distribution and ability to adapt to complex curvatures. This was executed in close collaboration with cane artisan Raju Rajput and the Skill Development Workshop at NID. Agam emerged from a reflection on how cities have changed the way we occupy space. As homes shrink and floor-sitting traditions fade, the chair encourages stillness and grounded posture. It asks the body to move differently, offering a quiet pause in the everyday. Every chair takes around three days to complete. The woven seat can be replaced without discarding the structure, allowing the piece to age with care and retain emotional value. The materials were selected for their climate relevance, longevity, and repairability. The use of cane supports an artisan economy that is increasingly at risk due to the rise of fast furniture. Agam blends ergonomics with memory. It is not nostalgic, but rooted. The design is less about revival and more about continuity — about recognizing what can be carried forward. It holds within it a gesture of companionship, a belief that furniture can be both personal and durable, cultural and contemporary.
