Studio Lotus

For a soon-to-be-completed house in Kolkata, where Art Deco continues to shape the city’s architectural memory, our reference to the movement arose from the constraints of the site itself. Designed as a 13,000 sq ft twin home on a tight urban plot, the project drew from the movement’s softer geometries to introduce fluidity and continuity into the architectural form. Curved balconies, edges, and recessed openings shape the massing of the house, while materiality and details such as fluting and patterned surfaces, extend this language into the interiors. Design Team: Ankur Choksi, Anusha Pulapaka, Maitrayee Takale, Anshika Maheshwari #Architecture #ArtDeco #ContemporaryArchitecture #DesignProcess #StudioLotusIndia

At Masti restaurant in Dubai, when we envisioned to create culinary stories about new India, the idea was to maintain an inherently Indian soul with a contemporary twist, engaging the evolving palettes of a globally-aware audience. Pivoted on a series of zones offering distinct experiences, Masti was interpreted as a colourful and quirky rendition of Indian influences, pastiched as a modern expression of a marketplace. Drawing on traditional crafts and local techniques, the myriad components were designed and fabricated in India, then shipped to Dubai for assembly and installation. Geometric and organic motifs taken from indigenous board games, borders of regional textiles, and saris find expression across inlaid marble tables, hand-carved wooden furniture, floral fabrics, flooring patterns, and screen partitions. Familiar Indian forms are reinterpreted throughout, from cloth parasols transformed into suspended wireframe installations to the Juice Counter, inspired by the archetypal roadside juice vendor seen across India. The interiors capture the vibrancy of Indian culture through fun yet meaningful elements, bringing an Indian identity to a restaurant in Dubai. 📷 1, 3,  5, 6, 8, 9, 12: Edmund Sumner  📷 7, 10, 11: Juliet Dunne Design Team: Asha Sairam, Ankur Choksi, Neelam Das, Randhir Kumar, Kristel Sequeira Collaborator:  Furniture: Mangrove Collective Lighting: AKFD #RestaurantDesign #InteriorDesign #DubaiDesign #IndianDesign #StudioLotusIndia #HospitalityDesign

Adapt and Reuse : Building with what exists. Set within a world-class mixed-use development in a Mumbai suburb for Godrej Properties Limited (GPL), this project occupies legacy land where the Godrej Group first established its factories. Before we began working on this project, we asked ourselves: how does an ordinary building with a 100-year-old legacy engage with the future while staying tethered to its roots? The answer was to ground the development in the industrial heritage of the site, creating an authentic historic narrative, embedding references to memory as reflections on the site’s history, and forming a unifying thread across the space. Therefore, the project became an exercise in placemaking, preserving buildings as markers of memory that narrate the story of the site, while reimagining the built fabric as a new cultural hub to activate its proximal areas within the larger masterplan and beyond its boundaries. 📷 1, 4-11: Edmund Sumner 📷 2, 3, 12: Studio Vikhroli Design Team: Studio Lotus: Ambrish Arora, Ankur Choksi, Pankhuri Goel, Arun Kullu, Mira Asher, Sanjay Kumar | Studio Vikhroli: Anubhav Gupta, FRICS, Namrata Mehra, Madhavi Sathe, Shraddha Dasgupta, Karan Sharma (Legacy Silos), Jyotika Purwar (Urban Farm) #AdaptiveReuse #GodrejGroup #IndianArchitecture #StudioLotusIndia #MixedUseDevelopment

On International Day for Biological Diversity, we are prompted to reconsider how we build and inhabit the land around us. In the face of growing biodiversity loss, it becomes increasingly important to think about how architecture can work with and enrich existing natural systems. This thought takes us back to Devanya, a 100-acre forest between Bhimtal and Mukteshwar in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. At the fairly degraded site, our early efforts were focused on environmental regeneration, in collaboration with landscape architect AKSHAY KAUL, beginning with an understanding of the land, its water systems, vegetation and ecology. Over time, what was once a relatively dry landscape transformed into a verdant cover, reintroducing indigenous species, crossed by a smattering of perennial streams that revitalised the ecosystem, luring birds, butterflies, and other fauna. The project continues to stay with us, reinforcing our design value of “timelessness”, the idea that sustainability lies in building in a manner that endures. 📷: NOUGHTS AND CROSSES LLP  #InternationalDayForBiologicalDiversity #BiodiversityDay #EcologicalRestoration #EnvironmentalRegeneration #StudioLotusIndia

Growth at Studio Lotus extends beyond design. Rooted in a culture of continuous learning and collaboration, the studio creates space to develop a deeper understanding of people and processes. Satwik joined us as an intern and has grown into a Senior Architect within 3 years. Watch Satwik Singh Rathour reflect on his experience at Studio Lotus! #StudioCulture #CareerGrowth #StudioLotusIndia #SeniorArchitect #ArchitecturePractice

‘Treading Lightly’ is an intrinsic Studio Lotus value, metaphorically and physically. A selection of projects that embody this approach in varied ways include the Villa in the Woods in Kumaon, where the idea of ‘building lightly’ is epitomised with the villas propped on stilts over three levels, reducing its footprint on the ground. This not only saved trees and maximised views, but more importantly, allowed for natural surface water runoff to flow unhindered into the swales below—thus, minimising the ecological impact. At RAAS Chhatrasagar, perched atop a nearly 150-year-old check dam that formed a perennial rainwater lake, the sensitive ecological context made it imperative that all additions to the locale be erected with minimal environmental footprint. So we designed a system of low-impact foundations and lightweight superstructures that blended harmoniously with the environment. In the Mehrangarh Fort Visitor Centre in Jodhpur, we elevated 65% of the building above ground through a stilted structure, with an intention to respect the site’s ecological and geological integrity. 📷 1, 2, 4: NOUGHTS AND CROSSES LLP 📷 3: Avesh Gaur 📷 5: vinay panjwani 📷 6: Amita Goel #DesignWithNature #Environment #Architecture #StudioLotusIndia #Ecology

Principal Asha Sairam will be speaking at Design POV in Mumbai as part of the panel discussion, 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘐𝘯 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. Bringing together voices from fashion, art, and architecture, the session will examine these disciplines as cultural expressions shaped by history, geography, craft, and lived experience. The conversation will explore how identity and cultural narratives are adapted across mediums and the responsibility of preserving and evolving them without reducing them to surface or symbol. 📍17 May, Sunday, 2026 - Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai 🕑 2:00–3:00 PM #AshaSairam #StudioLotusIndia #DesignPOV #Architecture #Culture 

Cousu d'Or was a celebration of Banarasi textiles and French bridal couture, a collaboration between Ekaya Banaras and La Fédération Française de la Création Couture Sur Mesure, envisioned as a surreal narrative. Influenced by the eternal romance of flowers and weddings, it was an oasis of Victoria water lilies—their giant leaves cradling couture creations. Using paper as a medium and origami as its expression, we placed folded flower forms on mirrored surfaces, alluding to lily pads resting in fragmented pools of water—from within each, emerging a delicate bud in the form of an exquisite dress. Circular mirrors suspended behind ensembles to highlight their intricate details, mimicking water droplets, and paper chandeliers hovering above like luminous clouds cast a soft, even glow. To contain the paradise garden, we wrapped the hall in sheaths of white fabric, transporting the visitor into a dreamy, timeless reverie. Working within limited installation time, origami artist Ankon Mitra guided the paper-handling process, with members across teams coming together to cut, fold, and assemble the exhibition overnight. 📷: Andre J Fanthome Design Team: Ankur Choksi, Asha Sairam, Apeksha Agrawal, Tanuj Biyani, Akshaya Narayanan #ExhibitionDesign #Origami #PaperArt #SpatialDesign #StudioLotus

At Taj Sawai, local materials and age-old crafts reference Ranthambore's rich biodiversity and layers of history into its interiors. In the villas, inherited river-washed Kota flooring is retained, paired with timber furniture, bamboo mat ceilings, soft furnishings, and a restrained palette of warm colours to evoke an intimate, home-like character. Bone inlay detailing adorns the minibar, while the headboard, wardrobe shutters, and panels are CNC-carved and hand-finished, in an abstraction of tiger stripes. The furnishings, through their textural weaves and block prints of cross-sections of logs, aim to evoke the experience of a walk in the woods. Images by: Avesh Gaur Design Team: Asha Sairam, Insiya Pithawala, Suryansh Agarwal, Vartika Sood Collaborators Art: Developed by CraftCanvas #TajSawaiMadhopur #StudioLotusIndia #Craft #Ranthambore #ContextualDesign

Principal, Ankur Choksi, is part of the jury at the World Architecture Festival (WAF) Florida, 2026. The World Architecture Festival is the only global architecture festival that combines a unique live-judged awards programme, seminars and networking. Ankur joins the 2026 panel as a category judge. With 164 judges representing 37 countries, WAF brings together peers, industry leaders, and practitioners from across the world, where projects are judged live at the festival. #StudioLotusIndia #WAF2026 #WorldArchitectureFestival #ArchitectureJury #GlobalArchitecture