Sculpted with earth: a home for saris

There was a time when mud properties had been restricted to villages. Over the previous couple of years, designers and shoppers have discovered fancy within the easy materials and its many structural qualities. Be it Mumbai’s newest bistro Zeki, the two,000 sq.ft. home constructed by Bhoomija Creations in Kerala, or the more moderen, Tiny Farm Lab in Uttarakhand. The newest addition to this listing is sari model Kalga Banaras’ showroom in Varanasi constructed utilizing the age-old wattle and daub approach whereby bamboo strips are woven collectively and the gaps crammed with cob (a mixture of mud, sand, and straw). 

The design of the 1,300 sq. foot showroom — helmed by interior-product designer Aishwarya Lakhani, founding father of Brown Dot Collaborative, and Raghav Kumar, co-founder of rural design studio Tiny Farm Lab — was accomplished in 5 months by November 2024. “A lot of our inspiration came from observing the day-to-day life and culture in Varanasi: the people, the city’s winding gullies (streets), and the sunsets at the ghats. The mood of the space, as a result, also reflected that through soft edges, elemental colours (a warm, earthy palette) and finishes that felt alive; mud lime plasters in varied tones, textures, and some, in the form of an abstraction on the wall,” says Lakhani, who checked out slowness and imperfection as a design high quality, “embracing asymmetry, organically shaped niches, and rustic art sculpted with layers of mud-lime plaster”.

“A lot of our inspiration came from observing the day-to-day life and culture in Varanasi: the people, the city’s winding gullies (streets), and the sunsets at the ghats. The mood of the space, as a result, also reflected that through soft edges, elemental colours (a warm, earthy palette) and finishes that felt alive; mud lime plasters in varied tones, textures, and some, in the form of an abstraction on the wall”Aishwarya Lakhanifounding father of Brown Dot Collaborative

Locally sourced materials

As one enters the shop, and walks by the slim passage — impressed by Varanasi’s unfolding panorama the place slim lanes open to the vastness of the ghats — they’re met with an set up crafted from punch playing cards used within the jacquard loom system. “The main display space of the store is carved from natural materials, including mud and lime plasters, and hand-sculpted curves. We also designed tactile inserts like a large mural, an abstraction of Varanasi’s sunset in the ghats and display units made using lime and cow dung plasters infused with natural oxides,” says Lakhani, including that 90% of the supplies and artefacts had been sourced domestically. The retailer has additionally revived the gaddi (ground mattress) custom, “inviting visitors to sit, pause, and engage with the saris in an intimate way”.

Detailing the methods championed within the venture, Kumar says the partitions had been formed by hand, constructed slowly one layer at a time utilizing cob. “We mixed the cob by stomping it with our feet and rolled it into place, which gave the walls their smooth, flowing curves. To finish, we used natural plasters made from mud, lime, and cow dung, for the larger sculpted elements, and included natural oxides for the decorative ones,” he says. These protected, chemical-free coatings add lovely texture, maintain the air contemporary, and assist management the moisture contained in the house, provides the architect.

“These hand-formed details were a quiet way of rooting the space in nature and offering visitors moments of discovery as they moved through it. Each one was shaped intuitively on-site, making the walls feel not just built, but touched”Raghav Kumarco-founder of rural design studio Tiny Farm Lab

The crew — comprising native masons whom the duo needed to practice — additionally sculpted smaller, rustic motifs and protrusions immediately into the moist mud plaster. “These hand-formed details were a quiet way of rooting the space in nature and offering visitors moments of discovery as they moved through it. Each one was shaped intuitively on-site, making the walls feel not just built, but touched,” he says, including that conventional crafts reminiscent of metallic repoussé and wood-turned collectible figurines had been embedded thoughtfully into the design.

Trust native arms

Kumar explains that one of many largest considerations in pure constructing is discovering expert labour. “The simple answer? You train them. It’s not rocket science. If someone has experience in cement work, they already have the right tools, muscle memory, and hands-on building skills, and they just need to learn the materials,” he says, “We started with what they know: swapping cement and sand for clay, sand, and fibre. Then drawing analogies between binders, i.e., cement and clay, and broke techniques down into stages.” He says the artisans took these abilities and “even found better techniques”. “We learned more from them than they learned from us. By trusting local hands, we’re creating sustainable livelihoods, and decentralising the knowledge of natural building to make the process richer and more meaningful.”

Aishwarya Lakhani and Raghav Kumar.

While Kumar and Lakhani see a rise within the curiosity to construct such buildings and vouch for the potential they maintain, constructing with mud “takes time”. “It can’t be rushed. Mud needs to dry, lime needs to be slaked. It also requires the workers to learn new, but ancient, skills,” says Lakhani. Two points that the duo had been challenged with for Kalga Banaras. “Our clients onboarded us mid-way through the project; they saw more value in building with mud. But this also meant we had to jump in halfway and make sense of the chaos,” says Kumar, including how the shopper needed it full in 5 months. “It was a tight deadline for any build, let alone one with natural materials. And the monsoon had just begun which meant high humidity, and slow drying times. But, we loved the challenge, and were able to finish the project within the timeline by making drier mixes and building strategically,” he says.

As designers constructing with earth, Kumar says they’ve a twin accountability. “Working with local materials, context, and labour is not enough. We need to craft beautiful spaces that are technically sound. Spaces that evoke emotions and a sense of desirability,” he concludes.