Graduate Thesis Work

Title: A Modular Furniture System Rooted in Memory and Sustainability Year: 2025 Medium: Cardboard, reused materials Themes: Emotional durability, upcycling, circular design, ancestral knowledge Overview A transformable furniture system that reimagines how we relate to the objects in our lives. Inspired by jigsaw puzzles, ancestral repair practices, and the quiet resilience of my grandfather’s wooden desk, this project explores how design can hold memory, meaning, and adaptability across time. Made from found materials and grounded in circular design principles, the system shifts between a bed, couch, dining table, and storage unit. More than student furniture, it's designed to endure, reconfigure, and invite reflection. Auto-Ethnographic Insight This project began as a personal meditation on rest, repair, and memory. My grandfather’s desk — handmade, well-worn, and never replaced — became a symbol of emotional durability. That memory shaped my approach: What if we designed new furniture with the same sense of care and permanence? Process Prototyped using reused cardboard and interlocking joinery Tested four modular modes for adaptability in small spaces Informed by Design as Care, the UN SDGs, and vernacular Indian practices Reflection This project reconnected me with the values I was raised with — repair, reuse, and respect. It became a practice in designing not just for function, but for continuity, care, and longevity.