Harshita Jhamtani is an Indian designer and the founder of Harshita Jhamtani Designs, a Mumbai-based studio established in 2019. Her practice is rooted in a thoughtful balance between material innovation and environmental responsibility, with a focus on creating objects that are both visually striking and enduring in function.

Trained in architecture at the University of Mumbai and in furniture design at the Florence Institute of Design International (FIDI), Jhamtani approaches design through a multidisciplinary lens. Her work reflects a sensitivity to form, material, and process, often exploring sustainable techniques and conscious production methods.

At the core of her studio is a commitment to longevity — designing pieces that transcend trends and are intended to be lived with over time. Through a refined, minimalist language, her work engages with a broader dialogue on sustainability, craftsmanship, and the evolving role of design in shaping a more responsible future.

1. Where were you born and where are you from ?

2. What is your first memory connected to the art world ?

3. Have you always worked in the art/design field ?

Yes. I’m fairly young, but I’ve spent the last ten years entirely within the design field. Before starting my studio six years ago, I worked with three different studios over four years. Each experience helped shape how I see design today.

4. What led you to the design creation ?

Design creation came naturally through architecture, but what truly pulled me in was the desire to create objects that people live with every day. I realised I was more interested in how a single object could hold emotion, presence, and meaning rather than just solving spatial problems. Creating pieces that sit between function and art felt instinctive to me.

5. How would you describe your creative process and it influences ?

It’s quite instinctive and unpredictable. I don’t follow a fixed process, and honestly, I admire people who can. For me, every piece begins differently. Sometimes we start with a clear intention, and something completely unexpected, and often better, emerges. That’s the beauty of working with handmade materials; they guide you as much as you guide them.

6. Could you describe a typical day of your work ?

I usually reach the studio around 11 a.m., after handling things at home. We start with discussions, weekly reviews of ongoing orders, new enquiries, and pieces in development. The rest of the day moves between design conversations, production checks, and problem-solving. No two days are the same, and that unpredictability keeps it exciting.

7. Why did you choose the specific materials you work with ?

Sometimes I feel like the materials chose me. I worked in mass-manufactured furniture for nearly two years and realised it wasn’t what I wanted to do. Every home has a personality, and handmade pieces are the only way to reflect that individuality. Perfect, identical objects lack soul and character.

Clay was the first material I had access to. I trained under an artist and learned its properties deeply so I could understand its limits and possibilities. From there, other materials naturally followed.

© Nayan Soni

8. What are the technical particularities of your creations ?

A large part of our work is in clay, and clay has a personality of its own. As versatile and beautiful as it is, there are days when the material doesn’t cooperate—and that’s completely normal. Even experienced potters around the world acknowledge this. Accepting loss is part of the process, and that unpredictability is also what makes the material special.

9. What advices could you give to beginning artists who would like to create sculptural design works ?

Stay true to who you are. Avoid referencing other artists too early in the creative process—it can block original thought. Everyone has a unique voice, and it takes time to uncover it. Even if your work doesn’t make sense today, trust it. There is an audience for everyone; finding them takes patience.

10. If your works had to belong to a design movement, in which one would you define it ?

I don’t think my work fits neatly into a single movement. If I had to place it somewhere, it would sit between sculptural functional art and contemporary craft—where material honesty, form, and emotion matter more than trends.

11. What designers and artists have influenced you ?

Early on, I was deeply inspired by Antoni Gaudí. I was also influenced by Fernando Mastrangelo—his forms appear simple, but they come from years of refining technique. I still listen to his podcasts. There’s an honesty in his work that feels closely tied to who he is as a person.

12. What contemporary designers do you appreciate ?

I admire Campana Brothers, Anna Karlin, and Eny Lee Parker.

13. What contemporary artists (in any kind of art) have you been inspired by ?

It’s less about one individual and more about collective inspiration. I’m influenced by people, spaces, textures, conversations—everything I observe around me feeds into my work.

14. If you had to summarize your creations in one word or sentence, what would it be ?

Functional objects that exist as quiet sculptures, shaped by material, emotion, and human touch.

15. Is there anything you would like to add ? 

I believe good design takes time—time to experiment, fail, and evolve. In a world that wants everything fast, choosing to slow down and create with intention feels more important than ever.

PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust.
Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde,
Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)

© Prathamesh Reddy

11. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Basically.

12. Which talent would you most like to have?

Ability to read more books.

13. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

Less fearful, take more chances.

14. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Buying a house.

15. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

The moon.

16. Where would you most like to live?

Bali.

17. What is your most treasured possession?

A letter my husband gave me.

18. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Confinement and Loneliness.

19. What is your favorite occupation?

Diving.

20. What is your most marked characteristic?

Honesty.

21. What do you most value in your friends?

Loyalty.

22. Who are your favorite writers?

Currently, Pico Iyer and Rick Rubin.

23. Who is your hero of fiction?

Black Panther, T’Challa.

24. Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Mirabai – Radically strong in conviction, peaceful in spirit, and unafraid to stand alone for what she believed in.

25. Who are your heroes in real life?

My dad.

26. What are your favorite names?

Dua, Aarav.

27. What is it that you most dislike?

Bullies.

28. What is your greatest regret?

Not being kinder to myself when I got a drop year in college.

29. How would you like to die?

Peacefully, around loved ones.

30. What is your motto?

Trust the process.

© Prathamesh Reddy