Uchiwa Ottoman

Doshi Levien was founded by the designers Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien, who met at the Royal College of Art. The London-based studio is internationally renowned for its marriage of culture, technology, industrial design and fine craftsmanship. Nipa grew up in India and studied at the National Institute of Design, founded on the manifesto by Charles and Ray Eames; Jonathan trained in fine cabinet making followed by industrial design. Together, they strive to create work that transcends rational and functional qualities, to imbue a sense of true inner beauty in their projects. Nipa’s practice is rooted in her plural upbringing and astute eye for visual culture; and Jonathan’s in industrial precision, combined with the sensibility of a maker’s hand and deep understanding of materials. The layering of research, materiality, and the tactility of their design process – painting, sculpting, colour making – result in work that is distinguished by their clarity of ideas and seemingly effortless attention to detail. What makes Doshi Levien’s work so distinctive is not just their confident relationship to colour, material and form, but their ability to translate meticulous design ideas to the context of production. This has enabled them to work coherently across industries and categories, from colour to textiles, footwear to lighting, furniture to ceramics, often bringing their understanding of one process to their work on another. The duo have created works for leading manufacturers (B&B Italia, Moroso, Kvadrat, Kettal, Cappellini…), for prestigious international museums and cultural institutions (notably Sevres – Cité de la Céramique), and for their Paris-based gallery: Galerie Kreo.