Doshi Levien on card and colour
4.03.22. Designer’s studio, London
Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien founded their eponymous design studio, Doshi Levien, in 2000. The duo, who are also real life partners and met while studying at London’s Royal College of Art in the late ’90s, came to prominence in 2003 with an extraordinary range of cookware, designed for French company, Tefal.
At the time, the pieces seemed different and more than a little exciting, a combination of contemporary European design and thinking from somewhere else entirely. In terms of form, each item was incredibly precise. However, flip the pots and pans over and, on the base, was an unexpectedly beautiful pattern.
Since then, the pair have gone on to work for the likes of Moroso, Hay, Kvadrat, BD Barcelona, galerie kreo, Cappellini and many others, creating textiles, furniture, glassware, shoes, lighting, and even ice cream, that deftly combines their contrasting skills, ideas and backgrounds.
In this episode we talk about Nipa’s relationship with colour and textiles; why card is a vital part of Jonathan’s process; growing up in India and Scotland respectively and how that affected their design thinking; living and designing together; facing prejudice; that initial project with Tefal; and working with Italian furniture giant Moroso.
Yet, mostly it’s about how two people with different hinterland have come together to create a single vision.
(Pictured above is My Beautiful Backside which the pair designed for Moroso in 2008)
Find out more about Doshi Levien
After they set up the practice in 2000, the duo’s big break came with a commission from Tefal for a range of cookware. (Image courtesy of the designer)
The Tefal pieces were notable for the patterns on their bases. (Image courtesy of the designer)
The pair made a huge splash in 2007, when they launched the Charpoy daybeds with manufacturer, Moroso. The pieces combined Indian and Italian craft. (Image courtesy of the designer)
More recently they’ve started working on lighting. Earth to Sky was entirely self-produced. (Image: Jonas Lindström)