Studio Bavl
The Additive Process of Design
Studio Bavl is a furniture-making studio based out of Bangalore that creates pieces with precision, love and an intimate understanding of materials. Founded by Ansh Baid in 2020, building with sustainable and green ideals has been a central core to the practice – as “building sustainably is building intimately.”
At a very young age, Ansh was introduced to the world of artisanal craftmanship, as his parents were natural dyers. This exposure might have been what set him on his artistic pursuit, as he attempted to find a medium which was an honest extension of his artistic expression. After pursuing a Bachelors in Arts, Philosophy and Advanced Research from Ashoka University, he decided to move into the visual arts field, becoming a researcher and documentary filmmaker, also practicing digital content management and creative editing.
With a variety of different organisations, including UNESCO, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Google (to name a few) Ansh made numerous f ilms capturing the essence of the human experience through crafts, healthcare and artisanal documentation. While a medium like filmmaking proved to be a conscientious and purposeful pathway to creativity, he soon began to desire something more; a line of work which could involve him more intimately with the material he was studying.
Stills from a documentary film on the process and features of natural dyeing, made by Ansh during his years as a filmmaker.
Images from before Ansh moved to Mysore, working as a farmhand on a property in Coorg.
In 2017, Ansh discovered Bram Woodcrafting Studio in Mysore, a bus ride away from the farm he was staying in Coorg. Equipped with no prior education in the field of furniture design (but a bag of avocados and a stomach full of eggs) Ansh traveled to meet with Bram – who was initially skeptical about his abilities and was afraid he might be a liability. However, after assigning him a task to test his adaptability and critical design thinking, Ansh was given a day to complete it; and although he never fully completed the task, Bram was still impressed by his determination and ability to figure out the mechanics of wooden joinery, and offered him a position and space at the studio as a maker. What nobody knew then, was that Ansh was hiding a cut finger, the result of a minor blunder while attempting to accomplish the task. Thus began Ansh’s formal initiation into the field of furniture design – with curiosity, passion and a stubborn determination to pursue the arts that called to him.
A drafting table and easel designed by Mokshaa Kuttayya and manufactured by Studio Bavl, for Paromita. Constructed in wood with solid brass joinery, the table can be easily dismantled and reassembled, as well as adjusted to suit the height and comfort of any user.
The practice of Studio Bavl today is a direct extension and embodiment of all the pursuits that led to its conception in 2020. With a range of projects both self initiated and client based, the studio is still deeply curious about finding new materials and ways to create furniture, with the construction and design process being as important to the studio as the outcome. The success of every project not only depends on the functionality and client feedback at the end, but also on whether the process enabled the studio to research, explore or attempt an operation that feeds back into the growth and learnings of Studio Bavl itself. This “design of the process” through the hands-on experience of working with the material, is something held very close to the core of Ansh’s creative enquiries.
A small easy to move side table that complements a client (Nandan’s) arm chairs, which are designed by PhantomHands. Designed with the clients aesthetic preferences and practical needs in mind, the side table offers subtle visual punctuation in the setting of the living room
When working with clients, it is important to create safe and collaborative atmospheres within which there can be disagreements that ultimately lead to more informed and well-rounded design strategies. Ansh calls these dynamics between designers and clients “professional intimacies”, where the functional needs of the clients can be met without compromising on Studio Bavl’s design identity. This collaborative approach extends also to the designers and makers who support and contribute to the studio – enhancing their furniture design language through numerous creative discourses. Every product of the Studio is crafted with this intention: to innovate, explore and push the boundaries of the craft, all while satisfactorily sticking to the client brief, in case there is one. To achieve this, the studio takes a microcosm to macrocosm approach – where the details are extrapolated to inform the overall structure and three-dimensional form.
A commissioned cabinet to elegantly conceal audio equipment without the need for cumbersome lift-up doors. The solution was resolved by crafting a tambour door, inspired by the roll-up style of a garage door. Made in teak, and adorned in elements of brass, powder coated mild steel, aluminum and cotton fabric.
To me, a successful design involves creating a detail, element, or form that enhances the piece’s functionality, usability and beauty, even if it’s not obvious to everyone. It’s something that might not be noticed consciously but plays a crucial role in how well the piece works in its space.
- Ansh Baid
The Lady Sting Chair, originally designed by Agrippa Studio - remade by Studio Bavl, in an attempt to push the boundary on experimentation through form.
This scalar translation of design intricacies to larger concepts remains the way forward for Studio Bavl. Ansh is curious to not only try to physically build at larger scales, but also cognitively – aspiring to create a marketplace or platform where resources can be shared, and designers could help each other find new ways of engaging and progressing their crafts. The Dimension Network has already aided Ansh in this process, and he views it as a fertilizer which has facilitated the creative growth of not only his own practice, but numerous others as well: a compost pit of relationships, constantly nurturing and redefining the contemporary field of furniture design. It was through the Network - specifically Vincent Roy from WoodnDesign - that Ansh was initially got his first few projects, incepting his trajectory into the field of freelance manufacturing and design. Through Dimension, Ansh also met Satyan Thukral, and offered to photograph and market his machines. Satyan initially allowed Ansh to use the machines at his demo center, enabling him to manufacture his first few commissioned pieces. Today, Ansh’s studio is populated by CAPLE Machinery, and Studio Bavl is now a demo center for CAPLE Machinery, coming full circle with his tryst with Satyan.
Material experimentation lies at the core of the Studio’s curiosity, and Ansh is constantly striving to work with new materials through innovative systems and technology, as well as working with diverse set of designers. This offers a unique and textural approach to furniture making - a playground of experimentation and collaboration.
The name Studio Bavl comes from the Gujarati Deshi Baval tree – a piece of flora that most consider a weed – which grows stubbornly and unapologetically across arid and tropical climates. The nature of its unincumbered growth draws a soft parallel to the everyday workings of the Studio, growing slowly and resiliently. Much of the Studio’s design identity and future trajectory remains a mystery to Ansh, as he is still in the process of finding and creating an identity for himself, but the journey is as certain as the growth of the Deshi Baval: stubbornly determined, upward and intentional.
Ansh Baid currently leads Studio Bavl from his space in Bengaluru.
He can be reached at connect@studiobavl.com
