“I always start with paper, pencil  and an eraser — because design is as much about creating as it is about editing” 

— Ariane Thakore Ginwala 

A Spatial Designer from the Kent Institute of Art and Design, Ariane’s initiation in design  began much earlier as an intern at an interior design firm in Ahmedabad. It was the renovation of her family home by the same designer that opened her 13-year-old eyes to the joy of design. On holidays around the country, she was drawn to craft, inextricably woven into the homes and lives of people she visited. She went through the motions of a masters in Economics, before taking the plunge.

More than a hundred projects later, it was the rediscovery of old sketches of chairs for restaurants she had designed that triggered a thought. Armed with pen, paper and the indispensable eraser, she started prototyping what became the first This and That collection, with master woodworker Ishwar Bhai. It is this collaboration between designer and craftsman that defines This and That.

Through This and That, Ariane blends the three things she values most in her practice as a designer: traditional techniques, sustainable materials and an aesthetic cultivated as much by research as instinct.

Ariane is committed to using her practice to revive traditional arts and hand skills, not just by creating a market for it but also inspiring the next generation. She has been part of visiting faculty at leading institutes, including the prestigious National Institute of Design, where she also serves as jury member.

As the principal designer for an upcoming wildlife destination in Maharashtra, Ariane marks her entry into sustainable architecture. Designing everything from table cloths to villas, and the menu to permaculture landscaping, this will be her most immersive project as a designer yet.