“Propelled by THINK! Design and AHEC, I am now in ‘swing-imagine mode’ to re-imagine the Indian swing seat. I am very excited to reimagine and create something beautiful.” - Prem Nath, Principal Architect, Prem Nath and Associates

Could you tell us a little bit about the design thought and inspiration behind your piece?

The Indian Swing is a feature of playful outdoor combination of strings and planks hung from the branches of tree or an ornate piece of indoor furniture, which gives thrills and gentle joys of swinging motion and mood. It’s an Indian traditional add on feature of furniture in Indian homes of prosperity and relaxed, comfort and romance.

Since new generation homes now have contemporary designs, away from the typical traditional designs, hence the designs of our swing has been conceived with neo classical features with soft minimal Indian ornamentation.

Why did you select American red oak for your design?

American red oak is a warm colour hardwood with good showing of grains, hence it was an appropriate species for the Indian Swing. Red oak is also a fine wood with beautiful grains and natural colour.

What have you learned through being a part of this project?

It was a joyful experience of designing the Indian Swing for REIMAGINE and exploring the design opportunities for the use of American hardwoods. As designers, we often go overboard, leading to some production difficulties and it was nice to have some practical inputs from experienced furniture designers like Adam Markowitz from Melbourne, for the guidance of design and guidance to the production team in Mysore. The overall learning was an experience of collaborative working for this project.