Raksha Sanikam’s House of Santal Brings Contemporary South Asian Design to New York

India and the broader South Asia region are repositories of centuries-old artisanal knowledge and craftsmanship, yet only recently has this heritage begun to be channeled into new forms of contemporary design capable of reaching the international market. For much of the modern era, this craft excellence was harnessed primarily in functional or production-focused roles within the global supply chain, with the West consuming the finished goods while creative authorship remained under-recognized. From intricate marquetry to complex hand-woven textiles, metalwork, terracotta relief and regional weaving, these traditions have united millions of craftspeople across thousands of techniques, often distinct to each region’s history and landscape. A new generation of designers and makers emerging from the region is now bringing these inherited skills into forward-looking forms that speak to a global design consciousness while remaining faithful to traditional approaches.

As the first collectible design gallery in the U.S. entirely dedicated to contemporary South Asian design, House of Santal in New York City aims to bring these legacy artisan traditions to the forefront of the international design stage. Founder Raksha Sanika opened the Midtown gallery in February, aiming to build a space that champions designers, studios and master artisans who fuse heritage techniques with modern form for an audience that has rarely encountered such works outside their regions of origin.

Although trained in finance and having worked in venture capital, her proximity to architecture—her family runs a construction business in India—meant she grew up immersed in planning processes and the material realities of building. A turning point came in 2018 when an interior design and decoration project required her to travel extensively across India. Visiting studios, workshops and fairs such as India Art Fair, she began to grasp the scale and sophistication of what contemporary Indian makers were producing.

Raksha Sanika in a black textured blazer, illuminated by dramatic window light and shadow stripes." width="970" height="757" data-caption='Raksha Sanikam. <span class="media-credit">Photo: Sam Morrison</span>'>

“What struck me was the level of manufacturing capability and the way craft was being incorporated into design,” Sanika explains. “Historically, craft often showed up as small surface elements or decorative details. What’s emerging now is something different: quality-controlled, beautifully produced, thoughtfully designed objects that are craft-driven at their core. And that’s when I felt the world really needed to see this.”

From that realization emerged the desire to bring South Asian creative production to audiences abroad. While India remains the core focus, she sees similar energy across the broader region. “At the moment we have 13 Indian designers, but I’m also in conversation with designers from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal,” she says.

While Southeast Asia already benefits from established representation in global design circuits, particularly Indonesia, Bali, China and Japan, South Asian design, especially in the United States, has largely been absent at the premium collectible level. The market has long associated the region with factory-sourced, lower-cost production rather than highly finished, conceptually driven work. Sanika wants to change this perception and correct this imbalance, positioning South Asian design not as back-end manufacturing but as authorship, innovation and collectible form.

House of Santal presents contemporary design more broadly, not exclusively collectible design in the strict sense. Its program sits somewhere between elevated interior design and collectible pieces, with three micro-galleries within the space dedicated specifically to collectible design. For the debut presentation, however, Sanika wanted to create an art-forward environment to gauge perceptions, particularly how U.S. audiences understand, or misunderstand, South Asian design. “Very few had seen this kind of work coming out of the region at this level. So it was important to present it in a way that shifted that understanding.”

Titled “At the Threshold of the Courtyard,” the inaugural exhibition spotlights 13 groundbreaking Indian designers and studios, demonstrating the breadth and technical mastery of contemporary practice through a series of “vignettes,” or capsule galleries, each conceived as a focused curatorial exploration of specific materials, craft techniques and design ideas.

After her initial realization in 2018 about the scope and sophistication of Indian production, Sanika chose to formalize her knowledge, returning to school to earn a master’s degree in interior design. Her understanding of material compositions, techniques and functionality is evident in her descriptions of the pieces on view.

Walking through the gallery, she points to a striking silver-toned dining table crafted from pyrite, the Rock Dining Table by Sage Living. The technique used echoes the stone inlay process found in the floors of the Taj Mahal—intricate stone marquetry in which small, fragile fragments are assembled into seamless surfaces. “When pyrite is mined, people often think it’s gold or silver because of how it looks. But it’s actually very brittle—it breaks very easily,” she explains, describing how artisans cut it into tiny fragments and assemble it piece by piece into a seamless surface. “It’s incredibly labor-intensive. What you’re seeing is a centuries-old technique translated into a contemporary dining table.”

Nearby, another group of wood seating elements and standing pieces by Beyond Dreams draws inspiration from the ancient art of mudras—the symbolic hand gestures used in yoga and classical Indian spiritual practice to channel energy and promote mindfulness. “There are 10 traditional mudras, and each piece in the series draws from a different gesture, translating its form and meaning into sculptural furniture,” Sanika says, underscoring how South Asian design is often anchored not only in artisanal traditions but also shaped by systems of belief and broader cultural and spiritual frameworks.

Across the pieces on view, a distinctive set of recurring qualities emerges: organic lines, a strong connection to nature and a deep consideration of the body. Central to many of these designers is an intimate relationship between materials, land and culture, one that proposes a more harmonious connection between the human body and the natural world. As Sanika notes, in contrast to much Western design, which often prioritizes surface or stylistic innovation, many Indian designers draw on embodied practices and cultural philosophy. In the mudra-inspired collection, for instance, each piece corresponds to a specific gesture and is conceived not only ergonomically but symbolically, drawing on ideas of chakras and energy within the body.

The market for design in India has long been dynamic, but for years it favored international tastes, driven by demand for Italian design. That dynamic, however, has begun to shift. Within the country itself, buyers are increasingly turning toward design that revives their own culture and traditions, work rooted in local authorship, lineage and a sense of place.

While a segment of Indian design continues to use traditional materials and techniques to emulate international aesthetics, Sanika highlights a new wave of contemporary creators who are reviving legacy crafts that speak to a distinctly South Asian tradition and sensibility, situating a heritage honed and perfected over generations within the contemporary design landscape. “I want to focus on legacy crafts from India and the broader region—techniques that speak to our nature, to materiality, to history.”

Drawing its name from santalum (sandalwood), a sacred and precious material known as the “gold of the greens” across South Asia, House of Santal celebrates regional processes, provenance and authorship, creating a platform able to support this emerging design ecosystem. The gallery elevates artisans and designers while empowering craft through contemporary interpretation that sustains tradition for the future.

Many of the designers Sanika works with are actively elevating artisan communities by creating an alternative economic model, one that moves beyond low-cost production and positions craft within a higher-value ecosystem. One example is Design ni Dukaan, founded by AD100 India designer and renowned architect Veeram Shah. His studio operates as a collaborative ecosystem that brings artisans, craftspeople and designers into close dialogue to sustainably push historic craft techniques into contemporary expression, respecting labor, ancestral knowledge and resources while protecting them from erasure by treating tradition as a living archive for new contemporary creations capable of reaching international audiences.

His Beevi Pai Swing on view is a strong example: the woven mats are made by women from the Maja community in Gujarat, known locally as Bhatta mother mats. “The women who weave them are deeply involved in the process. In fact, many of the craftspeople live with him while they’re working on the pieces. It’s an incredibly time-consuming process,” Sanika explains, noting that what she finds particularly meaningful is the designer’s insistence on foregrounding the artisans rather than himself. “Talk about the craftspeople. It’s not about me.” He is very conscious of that. “Even in his pricing, it’s not about maximizing his earnings. He’s always thinking about how he can support the master artisans he works with. To me, that really embodies everything I’m trying to champion here.”

Since opening, she says, the response has been overwhelming in the best possible way. Visitors walk in and, almost without exception, remark that they have never seen work like this presented in this context. “Those familiar with India have some sense of what is possible, but for most U.S. audiences, the level of finish and conceptual depth comes as a surprise,” she notes.

While some South Asian designers are beginning to appear on international platforms such as Design Miami or in Paris, what House of Santal presents feels more specific, more carefully curated around a regional narrative that unfolds coherently in the space, revealing a distinctive ethos that sets these designers apart from their international peers.

While she does not rule out entering the global fair circuit next year, Sanika is focusing on the gallery space for now. Its scale allows for ambitious installations and collaborative programming. One of her goals is to invite designers to engage with the space, experiment and create site-responsive work, while she personally introduces and explains the dense symbolic visions and narratives that inform their practice.

Many of the pieces operate as much as installations as functional objects, blurring the line between art and design. One example is the articulated mirrors by Arisaa, led by rising designer Aashka Desai, originally trained as a textile artist and driven by curiosity about materials, processes and the people behind them. One of her pieces, Drava, features an organically carved wood surface layered with silver leaf, reminiscent of the delicate silver foil traditionally used on Indian sweets. Originally conceived as a sculptural work, it was adapted into a mirror at the gallery’s request, aligning with its focus on functionality without losing its artistic integrity.

Close by, an elaborately crafted piece by Indian and Singapore-based designer Pallavi Goenka, Rhythm of the Wild, incorporates blue pottery from Jaipur alongside tikri—cut mirrorwork traditionally used in temple decoration—combining them with references to Buddhist symbols of luck and protection.

Works like Goenka’s are unique; others are produced in small editions. Another singular piece on view is an eccentric and colorful bookcase by Karen Desai. “It’s a two-part piece rooted in the idea that hinges symbolically connect space and architecture,” Sanika says, explaining how its surface was developed through an experimental collaborative process in which more than 100 designers were invited to paint on it, transforming it into a collective artwork.

Another curious piece on view is a playful wood bench by young designer Nanika Javeri, whose practice reflects a generational shift toward experimental form grounded in regional reference. Drawing inspiration from the Naga bench of Nagaland in northeast India—long wooden benches traditionally positioned along walls—this contemporary reinterpretation is titled Fuzzy Bonds, referencing both its ergonomic design and the way the body interacts with it.

Although most designers on view maintain independent global practices, the gallery aims to represent specific works rather than entire collections. Meanwhile, the pricing already reflects their positioning within the high-end design market. Chairs range from roughly $4,000 to $11,000, while tea tables fall between $12,000 and $18,000, situating the work at a premium collectible level. House of Santal’s client base currently includes a mix of private collectors and architects or interior designers. Sanika is not yet targeting large-scale real estate developers. Production capacity is inherently limited because she works directly with craftspeople rather than factories. The model prioritizes quality and collaboration over volume.

When it comes to sourcing designers, her process is deeply personal and hands-on. She visits trade fairs and conducts studio visits across the region. Personal referrals matter; designers often introduce her to peers, creating an organic network. As the gallery gains visibility, more practitioners have begun reaching out directly. Still, she maintains a rigorous quality-control process, visiting studios and assessing work firsthand before deciding to represent it.

Logistics remain complex, especially amid shifting trade policies and tariff uncertainties. Opening in such a climate required careful navigation, but she found a legal framework to operate as a bridge between countries despite the tariff storm. “We actually opened at the highest tariff point, which was intense. But we worked around it: we structured everything as an exhibition, and that allowed us to navigate the situation,” she explains. Luckily, about two weeks before the opening, the rate dropped. “They brought it down to 18 percent, which is manageable. Normally, it’s around 10 percent, so 18 is still high, but it became workable for us.”

While India has long prioritized protecting its artisans and traditional crafts—and has recently strengthened efforts to foster dialogue between the U.S. and India around promoting design abroad—the system remains difficult to navigate.

Although the government is committed to safeguarding craftspeople, particularly at the grassroots level, free trade policies are not always aligned with the needs of growing contemporary design ventures. This creates friction. Exporting works for sale is relatively straightforward, but exporting for exhibition is far more complex. Authorities remain cautious about capital leaving the country, particularly in cases involving high-value objects, due to concerns about financial transparency. Unique permissions from banks and government bodies are often required before a piece can leave India.

This bureaucratic landscape, she suggests, is precisely why a gallery like hers can serve as an effective bridge. International galleries are often unfamiliar with these procedures and restrictions. Because she understands the regulatory environment, she can navigate it on behalf of designers, making collaboration smoother. In that sense, her role is not only curatorial but also infrastructural—translating not just aesthetics but an entire cultural ecosystem and helping guide it toward broader international reach. Throughout, the objective remains consistent: to reposition South Asian design as an authored, concept-driven and deeply innovative contemporary practice anchored in ancient traditions and longstanding artisanal excellence.

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