JOURNEY

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  • HOW RHIZOME BEGAN

    Founded in 2009 by Dr. Rebecca Reubens, Rhizome emerged from a simple but transformative observation: sustainability could not be universal. After seven years working across Asia, Africa and Europe in the international development sector, Rebecca returned to Ahmedabad convinced that models developed in the global north could not simply be transplanted to the global south. They had to be reimagined through the lens of local materials, craftsmanship, culture and lived realities.

    That conviction became Rhizome—India's first multidisciplinary sustainability design studio. Since its inception, the practice has worked at the intersection of contemporary design, artisanal knowledge and material innovation, creating furniture, lighting, interiors and architectural objects that are as enduring as they are thoughtful. Every project is guided by the belief that sustainability is not an aesthetic or a certification, but a way of designing that is contextual, rigorous and deeply human.

    In 2022, Rebecca was joined by Col. Rohit Tyagi, whose twenty-two years in the Indian Army and management training at MDI Gurgaon brought operational clarity and strategic discipline to the studio. Together, they have built an organisation capable of scaling not only its projects, but the philosophy that underpins them—pairing research with craftsmanship, and imagination with execution.

    Today, Rhizome collaborates with architects, institutions, hospitality brands and private clients to create collectible contemporary Indian design that is rooted in place, shaped by research and made to endure.

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  • THE RHIZOME APPROACH

    At Rhizome, sustainability is not a value we add to design—it is the foundation from which every design decision begins.

    To explore sustainability as a rigorous design discipline rather than a passing trend, our founder, Dr. Rebecca Reubens, pursued a PhD in Sustainability at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, building upon her education at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.

    The outcome was The Rhizome Approach—our proprietary design framework that considers every object through interconnected social, cultural, ecological and economic lenses. Inspired by the behaviour of a rhizome, it embraces systems that are adaptive, resilient and deeply interconnected. Each piece is conceived as part of a larger whole: able to stand independently, yet enriched by its relationships to people, place, material and time.

    It is this way of thinking that allows us to create furniture and spaces that are as enduring in their relevance as they are in their craftsmanship.

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  • WHY RHIZOME

    Our name traces its origins to both material and thought.

    Rebecca's early work with bamboo revealed the extraordinary intelligence of the rhizome—an underground stem that grows laterally, sending out roots and shoots, regenerating continuously through connection rather than hierarchy. It became an enduring metaphor for how we think about design: adaptive, resilient, and shaped by relationships rather than isolated parts.

    This understanding found an intellectual parallel in A Thousand Plateaus by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, where the rhizome is described as a model of non-linear, interconnected growth. Their philosophy resonated deeply with our own evolving practice, reinforcing a belief that meaningful design is never static. Like a rhizome, it responds, adapts and flourishes through its connections—to people, materials, cultures and place.

    It is this philosophy that continues to inform our work today: creating objects and spaces that are conceived not in isolation, but as part of living systems designed to endure.

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  • PRINCIPLES THAT SHAPE US (adapted from Deleuze & Guattari)

    • CONNECTION & HETEROGENEITY
      Every element can and should connect meaningfully with another.
    • MULTIPLICITY
      True complexity has no single centre; it is a constellation of layers and relationships.
    • ASIGNIFYING RUPTURE
      Systems may break, but intelligent design ensures they can regenerate or evolve.
    • CARTOGRAPHY, NOT TRACING
      We build maps—dynamic, responsive and open—rather than fixed, repetitive structures.
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  • BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE!

    When Rhizome was founded in 2009, sustainability had yet to enter the lexicon of contemporary luxury. Long before it became a commercial imperative, we understood it as a design one.

    From the outset, the studio has been guided by a simple belief: that every design decision carries consequences beyond the object itself. Materials, craft, culture, ecology and economy are never independent forces, but part of the same living system.

    More than fifteen years on, that belief continues to shape everything we create. Not because sustainability has become urgent, but because it has always been indispensable.

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  • CRAFT, DESIGN & SUSTAINABILITY

    We work where craft, design and sustainability intersect—because we believe that truly transformative solutions emerge from multidisciplinary intelligence. Our approach goes beyond eco-design. We consider sustainability across all four dimensions: social, cultural, economic and ecological.

    This is why our work feels both grounded and elevated—technically informed, culturally sensitive, and aesthetically resonant. Our work goes beyond form. We design with intention. We prototype relentlessly. We collaborate with craftspeople, scientists, and industries to push what people and materials can do—whether it’s metal, wood, bio-based composites, or textiles.

    This is contemporary Indian design with a point of view.
    Rooted in heritage, shaped by research, and refined for clients who value meaning as much as mastery. Rhizome creates luxury that is responsible, bespoke, and unapologetically future-facing. At Rhizome, we don’t just design responsibly. We design futures worth inheriting.

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GET IN TOUCH

 Have a project or idea to discuss? Email us at info@rhizomedesign.co and our team will help bring your design vision to life.

CONTACT