studio Alternatives
studio shed: made using 90% reclaimed materials
What we do
studio Alternatives is a multifaceted firm working in the areas of creative reuse and design. We have our own workshop with highly skilled and trained craftsmen. In addition to design consultancy, we also execute all scales of projects, products, furniture, accessories, artifacts, installations and customised space-making elements. We believe that along with an interesting and unique concept, it is equally important to have the ability to deliver excellent detailing and very fine quality work.
We love upcycling. Utilising various types of discarded materials to create desirable objects has been our passion. We have been working on upcycling of discarded materials since 2010 and have worked with a varied range of discarded materials such as packaging, thermocol, foil wrappers, glass bottles, tires, plastics, fabric, wood and metal, to name a few. To put it in a nutshell, our work with reclaimed materials, ranges right from coasters to large shipping containers.
Till date, we have executed a vast array of projects such as upcycled shipping container spaces, complete interior design with the theme of upcycling and designing of corporate gifts from discarded materials. Some of the most meaningful projects were those where we could design and make useful furniture/artefacts from the clients’ own discarded materials.
Partners
Dhara Kabaria
Partner and Principal Designer
Dhara is an alumnus of the School of Interior Design, CEPT, Ahmedabad. She completed her Post Graduation in 3-Dimensional Design from the Kent Institue of Art and Design, Rochester, UK. She started studio Alternatives in 2010. Her special interests include furniture design, exhibition design, design education and alternate use of material in design.
Sonali Phadke
Partner and Creative connections
Sonali comes with an engineering background and her family business in composites and plastics triggered her initial interest in reusing waste. Also, an alumni of The Ecological Society Pune has been a resource person for many environment/socio-economic projects and surveys. She has been an active member of Oikos for Ecological Services and was a part of the Maharashtra Environment Department-funded project on Eco-Education. She is also a team member of the Grassland Trust that works in grassland conservation from both the aspects of human and wildlife concerns. With her background, Sonali brings in the aspect of sustainability from the ecological perspective in the studio's work.