This paper explores ways to contemporize traditional crafts by adapting them for the modern context by proposing
symbiotic craft-design relationships that can be helpful for development and sustainability of cultural crafts.
To research such synergies between craftsmen and designers, the authors worked with craftsmen to develop
interior products. As part of a classroom project, design students collaborated with craftsmen to create new product
concepts.
The study proposes that Craft–Design collaborations can result in products that combine the existing traditional
aesthetic and hand-skills with innovative thinking. This alliance between craft and design can lead to a winwin
situation for both sides.
Giving a new life to traditional practices/crafts will promote and sustain this cultural heritage and provide
craftsmen with increased earnings, while ensuring that both Tangible and Intangible traditional skills are preserved
for posterity, and the rich legacy of India’s crafts can continue to be enjoyed and admired.

Authors: Puja Anand, Alok Bhasin