“On Clouds, Craft, and Creating Cumulus”

"Designing in a State of Becoming"
By Khushali Chawda

There’s something about clouds that has always stayed with me.

Not just the way they move — weightless yet grounded, constantly forming, dissolving, reforming. But the way they hold opposites. Presence and absence. Light and shadow. Solidity and impermanence.

That quiet duality is where Cumulus was born.

When I began thinking about creating my own collection of furniture and objects, I knew it had to hold more than form or function. It had to carry a sensibility — a way of seeing and feeling the world. I wanted to build objects that weren’t loud, but lingered. Objects that invited pause. That felt soft, even when made in stone or brass.

Cumulus is a studio shaped by this idea of continual becoming. Each piece is a response — not a fixed statement. We’re not chasing trends or perfection. We’re exploring relationships: between materials, textures, light, and people. Between the hand that shapes and the space that holds.

I’ve always been drawn to traditional craftsmanship, but not for nostalgia’s sake. It’s the depth of time, the ritual of making, the patience embedded in handwork — that’s where real luxury lives for me. Every object we design at Cumulus carries that imprint: slow, precise, thoughtful.

You’ll notice a lot of contrast in our pieces — heavy bases with floating tops, burnished metal next to raw clay, shadows playing off polished planes. That’s intentional. We’re drawn to tension. We believe opposites aren’t contradictions — they’re invitations to look deeper.

Cumulus Thinking isn’t a style. It’s an approach. A way of holding form lightly. Of designing with empathy, curiosity, and quiet conviction.

As the studio grows, so will the language. New collaborations, new materials, new questions. But the core will stay the same:
Design that listens.
Craft that speaks.
And objects that feel like a breath in a room.