Milan icon Nina Yashar debuts in India with Mumbai "pop-up" in new retail store of collectible and contemporary design

The international dealer's curiosity about India is good news for makers of collectible design. The global market is estimated to be billions of dollars worth

MUMBAI: Nina Yashar has been called the queen of design, one of the best talent scouts in the world, and a purveyor of Milanese haute — which, as high taste goes, is as good as it gets. Though a regular exhibitor at the annual Milan Design Week, where the world’s richest browse for furniture, Nilufar Gallery (the shop Yashar founded in 1979) and Nilufar Depot (an exhibition space she opened in 2015) are must-see pitstops for anyone visiting the Italian city in April for the fair.

Nina Yashar (left) and Pavitra Rajaram, creative director at Nilaya Anthology by Asian Paints stand below a Joe Armitage chandelier that forms part of the Nilufar exhibit. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times)

And now, with barely a month to go for what is one of the busiest times for dealers and clients in the international design calendar, Yashar stands under a potted frangipani tree braving the Mumbai mid-morning heat in Lower Parel, cutting a chic figure in a sombre Miu Miu satin long skirt and a bright Prada cropped jacket, a glistening forehead visible as her hair is held back by a red gilded headband. Yashar, who is in her late 60s, is in the city to open her first-ever display in Mumbai. Nilufar, Yashar’s brand, will be housed in Nilaya Anthology, a 100,000-square foot store started by Asian Paints, till August.

The building, once a mill, then an office for a telecommunications major, was redesigned by architect Rooshad Shroff and, beginning this weekend (March 1), it will showcase limited edition pieces by over 90 makers and design studios from India and around the world. Global brands like Cassina, House of Finn Juhl and Zafferano will be displayed alongside artisanal work from different parts of the country. The Anthology will house everything from baskets, cushions, rugs, candle stands, goblets, vases, and dinnerware to antiques — as well as Italian bathware and homeware.

“For the first time, I have been called to show my vision here in India,” Yashar said, explaining how she has tried to honour the invitation through the way she has designed the display. A six-metre long table by Israel-born designer Gal Gaon lies in the middle. “I’ve started with the convivial way that Indians love to welcome people into their homes, share their table, and host huge dinners,” Yashar said. Above the table hang two Noveconi chandeliers by Joe Armitage which are inspired by his architect grandfather Edward Armitage’s floor lamps that the latter made while in India in 1952.

“This is an incredible starting point for me. I get to share my vision with local people, collectors and designers in India. I really appreciate the local craftsmanship, because it’s a bridge between the past and the present. I’m very curious to discover new Indian talent and designers,” Yashar said.

This is certainly good news for Indian makers of contemporary collectible design who have only recently seen the spotlight shine on them — last year, the India Art Fair opened a section specially intended for design; it expanded the section this year to include more designers, and even showcased an exhibition of 11 emerging practitioners which was curated by Alaiia Gujral. In Mumbai, a few gallery spaces focus on design and collectibles like Aequo and 47A. But there’s still a long way to go, as India consists of barely a sliver of the global collectible design market that is estimated to be worth anywhere between US$ 300-400 billion.

Yashar’s display recreates her vision of the domestic. Metal wire curtains made specially in West Bengal hang down from the tall ceilings to separate the sections. We ourselves are seated on a couple of Dualita chairs with blue Suede upholstery and copper details by design house David/Nicolas, our bags and phones strewn across a hand-painted Mensa dining table by Filippo Carandini. There are only a handful of vintage pieces — a rug from Spain dating back to the late 19th century, another from China dating to the early 20th century. The number of mid-century moderns that Yashar’s dealership is, in fact, known for, can be counted on one hand. There are a few Martin Eisler sofas and a Joaquim Tenreiro sofa that date to the late 1950s, early 1960s. From the ’70s — also Yashar’s jam, as it were — the Bastiano sofa by Italian architectural great Tobia Scarpa and a floor lamp by Vico Magistretti are on display.

The majority of the pieces are by contemporary designers. There are wall lamps by British designer Bethan Laura Wood, there’s a cabinet by Lebanese designer Khaled el Mays with 12 wheels, two silver and gold yarn carpets by Mumbai-based Thierry Betancourt, and an artichoke candleholder by artist Lola Montes Schnabel, part of a series that Yashar had also displayed at PAD London 2023.

“I didn’t want to showcase these pieces as if we’re in a white cube, but I wanted them to be in conversation with each other,” she said. By this she means that vintage, modern and contemporary pieces are mixed up in the displays. She means for them to clash, but they compliment each other.

The daughter of an oriental rugs dealer and a homemaker, Yashar’s family moved from native Iran to Italy when she was six. By the age of 22, almost a year after working in her father’s business, she set up her own shop — Nilufar Gallery — selling rugs in 1979. Over time, she began to buy and sell Swedish mid-century furniture, Scandinavian rugs, and later, modern American furniture. Over time, as she travelled across Europe, South and North America to scout for newer talent, she began to house pieces by younger designers working across different mediums and using newer technologies like 3D printing. “I allowed myself to choose what I really like”.

Besides Vikram Goyal, Nilufar doesn’t showcase any other Indian designer — for now. But that’s a gap Yashar is keen to fill. She will be visiting a few galleries and design studios on Friday. What is she looking for? “My starting point is always intuition and emotion. I need to be provoked, I really need to see beauty. Having said that, I don’t want pieces of art, I am very clear about design. There must be a function. For sure, I am curious about how craftsmen use procedures to create something new. I’m looking for something new,” she said.

“I am hoping to return to India and discover incredible craftsmanship, in wood, for example. Now I want to start [searching for talent] in India,” she said.

What about the audience — is the Indian market ready for Nilufar? “I don’t think about collectors when I choose a new project. I think there is something recognisable in my choices and since the very beginning when I opened my shop in Milan, collectors have followed me. They appreciate my point of view,” she said.

Pavitra Rajaram, the creative director of Nilaya Anthology, who invited Yashar to exhibit Nilufar’s designs said that Yashar’s commitment to finding the most beautiful objects is indicative of her drive for seeking excellence. “People have been trying to convince Nina to show outside of Milan and other than PAD London, she hasn’t exhibited her pieces from Nilufar. Here, she brings in the stories and conversations around design that are aligned with our philosophy — to see design as a function of provenance, continuity and storytelling,” Rajaram said.

The Nilufar exhibit will be on at Nilaya Anthology till August. An earlier version of the copy stated that it will be on for three months.