Studio Kaara

The Usual began with a simple intention, to create a calm, familiar neighbourhood café where people could gather effortlessly.

Set within the former lawn area of a Rajput family’s heritage property, the project carried traces of an older context. While the initial instinct was to preserve that heritage language, the evolving brief called for a more contemporary direction.

The clients envisioned a space filled with height, sunlight, and openness, bright through the day, yet soft in its atmosphere. Existing trees on site were retained, with furniture shaped around them to preserve the memory and softness of the landscape.

Using common materials in an uncommon way, The Usual becomes a contemporary cafe rooted in warmth, restraint, and continuity.

Project:
Type: Hospitality
Location: Jaipur

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This mirror at SORT was developed as a design element, not just an addition.

From initial drawings to full-scale mock-ups, the process focused on getting the scale, proportion, and placement right. Material exploration and on-site adjustments played an important role in shaping the final outcome.

The result is a piece that sits naturally within the store’s overall design.

Project: .official .guptaa
Type: Retail
Location: Jaipur

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Spaces are not just built, they are felt.
Through light, material, and the way they are lived in, they begin to take on meaning.

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In a space that stays quiet and minimal, this was our way of introducing movement.

A single line, suspended above the counter, slowly becoming the point everything gathers around.

It wasn’t something we could pick off the shelf. It had to be figured out, tested, adjusted, and resolved on site.

What started as an idea now sits effortlessly within the space, almost unnoticed at first, but hard to ignore once you see it.

Project:
Type: Hospitality
Location: Jaipur
Lighting: .mehra__
Photography: , .pareek_

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india]

Ilbert Manor, Mussoorie was undertaken as a styling project, working entirely within the existing structure. This is how the Victorian Suite Rooms were shaped.

With the furniture and layout retained, the approach was to build on what already existed. The wooden furniture set the tone, guiding the choice of fabrics, colours, and objects. Gingham patterns and softer vintage tones were introduced through beddings, runners, and rugs, while artworks and artefacts sourced from vintage stores added depth and familiarity.

Each layer was placed with care, extending from the bed to the seating corner and dining area, so the room reads as one connected space. The intent was to bring warmth and balance, allowing the suites to feel more lived-in while staying true to their original character.

Project: .manor
Type: Hospitality
Location: Mussoorie
Photographer: .pareek_

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Hi, I’m Arjun Chandnani. I specialise in interior and spatial design, and I’m the founder of Ka.ara.

I pursued Interior Architecture and Design at , where my interest in thoughtful, detail-driven spaces began to take shape.

It was during this period that I joined as an intern, an experience that later evolved into a full-time role and played an important part in shaping my early years in design.

As the years passed, the moment had come to finally return back home, to Jaipur, and to begin anew. I moved back and started taking on projects independently, learning closely from each space and the people who engaged with it.

Soon after, Ka.ara came into being.

The name carries a deeply personal meaning. It comes from the union of my name and my brother’s, a small way of carrying his memory forward through the work I create. In many ways, the studio is as much about memory and continuity as it is about design.

Since 2024, the studio has been slowly taking shape, guided by a simple intention: to create spaces that feel calm, considered, and deeply connected to those who inhabit them.

Thank you for being here with Ka.ara. We’ve just started, and we are waiting for our story to be told. We promise to keep you inspired, and entertained along the way.

Sort is a streetwear brand, and the space had to feel just as bold.
Located in a bustling market below residential floors, the site started out raw and unfiltered.

Instead of hiding that, we leaned into it. Broken edges, exposed finishes, organic forms. The store slowly came together with the same street energy that the clothes carry.

Project: .official .guptaa
Type: Retail
Location: Jaipur

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