There was a time when mud homes were limited to villages. Over the last few years, designers and consumers have found fancy in the simple material and its many structural qualities. Be it Mumbai’s latest bistro Zeki, the 2,000 sq.ft. home built by Bhoomija Creations in Kerala, or the more recent, Tiny Farm Lab in Uttarakhand. The latest addition to this list is sari brand Kalga Banaras’ showroom in Varanasi built using the age-old wattle and daub technique wherein bamboo strips are woven together and the gaps filled with cob (a mix of mud, sand, and straw). 

Raghav Kumar and Aishwarya Lakhani
| Photo Credit:
Janvi Thakkar 

The design of the 1,300 square foot showroom — helmed by interior-product designer Aishwarya Lakhani, founder of Brown Dot Collaborative, and Raghav Kumar, co-founder of rural design studio Tiny Farm Lab — was completed in five months by November 2024. “A lot of our inspiration came from observing the day-to-day life and culture in Varanasi: the people, the city’s winding gullies (streets), and the sunsets at the ghats. The mood of the space, as a result, also reflected that through soft edges, elemental colours (a warm, earthy palette) and finishes that felt alive; mud lime plasters in varied tones, textures, and some, in the form of an abstraction on the wall,” says Lakhani, who looked at slowness and imperfection as a design quality, “embracing asymmetry, organically shaped niches, and rustic art sculpted with layers of mud-lime plaster”.

“A lot of our inspiration came from observing the day-to-day life and culture in Varanasi: the people, the city’s winding gullies (streets), and the sunsets at the ghats. The mood of the space, as a result, also reflected that through soft edges, elemental colours (a warm, earthy palette) and finishes that felt alive; mud lime plasters in varied tones, textures, and some, in the form of an abstraction on the wall”Aishwarya Lakhanifounder of Brown Dot Collaborative

Locally sourced material

As one enters the store, and walks through the narrow passage — inspired by Varanasi’s unfolding landscape where narrow lanes open to the vastness of the ghats — they are met with an installation crafted from punch cards used in the jacquard loom system. “The main display space of the store is carved from natural materials, including mud and lime plasters, and hand-sculpted curves. We also designed tactile inserts like a large mural, an abstraction of Varanasi’s sunset in the ghats and display units made using lime and cow dung plasters infused with natural oxides,” says Lakhani, adding that 90% of the materials and artefacts were sourced locally. The store has also revived the gaddi (floor mattress) tradition, “inviting visitors to sit, pause, and engage with the saris in an intimate way”.

The store’s design is inspired by Varanasi’s unfolding landscape
| Photo Credit:
Janvi Thakkar 

Detailing the techniques championed in the project, Kumar says the walls were shaped by hand, built slowly one layer at a time using cob. “We mixed the cob by stomping it with our feet and rolled it into place, which gave the walls their smooth, flowing curves. To finish, we used natural plasters made from mud, lime, and cow dung, for the larger sculpted elements, and included natural oxides for the decorative ones,” he says. These safe, chemical-free coatings add beautiful texture, keep the air fresh, and help control the moisture inside the space, adds the architect.

“These hand-formed details were a quiet way of rooting the space in nature and offering visitors moments of discovery as they moved through it. Each one was shaped intuitively on-site, making the walls feel not just built, but touched”Raghav Kumarco-founder of rural design studio Tiny Farm Lab

The team — comprising local masons whom the duo had to train — also sculpted smaller, rustic motifs and protrusions directly into the wet mud plaster. “These hand-formed details were a quiet way of rooting the space in nature and offering visitors moments of discovery as they moved through it. Each one was shaped intuitively on-site, making the walls feel not just built, but touched,” he says, adding that traditional crafts such as metal repoussé and wood-turned figurines were embedded thoughtfully into the design.

An installation crafted from punch cards used in the jacquard loom system
| Photo Credit:
Janvi Thakkar 

Trust local hands

Kumar explains that one of the biggest concerns in natural building is finding skilled labour. “The simple answer? You train them. It’s not rocket science. If someone has experience in cement work, they already have the right tools, muscle memory, and hands-on building skills, and they just need to learn the materials,” he says, “We started with what they know: swapping cement and sand for clay, sand, and fibre. Then drawing analogies between binders, i.e., cement and clay, and broke techniques down into stages.” He says the artisans took those skills and “even found better techniques”. “We learned more from them than they learned from us. By trusting local hands, we’re creating sustainable livelihoods, and decentralising the knowledge of natural building to make the process richer and more meaningful.”

A large mural, an abstraction of Varanasi’s sunset in the ghats and display units made using lime and cow dung plasters infused with natural oxides
| Photo Credit:
Janvi Thakkar 

While Kumar and Lakhani see a rise in the interest to build such structures and vouch for the potential they hold, building with mud “takes time”. “It can’t be rushed. Mud needs to dry, lime needs to be slaked. It also requires the workers to learn new, but ancient, skills,” says Lakhani. Two aspects that the duo were challenged with for Kalga Banaras. “Our clients onboarded us mid-way through the project; they saw more value in building with mud. But this also meant we had to jump in halfway and make sense of the chaos,” says Kumar, adding how the client wanted it complete in five months. “It was a tight deadline for any build, let alone one with natural materials. And the monsoon had just begun which meant high humidity, and slow drying times. But, we loved the challenge, and were able to finish the project within the timeline by making drier mixes and building strategically,” he says.

As designers building with earth, Kumar says they have a dual responsibility. “Working with local materials, context, and labour is not enough. We need to craft beautiful spaces that are technically sound. Spaces that evoke emotions and a sense of desirability,” he concludes.