Meet Gayathri, The Heart of Udhbava
Craft. Culture. Couture. Cuisine.
A natural aesthete with an instinctive feel for material, form and cultural continuity, Gayathri Krishnamoorthy founded Udhbava to give heritage a living place in contemporary life: in collectible objects, bespoke furniture, interiors and clothing.
A PERSONAL JOURNEY
A Creative Vision Rooted in Heritage
Gayathri’s sensibilities were shaped early. She grew up in a culturally rich environment, deeply influenced by tradition, craft and an enduring connection with nature.
Her education and career led her into business, yet her truest expression was always design. It showed most clearly in the personal spaces she curated over the years, each a quiet testament to her understanding of material, form and continuity.
Working closely with wood, textiles and traditional handicrafts, she began bringing diverse elements together into a cohesive, distinctive design language. It is one that honours craftsmanship while belonging fully to modern life.
Her Body of Work
From Maram to the Indic Totem
Her journey found its first formal expression in Maram, her debut collection. At its heart lies heritage Burma teak, a century old, from her ancestral home. It is brought to life with Kanjeevaram and Benares silks, colonial influences such as rattan, and handcrafted elements sourced from across India. The collection comprises more than 150 one-of-a-kind pieces, each holding memory, material and meticulous craft.
Since then, Gayathri has expanded her practice into upcycled furniture and high-value bespoke pieces that balance playfulness with precision. Her work keeps returning to the meeting point of heritage and contemporary design, raising traditional materials into collectible, modern forms.
Among her most distinctive creations is the Indic Totem, a pioneering design expression that brings symbolism, mixed-media craft and sculptural form into a single collectible object. Its first edition, the Ramayana Totem, renders Sri Rama’s coronation in unpainted Burma teak.
A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER
Listening to What Already Exists
Udhbava began with a simple belief: the objects around us should carry more than function. They should hold memory, character and meaning.
I have always been drawn to materials that already have a life of their own: aged wood, handwoven silks, classical forms and details rooted in Indian craft. My process begins by listening to them, and to the people who bring them to me, before deciding what they might become.
Sometimes that is a Vishu Mirror in century-old teak. Sometimes it is a family sari given new life in a tray. In each case, heritage craftsmanship and contemporary design meet to make something personal, made to belong to the space it lives in.
Every work is an invitation to slow down, notice the details and rediscover beauty in what already exists.
Gayathri Krishnamoorthy,
Founder & Creative Director
