Terracotta Dreams by MuseLAB

MuseLAB, the Mumbai-based design and architecture firm, has transformed a 92 sqm jewellery store in Ahmedabad into a terracotta wonderland. Fortune Farm, the flagship project for Lakhtarwala Jewellers, marks their entry into the lab-grown diamond market, blending traditional craftsmanship with innovative design.

Nestled on Ahmedabad’s bustling high street, Fortune Farm stands out with its otherworldly charm, drawing visitors into its terracotta-drenched interior. The store’s façade offers a tantalizing glimpse of the treasures within, luring customers into a realm where walls undulate and a central island blooms like a mystical lunar landscape.

Mystical ring-bearers dwell within glass cloches analogous to biodomes showcase a world within a world in absolute equilibrium yet meshed seamlessly with the larger selenic landscape

Rejecting the conventional ‘across-the-counter’ approach, MuseLAB has created a sensory, curiosity-fueled journey. At the heart of the layout lies the ‘discovery island,’ a meandering form that encourages visitors to pause, converse, and explore. This island features a topography of gritty craters and ring bearers, conceptualized by artist Shailesh Rajput, housed under glass cloches like biodomes within a larger selenic landscape.

The idea was to create an experience of otherworldliness through a series of sensuous textural undulating surfaces that house the army of the ring bearers within the biodome like cloches

Suspended above the island is a bespoke pendant light, mirroring the island’s shape and creating a visual yin-yang. The light, crafted from gauzy, stretched fabric and spotlights, sensuously illuminates the jewellery below, held delicately by the ring bearers. Along one edge of the store, amoebic mirrors reflect fragmented views of the discovery island, perfect for customers to admire their chosen pieces.

Strategically placed mirrors, amoebic in shape, serve a dual purpose – to check out bejewelled ears and fingers, and to also amplify the beautiful island unit through reflections.

The store’s interior, rich with shades of rusty terracotta and moody charcoal, creates a theatrical narrative that celebrates dualism. Delicate, brilliant diamonds find a home within the fiery Martian milieu, merging two seemingly disparate worlds into a harmonious whole.

Fortune Farm, completed in October 2023, is a testament to MuseLAB’s ability to push the boundaries of retail design. Principal designers Jasem Pirani and Huzefa Rangwala, along with their team and collaborators, have crafted a space that is both a sensory delight and a groundbreaking retail experience.

Technical sheet

Project Name: Fortune Farm

Store Name: Luire

Location: Ahmedabad, India

Area: 1,000 sq ft

Completion: October 2023

Design Firm: MuseLAB

Principal Designers: Jasem Pirani, Huzefa Rangwala

Team: Fahim Khambati, Trupti Desai

Photographer: Ishita Sitwala

Collaborations: Shailesh Rajput Design Studio, Flos India

Read more interior features here.