The design industry, in its pursuit of novelty and profit, often sidelines longevity, cultural heritage, and ecological responsibility—a tension epitomized by the furniture sector’s reliance on disposable, trend-driven products. This thesis interrogates these systemic shortcomings through the lens of furniture design, where the rise of "fast furniture" mirrors a broader crisis: industries prioritizing mass production over meaningful innovation, convenience over craftsmanship, and extraction over equity. By centering India’s ancestral practices of upcycling and heirloom preservation, the work challenges the linear "take-make-waste" model dominating modern design, proposing instead a modular, adaptive bed system that embodies circularity and emotional durability.
Drawing from Jenga-like modularity and the Indian ethos of jugaad (problem solving with limited resource), this thesis applies the concepts of Jugaad from lived experience, responding to the practical necessity of modular function into a sustainable ethos, using the example of furniture adapting to users’ evolving lives. This approach not only critiques the furniture industry’s environmental and cultural costs but also illuminates a path forward for the design field at large. By redefining value as communal rather than commercial—prioritizing repair, local materials, and intergenerational storytelling—the project demonstrates how design can honor planetary boundaries while nurturing human connection.
Ultimately, this thesis positions furniture as a microcosm of design’s broader failures and possibilities, arguing that sustainability demands a return to practices rooted in care, adaptability, and cultural memory. It calls for an industry-wide shift from capitalist disposability to regenerative systems, where objects serve as dynamic companions rather than transient commodities.