Balancing boldness with restraint, the new ‘Dori’ collection by Doshi Levien for Hay reflects the dual approach of its creators, Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien. The pair, who founded their studio in London in 2000, is known for combining cultural richness with technical innovation, with Doshi’s delicate visual sensibility a perfect foil for Levien’s industrial precision.
Offering a subtle combination of texture and colour, the ‘Dori’ textile range is named after the Hindi word for ‘thread’ and includes a quilted bedspread, cushion and organic cotton cushion cover. With their contrast stitching in a grid pattern and reversible colour fields, they are a perfect match to Doshi Levien’s 2021 ‘Quilton’ sofa, a ‘quilted landscape system’ that was their debut design for Hay, as well as their ‘Rabari’ rug collection for Nanimarquina.
For Doshi, who grew up in Mumbai, it’s an opportunity to bring ‘a different textile culture into the Hay universe, rooted in Indian traditions of cotton, embroidery and everyday use.’ The inspiration for the collection actually came from a textile sample whose intricate reverse was noticed by Mette Hay, Hay’s co-founder and creative director of accessories, during a visit to Doshi Levien’s London studio.
‘It was a simple two-tone check pattern on a cotton fabric, in a kantha or kabira stitch, a running, hand-embroidered technique traditionally used for quilting fabrics in different parts of India including Gujarat, West Bengal and Rajasthan,’ says Doshi of the eye-catching sample fabric, which was actually made by her aunt’s workshop in Ahmedabad.
‘Set in the garden of a modernist house and employing over 60 master craftspeople, my aunt’s workshop also made the “Charpoy” daybed collection we designed for Moroso in 2008,’ she says. ‘I studied at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad and spent considerable time in this incredible textile workshop that also made clothes for Issey Miyake and Hermès. It was in Ahmedabad that I developed a deep love for Indian textiles and techniques; and modern Indian architecture by B V Doshi, Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn.’
While traditional kantha embroidery is created by hand, the ‘Dori’ collection is made using industrial machine embroidery to make it more accessible. The bright contrast stitching in the shape of a grid adds texture but is also practical. ‘It’s not only decorative,’ says Doshi, ‘but also acts as a subtle guide, showing how to fold, place, and compose the bed. Even within industrial production, the piece carries a sense of craftsmanship – every detail reflects care, intelligence, and time.’
[The stitching] is not only decorative, but also acts as a subtle guide, showing how to fold, place, and compose the bed
Nipa Doshi
As you’d expect from a studio whose ‘Kinari’ collection for Galerie Kreo was named ‘Best Colour Study’ in the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2024, the collection’s colour palette is key to its appeal. Doshi Levien has its own colour lab with around 300-400 different hues, and yet still mixes additional colours for projects such as ‘Dori’, whose apparent simplicity is actually the result of two years of research.
The pieces are available in three reversible two-tone colourways – midnight blue, maroon, and green – inspired by a wide-ranging colour research spanning everything from miniature paintings from Jodhpur and glazed ceramic and lacquer samples, to Picasso’s 1932 La Lecture (Reading) and Malevich’s 1915 Suprematism; Self Portrait in Two Dimensions.
‘The idea was to allow people to change the identity of the piece simply by turning it over,’ says Doshi of the reversible design. ‘Each colourway is finely embroidered in two contrasting, bright threads. This gave us endless possibilities for colour explorations, not only for fabrics but also embroidery threads.’ The designers made more than 50 combinations to send as options to Hay.
‘We chose fabric colours that were dark saturated colours on one side with light colours on the reverse; the thread colours are deliberately bright and vibrant so they are fine but visible on both dark and light side,’ she says. ‘Quite a challenge to have four colours working together in each colour way!
‘Dori’ is all about pared-back and carefully thought-through details, such as the small label that carries an embroidered signature, adding a personal touch to the tactile pieces. Bringing warmth, colour, and presence to the room, the new collection is also a celebration of the ‘very important ritual of making a beautiful bed, and enjoying the process of doing something simple, well’.
