Why India Inspires Designers: John Robshaw

To celebrate the publication of Rajasthan Style, Indagare founder Melissa Biggs Bradley sat down with some of her favorite designers and insiders—including John Robshaw, Suzanne Tucker and Madeline Weinrib—to discuss how India influences their work—plus, where they like to stay, shop and more.

For a generation of design lovers, John Robshaw's bedding and pillows have been their first introduction to Indian block printing. His path to Jaipur was a winding one. While he was a student at Pratt, a professor sent him to Mumbai to bring back sequined gowns, but it was India's block printing traditions, not the sparkle, that kept him coming back. In the early days, he spent months at a time in India, going to the printing workshop every day. Today, Robshaw designs his prints in New York and sends them to Jaipur, where artisans carve the patterns into hardwood blocks and print them by hand. Below, he shares stories and tips from more than two decades of working with Rajasthan's master printers.

What makes India one of the world's most inspired destinations for designers?

It's the endless possibilities—the native crafts, design studios, materials and artisans never stop; even after 25 years, I'm still discovering new people, new artisans, new techniques.

How has time spent in India shaped your own aesthetic or creative point of view?

All my time in India has been spent working with artisans and traveling around to different temples, monuments and craft sectors. It's completely influenced my aesthetic—the wide range of colors, materials and design influences from all over the world, drawn from different time periods across India's history. All that variety and history covers you in layers and layers of design inspiration, so you're never going to run out of fresh ideas.

India is often celebrated for its fearless use of color. Has this changed the way you think about or work with color in your own projects?

I've never been afraid of color. I came from art school, where we used color and color combinations however we wanted, without worrying about whether it was based on a product we were selling. So for good or for bad, I've always used color in an intuitive way—I was never scared of saturated colors, variety of colors or mixing and matching odd combinations. When I got to India, it was all there in every form and fashion, and I was seeing it every day in markets, on people, in textiles. That was one of my first complete matches with India.

What Indian craft, material, textile, artist or tradition has had a lasting influence on your work? More broadly, can the global design community learn from India's extraordinary craftsmanship and creative traditions?

Definitely block printing—it was my first love in India, and I've kept doing it for 25 years, always coming back to it and still having fun working with new blocks on the table. I don't think I'll ever stop printing. As for what the global design community can learn from India, I think it's the variety and the techniques—and there have been so many great Indian designers coming up over the years, working with all the different materials and techniques and making incredible designs and products. The West is always intrigued and excited by what's coming out of India.

Are there specific places in India you return to for inspiration? What makes them so special?

I'm always in Jaipur because of the block printing—I know the town so well, I have good friends there and I can do things there because of a great partnership with the workshop. So I'm always in Jaipur. Other places I love: a friend introduced me to Karaikudi, down south, an old town with lots of great antique shops and a funny history. And I've gotten into furniture lately from Jodhpur, which is incredible—warehouse after warehouse of furniture and items from all over India. It's kind of an easy place to see everything in one spot.

Where do you love to shop, source or discover beautiful objects in India? Any favorite markets, workshops, galleries, museums?

Jodhpur is really incredible—there are literally hundreds of warehouses full of things: textiles, objects and furniture from all over India. It's been a great place for me to shop over the last couple of years since I started importing more furniture. Otherwise, I usually go see different dealers who collect textiles and drawings; they're scattered around Jaipur and Delhi, and they're on the road all over India collecting old pieces. It's fun to see what they find, because they go back out every six or eight months and come home with a whole new collection. For museums and galleries: Nila House in Jaipur is an incredible shop and gallery, one of the most beautiful buildings, and they work with artisans from all over India. I love Rasa, a shop in Jaipur—they do amazing block-printed fashion. I do love a trip to Fabindia too, just for the memories of it being such a fun shop in its heyday. And there's a craft museum in Ahmedabad, the Calico Museum, that's incredible, covering the whole history of Indian textiles.

Which hotels in India do you think every design lover should experience, and what makes them so memorable?

In Delhi, I love the Imperial Hotel; I've been staying there since I started going to India. It's a beautiful old colonial-style hotel in a great location, with big gardens, a pool and that very traditional British Raj feel. It's a fun throwback place to stay in Delhi.

In Jaipur, one of my favorites is Samode Haveli. I met the owner, who has a real knack for decorating the rooms, and there are gardens and pools that wind through the property—an amazing, very traditional hotel with excellent service.

Can you think of one object or textile you brought home from India that you still treasure? What's the story behind it?

When I first started going to India, I would block-print random blocks onto these long, almost sheer fabrics that they use to cover the block-printing tables. They layer that fabric five or 10 pieces high, and when you print on it, the dyes saturate through the layers, creating this ghostly impression. I took those and overprinted them, and made these huge long panels that I still have up in my barn in Connecticut. I'm still trying to figure out exactly what to do with them, but they still intrigue me, all these years later.

What advice would you give to someone shopping for design in India for the first time? Any tips on navigating markets, working with artisans, sourcing one-of-a kind pieces or arranging shipping?

That's a big question. Usually, if it's friends of mine, I organize the trip myself. It's not easy, and there are lots of side alleys you don't want to go down in India. That's how I can kind of control the trip for them—help them see the right artisans and buy interesting things without getting ripped off. Shipping is a whole other monster—the more organized places will ship things back for you via DHL or FedEx, so that's pretty easy if you're going that route.

Are there any upcoming projects, collaborations or collections you're especially excited about?

I found a lot of old textiles I printed 25 years ago, so I'm working with my designers to re-envision those into a collection of my early block prints. I also hand-screened some quilts using a big squeegee screen, with Japanese-style mountain designs, which we'll have online soon—a fun little art project. And I just went to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan with my wife and daughter, where we met a lovely felt maker. We're going to design some felt rugs with her, which is exciting—such an interesting part of the world to experience.

If you could return to India this year, where would you go and why?

This year, I'd go purely on holiday—probably down south to hit the beaches. I have friends in Goa, which is fun, and I love old Goa. Pondicherry is also a lovely little French town. And Karaikudi, down south, is where that antique shop is, and there's a great bungalow hotel right there. And I could keep going!