Tectona Grandis Furniture and The Architects’ Diary come together to introduce the Chair Affair. This is India’s first-of-its-kind furniture design competition that dares architects and designers across India to rethink the most essential piece of furniture – the Chair. Beyond function, a chair can tell stories, spark emotions, and reflect culture. This is your chance to transform it into a statement of design that speaks to the world!
We’re blurring the boundaries between everyday living and extraordinary design. The goal? To take something familiar and elevate it into an icon that is innovative, meaningful, and accessible. The winning chairs won’t just be celebrated — they’ll be manufactured, showcased across India, and placed directly into people’s homes.
A chair is never “just a chair.” It’s where we rest, reflect, work, read, celebrate, and sometimes even dream. Everyone has a memory with one. In this design competition, we invite you to capture that intimacy and transform it into a bold, timeless design that balances:
Open only to young practising architects and interior designer firms across India, with an experience within the range of 2-7 years. The Principal Creatives must be below 35 years of age.
Email
Register now by filling out the Google Form below and secure your spot in the competition.
Once registered, it’s time to start envisioning and designing your chair. Let your creativity flow and push the boundaries of design! Submit your entries by emailing us a Google Drive link containing up to 5 sheets (A3 size).
Instagram
To qualify for the design competition, every participant must create a social media post showcasing their designs, concepts, and creative process for The Chair Affair. Feel free to experiment—share images, try different styles, or even make a reel! Don’t forget to tag The Architects Diary and Tectona Grandis Furniture so we can validate your submission.
The jury will be looking for:
The Top 5 winning designs will come to life — manufactured and proudly displayed in Elev8 Ahmedabad 2026. And that’s not all: your design will be be produced as exclusive limited editions and displayed in 3 Tectona Grandis stores across India. They will also be featured on Archioo and Tectona Grandis, our ecommerce partners, giving you visibility across the design industry and directly to design lovers everywhere. Winners will also earn a 10% royalty on every chair sold under their name.
In addition, The Architects Diary will curate a Coffee Table Book featuring the Top 20 chair designs that meet the competition’s criteria. This book will be unveiled at Elev8 Ahmedabad 2026, alongside the showcase of the Top 5 chairs.
Because this is more than just a competition. It’s an opportunity to see your vision turn into reality. To go from sketch to showroom. To create something that people will not just admire, but also live with.
Be part of the movement to shape the next generation of Indian design icons.
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