An editorial project by Matter in partnership with Şişecam Flat Glass, PRAXIS investigates the work and positions of diverse contemporary architecture practices in India. In the episode, Abhirup Dutta and Deeptashree Saha reflect on the intellectual roots of their work as The Vernacular Modern. While anchored in their emphatic thematics of material cultures, and engineering, the imagery of the vernacular and the modern eponymously makes for their repertoire of furniture, art, architecture and objects. The formidably functional range is deeply researched, as evidenced by the studio’s process that is simultaneously organic and directional, embedded in the idea of ‘slowness’ and ‘an artisan-led’ approach. The Vernacular Modern’s work places these objects as signifiers in a complicated context and legacy of craft heritage in India. Working consciously with old demolition timber and towards contemporary narratives born of relearning and exploring, it asks a more nuanced question of itself – about true sense of collaborations, and developing products with a purpose.