This lounge at Design Mumbai lets you sit with art instead of just looking at it

Art and design fairs are one of the best ways to spend your evenings—it’s a wonderful feeling to be able to browse through curated collections, meet new people and experience those moments of magic when a piece just speaks to you. But with so much to see and do, sometimes you just need a moment to pause—take a little break, maybe even sit down, which is a rare luxury at these bustling events. Soho House Mumbai returns to Design Mumbai for a second time, extending its cultural imprint with a lounge designed exactly for that. It’s a space to linger and indulge in rest, art, craft and food, a quiet counterpoint to the energy of the fair. The Soho House Lounge pairs a tranquil rest area with a curated counter, offering signature dishes and cocktails from the House menu in a relaxed, design-led setting.

Since opening in Mumbai in 2018, Soho House has built something rare in a city that is so fast-moving and creatively dense: a cultural and creative home where artists, designers, filmmakers, musicians and writers can meet one another not in passing, but with purpose. Its presence at both Design Mumbai and Art Mumbai this year has become an extension of that philosophy, reflecting a commitment and a genuine contribution towards how the city experiences art and design.

During this edition of Design Mumbai (November 26-November 29), the Soho House Lounge will feature three distinct artistic practices: works by Vinita Mungi, the Journey of Objects collective and Sejal Parek. Mungi, a Mumbai-based ceramic artist, presents Breast Stories—a series of sculptural works rooted in feminist thought, ecology and the sensorial intimacy of clay. Drawing inspiration from the symbolism present in Bengali writer and activist Mahasweta Devi’s eponymous book, Breast Stories addresses sexual assault and violence, borrowing from the experiences of the artist herself as well as those close to her. In her work, Mungi uses seashells to emphasise the breast as more than a symbol of beauty, eroticism or motherhood but as a harsh indictment of an exploitative social system and a weapon of resistance.