A Cultural Confluence: Design Democracy 2025 Returns to Hyderabad

Now in its third and most ambitious edition, the fair reinforces its role as one of India’s foremost cultural forums, spotlighting interior design, architecture and craft-led innovation

Taking place from 5–7 September 2025 at Hyderabad’s HITEX Exhibition Centre, annual showcase Design Democracy comes back with an expanded programme, compelling installations and growing acclaim as a South Asian platform where design intersects with identity, sustainability and storytelling.

Founded by design entrepreneurs Shailja Patwari and Pallika Sreewastav, and architect-lighting designer Arjun Rathi, Design Democracy aims to be not just a trade event, but a spirited exchange between tradition and transformation. ‘Design is the silent language of beauty. It lifts a place beyond function, into feeling,’ says Sreewastav, encapsulating the ethos of a fair that has steadily matured into a cultural landmark since its founding in 2023.

With more than 120 luxury brands and studios participating, the 2025 edition offers a vibrant snapshot of India’s contemporary interior design scene. The fair is structured around three themed pavilions — Atelier, Canvas and Muse — each a curated microcosm of larger conversations shaping design in the region. Atelier centres material innovation and craft; Canvas explores design as narrative; and Muse opens a space for experimentation and speculative futures. These zones aren’t just showcases — they aim to provoke, contextualise and propose.

The show’s curatorial vision deepens this year with three special exhibitions. Returning for its third edition, the Museum of Telangana — curated by Supraja Rao — continues its exploration of natural materials, heritage and digital craft through the lens of vernacular design. Joining it are two new permanent exhibitions: Precious Objects, curated by Farah Ahmed Mathias, a showcase of limited-edition works that reimagine Indian craft with contemporary elegance; and the Museum of Sustainability, curated by Abin Chaudhuri and Snehashri Nandi, which highlights socially engaged design across furniture, collectibles and decor. DDTalks — Design Democracy’s flagship speaker platform, spotlighting powerful ideas and transformative voices — returns this year, and it remains integral to the fair’s larger mission.

Set against the backdrop of Hyderabad, a city known for its architectural heritage and burgeoning cultural energy, the fair finds an ideal home. ‘Hyderabad’s growth — both economic and architectural — made it the ideal home for a contemporary design forum,’ says Patwari. Indeed, the city’s rich layers of identity mirror the festival’s goal: to create meaningful dialogue between legacy and innovation.

As India emerges as a global leader in sustainable, culturally rooted design, Design Democracy places itself firmly at the forefront as a forum for globally resonant, deeply local ideas. More than a celebration of form, it’s a gathering of perspectives where designers, artisans and audiences reimagine what design can mean in a transforming India.