Deco in the Wild by Rubbina J K
MSc in Interior Design
Deco in the wild, designed by Rubbina J K, the winner of the Best Public Space Redesign Award, gave the dusty Gass Forest Museum in Coimbatore a total facelift. Her project, “Deco in the Wild,” fits right into the JDDA 2025 theme “PAUSE.” It’s about making you stop, breathe, and relax for a sec—something nobody does anymore because of life.
This isn’t a boring museum redo. Rubbina’s whole approach is if you shook up Art Deco, placed it into the middle of a jungle, and let it grow. She took inspiration straight from the forest: curvy walls, soft glowy lighting, leafy soundscapes, and pillar designs that are just trees in disguise. It’s more of a walk-in-the-woods feeling than your average stuffy gallery.
She definitely did not take the rudimentary path for the materials. She’s got terrazzo that looks like a forest floor, gnarly old-school metals, etched glass, with a moody green everywhere that hugs you when you walk in. The place is interactive, stuff moves and makes noise when you approach it, and kids actually get corners that aren’t totally boring.
Rubbina’s pulled off more than just showcasing here. She’s created a spot where you just want to slow down, rediscover the world a bit, maybe even remember nature. Deco in the Wild doesn’t just bridge the gap between past and present—it takes the best parts of both, wraps you up in them, and asks you to stay quietly awhile. You leave feeling different from here.
She definitely did not take the rudimentary path for the materials. She’s got terrazzo that looks like a forest floor, gnarly old-school metals, etched glass, with a moody green everywhere that hugs you when you walk in. The place is interactive, stuff moves and makes noise when you approach it, and kids actually get corners that aren’t totally boring.
Rubbina’s pulled off more than just showcasing here. She’s created a spot where you just want to slow down, rediscover the world a bit, maybe even remember nature. Deco in the Wild doesn’t just bridge the gap between past and present—it takes the best parts of both, wraps you up in them, and asks you to stay quietly awhile. You leave feeling different from here.