As part of ADFF:STIR Mumbai from January 9 – 11, 2026, at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai, India, the Architecture & Design Film Festival will extend its scope beyond film screenings and conversations into a series of Special Projects that position design as a lived, multisensory experience. Among these is LIVinSET—a project conceived by multidisciplinary design and curatorial platform Design Circus—and envisioned as an immersive product gallery staged as a film set; one that deliberately blurs the boundaries between object, narrative and mise-en-scène. The space features design objects by brands such as Siemens, Hedao x Swati Pravaah, Madheke and Taamaa, and a private culinary experience hosted by Gaggenau.

Rather than presenting design through utility or typology, LIVinSET treats the interior as a space of performance. Light, surface, silence and pause form the grammar of a spatial composition in which everyday rituals such as walking, gathering, cooking and resting are understood as choreographed acts. Objects are freed from the obligation to function demonstratively; instead, they operate as props that shape behaviour, perception and rhythm. The domestic interior becomes a place of refuge and display simultaneously, unfolding in ceaseless motion, not unlike cinema itself.

Within the staged environment, showcased brands are embedded as active contributors to the choreography of everyday life. Gaggenau, the German luxury home appliance manufacturer and part of the BSH Home Appliances Group, brings its legacy of precision engineering and professional-grade performance into the domestic narrative. Known for its minimalist built-in ovens and cooking systems—developed in dialogue with professional chefs—Gaggenau’s presence situates the kitchen as a site of ritual, craft and cultural exchange rather than pure efficiency. Extending this idea, LIVinSET will host a special culinary evening organised by Gaggenau, positioning food as a live, performative medium within the set.

Also part of the BSH Home Appliances Group, Siemens products are defined by technological reliability and everyday usability. With a long history of integrating innovation into domestic routines, Siemens’ inclusion within LIVinSET reinforces the project’s interest in how design quietly structures daily life without spectacle.

Mumbai-based creative design atelier Hedao contributes a series of works developed in collaboration with Swati Pravaah, including an accent installation, Royal Grey Samovar, that brings together an African grey parrot with the historical journey of the samovar, a traditional metal vessel used for heating water and brewing tea, tracing its passage from Russia to India. Accented with brass knobs across its surface, the piece references the old-world rituals of heat, water and gathering, evoking the scent of burning wood, the sound of boiling water and the tactile warmth associated with traditional brass samovars while reinterpreting them through a contemporary lens. Designed by Rajnish Hedao, founder and creative director of Hedao, for the design festival, a number of his pieces are composed of reclaimed metal and wood, and layered with hand-painted imagery inspired by flora, fauna and lithographic traditions, enabling nostalgia, craft and visual storytelling to coexist within the set.

Another work, The Open Crown, takes the form of a tall, oval cabinet where circular and vertical elements intersect. Its silhouette recalls both everyday acts, such as carrying baskets across hilly terrain, and communal rituals of movement and dance. Designed as a multifunctional object, the piece introduces visual rhythm and disruption into the setting, resisting fixed placement or singular use.

Objects by Madheke and Taamaa further enrich the sensory landscape of LIVinSET. Luxury home furniture and lifestyle accessory brand Madheke brings together a curated selection of products at the festival. Situated at the intersection of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary production, the pieces position design as a bridge between past, present and future. Taamaa, an Indian brand known for homeware and personal accessories in contemporary materials, presents a collection shaped by a restrained yet uncompromising design philosophy—celebrating everyday function while redefining responsible, contemporary Indian design.

Together, the various offerings position LIVinSET as more than a showcase. As part of ADFF:STIR Mumbai 2026, it proposes an environment where architecture, design, cinema and food intersect, inviting visitors to experience objects not through instruction, but through presence, movement and shared rituals.

ADFF:STIR Mumbai 2026 was staged at the NCPA grounds in Mumbai, India, from January 9 – 11, with a renewed focus and expanded program. Browse STIR's official channels and the ADFF:STIR Mumbai website for further details on the films, the Jaquar Pavilion Park, the ~log(ue) Programme supported by JSW and other Special Projects at the festival.

You can read highlights for ADFF:STIR Mumbai 2026, here.