A toast to all the mothers out there – Happy Mother’s Day!

A mother is always the first recipient of your foremost token of emotion, affection, talent or outburst even. It is at the bottom of her drawer that you’ll find safely preserved memories of your first scribbled artwork, the first birthday card you made her, your first cringy dance performance dedicated to her or even just a photograph of you dressing up as her. There’s always a mother’s corner in the house, with ever-expanding room for your ode to them however raw, minute or incomplete they may be.

While some of us are still getting the perfect gift right with some brainstorming left to do, there are some who nailed it already!

This Mother’s Day, let us look at some of the dynamic mother-daughter duos that have made their mark in the fields of art, architecture and design individually and together. Here is a glimpse of some of the projects and collections these daughters dedicate to their mothers as a reflection of their spirit and ideology.

BRINDA & AAHANA MILLER I had this tall and narrow, vacant cupboard lying around in the store room at home. I thought it would make an unusual surface for a graphic and abstract hand painting and a good fit, once refurbished to my mother’s (Brinda Miller) bathroom. Orange was chosen as it is my mother’s favorite color and gels well with the bathroom decor. Black and white accents helped highlight the simple and neat brushstrokes. A playful artwork with crossed orthogonal lines in the front and whimsical traffic symbols on the sides adorned the spunky cupboard, befitting my mother’s style and taste in bath décor. – Aahana Miller (ABM Architects)

IQRUP & RITZ Inspired by my mother’s (Iqrup Dhamija) dedication to craftsmanship and attention to detail, our latest collection is a collaboration in the North East, of Bamboo and Cane indoor furniture. A project close to her heart, the idea is to provide continued support for the few master craftsmen left in the region while creating beautiful products for the contemporary home. Having started her interiors and furniture firm in 1985, has been working with some of the same craftsmen for over 30 years in a beautiful example of old ties strengthening over the years. – Ritika Dhamija, Co- Founder, Iqrup + Ritz

BRINDA SOMAYA AND NANDINI SAMPAT Our Shadow Play installation at the Fab Biennale – Out of the Shadows held in Mumbai was inspired by my mother, Brinda Somaya. Working with walls, water, geometry, material and light, each product is reflective of the vision of the maker and out of the shadows of the mind emerges the forms. My mother’s ability to always be inclusive, to share knowledge and to continuously be on a path of learning are imbibed within the installation, that encourage us all to be creative and innovative as a result. – Nandini Sampat, Director, SNK Consultants