At Design Mumbai, Empire – The Living Company, a Mumbai-based practice, captured the attention of the design community with a quietly radical approach to sensory luxury. Founded by Rustom and Shonali Cooper, the studio blends technology, craft, and cultural memory to create immersive, emotionally resonant environments.
© Empire
The installation at Design Mumbai became "an unexpected point of pause amid the fair's high-energy bustle," drawing visitors to slow down, close their eyes, and allow the space to envelop them. "It felt like God was speaking to me through the music," one guest told Shonali Cooper, highlighting the emotive power of Empire's design philosophy, which seamlessly integrates acoustics, spatial layout, and sensory orchestration.
Empire's work is rooted in a distinctive lineage. Rustom Cooper, co-founder, is a third-generation custodian of Bombay's design heritage. His grandfather, Keki Modi, built the legendary Strand Cinema and New Empire, shaping the city's cinematic culture, while his father, Burge Cooper, introduced Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) to India, raising the benchmark for luxury audio. For Rustom, Empire represents a contemporary continuation of this legacy, moving from communal cinematic experiences to intimate, personal sensory immersion.
Shonali Cooper contributes a complementary perspective, drawing on her experience in India and Italy, as well as her prior work with Studio Wodehouse. Together, the duo merges cinematic atmosphere with tactile craft, advanced smart-home technology, and a deeply human sensibility.
© Empire
Their projects unfold as living stories rather than conventional interiors. Lighting, acoustics, materials, and automation are choreographed with what the studio calls "quiet intelligence," resulting in spaces that feel immersive without spectacle, sensorial without excess, and attuned to the rhythms of those inhabiting them.
Empire – The Living Company offers a uniquely Indian perspective on experiential luxury design, one that honours Bombay's cultural memory while advancing a contemporary design language. With a growing portfolio and a philosophy that bridges culture, craft, technology, and emotion, Empire is poised to emerge as a significant voice in India's next chapter of luxury living.
More information:
Empire – The Living Company
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www.empirelivingco.com
