Anjali welcomed JODI to her vibrant Goa home. It's a sight to behold—her casa oozes with a bold, audacious style that's just so Anjali.

Anjali's journey started with an unbridled passion for art and creativity, leading her to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design from the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design. Today, she's the brains behind Josmo, her very own design haven, where she wears the hats of founder and creative director. Her creations seamlessly fuse Indian essence with a global allure, all while championing functionality, sustainability, and making lives better, one design at a time.

And did we mention she's a supermom too? Yep, JODI (her twins) keep her on her toes, but she handles it all with grace and flair. Seriously, we're in awe of how she juggles design, motherhood, and everything in between. We caught up with her for a chat about life, art, and the beautiful chaos of it all.

JODI: What led you into the field of design? How was JOSMO birthed? Tell us the story behind this ?
ANJALI: I was always inclined towards the artistic and creative aspects of things. Drawn to colour, textures, how things were put together and placed- always fascinated me during my early years as a young eager student.
Josmo was born after I moved back to India and started making accessories and tabletop objects for friends and family. I did this for at least a year before I decided to make this into an organised brand.
It was my father who convinced me to find a workshop, build a team and make this into a business. Josmo first started as a custom design and build studio where the client was as much a part of the process as we were. It was a symbiotic relationship that culminated to a beautiful object that took months and hundreds of hours to explore and execute.

Anjali Mody in our Nur dress.

JODI: How would you describe JOSMO’s design aesthetic? What do you think sets your brand apart? 
ANJALI: Josmo’s aesthetic can be defined in a few ways. On most days , we are grounded in functionality and create contemporary furniture with a twist. On other days, we are very maximalist and take to colour with much adoration and obsession.
I think what sets us apart is our deep commitment to the craft of making, our unapologetic humanisation of our brand through our people, passion and love for all things design. It has also become clear to me that we have filled a very distinct niche in the market that seeks accessible design. Most of our customers have been with us for many years , whilst others have been following us closely, aspiring to buy into the Josmo aesthetic and brand appeal.
We are also one of the few Indian brands that have absolute control over our entire process from design to delivery, allowing us to flex our muscles with our factory and have a true commitment to quality.

JODI: How do you balance aesthetics with functionality in your designs? How do you approach your design process? 
ANJALI: I see aesthetics and functionality as 2 sides of the same coin. One doesn’t need to cannibalise the other without good reason. Most of our pieces try to balance both these virtues in every piece we make, allowing our customers to enjoy the deliberate details we imbed into our pieces.
Our process remains dictated by countless prototypes and iterations of our work. We test pieces to understand their thresholds, if there are better- more sustainable ways of making things, and how we can engage craft into everything we do.
Our studio is moving towards becoming a design lab, that has multiple projects going on at once, that are dictated by contrasting mandates. One collection aims towards exploring how we can create ‘ waste into wealth’, another focuses on how we can provide a better experience within the space of outdoor furniture and outdoor living. The list goes on…

JODI: Your home in Goa is a visual treat and what was your inspiration behind designing this home? 
ANJALI: Wes Anderson was our big inspiration. Akshay ( my husband) and I love colour, textures and quirky objects that have stories to tell. Our home had to be a clear representation of that ideal, and Eshita, our interior designer, has done a beautiful job working on this with me.

JODI: What’s your favourite corner in your home - favourite piece of art - or furniture ?  
ANJALI: My personal favourite room is our family room which is on the 1st floor of our home. This space is a double height space with lots of natural light, a stunning Tarini Sethi sculpture on the wall that was part of the Street Art Festival that took place at Sassoon dock last year.
This space brings us and our children together in the morning, allowing us to enjoy the early morning hours in an intimate setting. It also has a large wall that has been taken over by my plants and creepers, almost having a Jumangi feel to it. It is a true representation of nature coming inside and taking over and we honestly love this balance.

Anjali wears our Salima pantsuit.

JODI: How do you usually spend your day-off? 
ANJALI: I try to spend my days off sleeping- but that happens quite rarely. Being a mother of twins, nothing is more sacred to me right now than sleep.
However, the reality of my weekends are filled with beach days with my boys, dogs, and friends who are like family to us. We also spend a lot of time in our garden, enjoying our pool, and harvesting our farm garden that has recently come to life. During the monsoon, I like to spend some weekends hiking on nature trails that come alive during the rain. Nothing gives me more joy, that being in nature during my time off.

JODI: You’re a young mom of twins - How has motherhood been for you, and how do you navigate work with motherhood ?
ANJALI: Motherhood has been an absolute joy. On most days, balancing my commitment as a mother and being with the children is a challenge, but I always choose them first. My hours at work have reduced to more focused hours, where I have clear objectives and deliverables set out with my team. They cherish my time with them more now, knowing that it is finite and measured.
Navigating this journey will be a long one as the kids are almost 2 now. Akshay has helped me greatly in the operational aspect of things, which allows me to focus on my strengths as a designer. I have spending an active part of last year and this year focusing on new collections that will be launching through the year- along with a Josmo Atelier which will borderline on art furniture.It’s an exciting time for us at Josmo. 2024 is going to be a BIG year for us.

JODI: Design trends you are currently obsessed with?
ANJALI: I don’t follow trends to be honest. I look at the past, dwell on what I admire, and try to incorporate elements I like to make them my own.

Anjali mody in our Mahua dress.

JODI: If you could redesign any famous landmark, which one would it be and what changes would you make?
ANJALI: I would redesign the pyramids of Egypt. Making the entire cluster from solar panels. Making them almost invisible to the eye due to its reflection, and also give the landmark a deeper functional purpose than it currently has. 

JODI: Your go-to karaoke song?
ANJALI: Fever.
 I’m a one hit wonder with that one.

JODI: If you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, on a design project, who would it be?
ANJALI: I would absolutely love to collaborate with Jamie Hayon or Bjorn Ingles. They are my absolute idols.

JODI: What’s the thing you’re most proud of? 
ANJALI: I’m most proud of my children and the loving humans they are growing up to be , and the work we have done at Josmo and how far we’ve come with all the warriors we have built along the way. It’s been a real journey over the past 13 years and it hasn't been easy by any measure. This year is the year to celebrate all of it.

JODI: Your current favourite designers or artists ?
ANJALI: Ritika Merchant, Rooshad Shroff, Anoushka Mirchandani, Daku, Eeshaan Kashyap, and Humming Tree Studio.

Anjali wears our Salima pantsuit.

JODI: How do you stay inspired and keep your creativity flowing ? 
ANJALI: I switch off and take a break from everything day to day and try to reset my mind with a relaxing break. The hardest thing I’ve had to do is change my day to day schedule so that I can change my approach to something I'm doing.

JODI: We’re digging the way you’ve brought your own kooky-ness to our looks. Talk to us about your favourite Jodi look. And how do you approach your personal style, it’s so individualistic- we love that! 
ANJALI: My style can mostly be defined by loud, bold and audacious and is very similar to this. On most days my friends look at what I wear and say “ Anjali I have no idea what you're wearing, only you can pull it off” and while it's such an odd thing to say, I take great pride in that statement. I always dress how I feel. You will know what I'm feeling on any given day with how I'm dressed. If I'm low, I’ll have put very little effort in my look. If I'm charged  up, I’ll have colours and layers and quirky objects added to my attire. It’s really an extension of who I am that comes through in how I dress.

JODI: Any hidden gems in Goa you would recommend?
ANJALI: No, because then they wouldn’t be hidden :)

MUSE: Anjali Mody
Photographer: Sumaiya Sayed