Other-Wise is a passion project of a furniture designer upon becoming a parent. With a strong belief in simplicity and good design, Other-Wise was founded to make fun and functional playthings without the usual visual clutter that seems to take over any pre-existing aesthetic of a household at the arrival of an infant. It is our belief that experiences are more important than products, and we let the ‘experiences’ take center stage by developing products that do not fight for the child’s attention. Some underlying principles followed across operations include:

·        Being mindful of the environment

·        Being fair to people involved in the process of developing products

·        Working with locally available options, as far as possible

·        Honest marketing

"Being a small operation, Other-Wise continues taking on values that I hold close to my heart. It is hard to tell the two entities apart. So, it did not matter whether I was working on a product range for children or range of furnishings or developing products for a kitchen. The effort to stay committed to these values is the common thread across personal life and work."

Garima trained to be a furniture designer at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. She runs a design studio in Goa. Her son is the guinea pig and seems to enjoy being brought up in the midst of creation by both his parents. She is drawn to simple design and objects that function well. There are some obvious commonalities that her design and parenting share. Garima's parenting choices so far have included natural birth, cloth-diapering, co-sleeping and baby-wearing. And yet, she refuses to take on labels of 'designer' and 'natural parenting', keeping her process and mind open to marrying old and new, traditional and modern. This forms the background and foundation of Other-Wise.

Other than design and parenting, she willingly makes time for reading, gardening, long walks, beach, and music; and not so willingly for laundry and cooking!