It was only a matter of time.

As the US cannabis market is estimated to swell to $57B by 2030–a number which will continue to grow as more states legalize it–and the fundamentals of the industry are becoming established, designer products for cannabis were bound to emerge.

And it’s Amitha Raman who has staked her claim as the frontrunner of this market.

The founder of Amitha, the recently-launched brand of cannabis accessories which resemble objets d’art rather than tools for smoking, Raman uses contemporary artists as her muses to inspire the conception and design of her products.

“I was taking classes in the Museum of Modern Art’s education department where I studied Modern and Contemporary Art. My study included artists such as Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, and Richard Serra, all of whom inspired the designs of my collections,” says Raman in an interview.

Amitha’s offerings, which span not only the design pieces the founder created but also a curated selection of the crème de la crème of cannabis accessories on the market, launched last week with none other than Martha Stewart in tow. The lifestyle guru’s presence is a quiet, but important, moment for the brand as she is very public about her cannabis use and as an established connoisseur of style and taste, Stewart embodies the ideals of the Amitha consumer.

“It was a dream and honor to have Martha Stewart attend our launch party,” exclaims Raman. “She genuinely appreciated the collection and even requested a few pieces to be sent to her home.”

The idea behind Amitha is to create exquisite pieces which serve dual purposes. The first is to support highly-functional, elevated experiences for the recreational use of cannabis. The second, is for the pieces to sit on any surface in a home and stand on their own their merit as objects of high-design, something which was achieved through cut-no-corners attitude on the part of Raman.

Raman sourced the materials for her collection from the same suppliers as famed American interior designer, Kelly Wearstler, and some Amitha pieces even play dual roles. For example, the Rolling Tray is crafted from a singular piece of Italian marble whose aluminum insert is both an accessory for cannabis use and also a functional piece which could hold keys and other small household items.

While creating her own collection was always the plan, the idea for Amitha was birthed in 2020 at the very precipice of the pandemic, and to build a financially sustainable business during that period Raman first had to launch Amitha as a marketplace. This helped her to build a community around her concept while providing revenue and insights as she refined her own product.

“I spent a lot of time researching and sourcing the best accessories in the market and it was imperative I test and vet each one. Because it was the pandemic, I was only shopping online and I found that many of the design-forward options looked great, but they didn’t perform well or their quality wasn’t very high,” Raman explains. “This experience helped inform my own creative process when it came to developing my line as I wanted to marry aesthetics with functionality and create home decor accessories that happened to double as smoking objects. It was an obvious gap in the market.”

Unsurprisingly, the price of Amitha products reflect the investment made into its design. Expect a rolling tray–which is set to launch in the coming weeks–to cost approximately $2000. Ashtrays are about $750 and artist-designed glass pipes with Downtown LA provenance are $150. Although, the Donald Judd-inspired engravable cigarette and joint case are a winner in terms of price and function at $95.

“My goal over the next 5 to 10 years is to continue to grow the business by adding new products that are part of a holistic vision for a beautifully designed home,” Raman says. “Like a well-stocked bar cabinet, Amitha products are made to celebrate the act of coming together.”