I left my first job
in the film industry in Mumbai to take a break and stay with family in Delhi
hoping to return shortly. That never happened and I soon found myself in a new
job in Delhi, and in a small 1 room set with, a large, shady Jamun tree just beyond the window by my bed and
masses of vibrant bougainvillea – something I could work with; even it wasn’t
in the best shape inside. I worked on these rooms in fits and starts. I’d pick
up artifacts from old markets around the country on my travels for work, reuse
old bedspreads to upholster chairs, paint the walls and doors in colors I
loved, till it became a space that I loved coming back to in the evening after
work. It wasn’t till one dull afternoon at work, however, when I decided to
start a blog about my room and how you could live quite well on a relatively
small budget that a new, unexpected career started to take shape. That amateur
blog opened new doors for me and I find myself deeply involved in a career I
love..

I
find it thrilling to encounter beauty in today’s built environment, amidst
concrete monotony. Despite the mad rush to grow and develop in India, beauty in
our lives and surroundings persists and that encourages me. I see examples of
this constantly– in a charming and quaint old home, with a sprawling veranda,
amid Mumbai’s high rises, in a uniquely preserved and a colorful old house
amid Amritsar’s bustle.

Whenever I begin
a new project, it’s important for me to wander a bit at first, exploring
the space’s environs, learning about those who will reside or work in it—their
stories, its story. Much like a good novel, the space becomes a world that I
inhabit for the length of a project and miss when it’s over. I immerse myself
in the design traditions and crafts of the area and source materials locally
whenever possible. I also work closely with the client to understand his or her
vision and interests. A space should reflect both the personality of its
inhabitants and the context in which it exists. I strive to bring these
together in my designs. I especially love creatively matching and
harmonizing the colors of a space’s interiors with the shades of its natural surroundings.