About

Since childhood, I have enjoyed a deeper connection with nature and I draw all my inspiration from it. The experience of an interior space vastly involves touching and handling of the surrounding objects and through this understanding, all the furniture forms in my designs are informed by nature- by human form. I take references from natural human associations to provide a holistic experience and to enrich the user’s immediate surroundings. At times, I take it a step closer to nature by understanding nature’s creations, where my designs reflect the principles of Wabi-Sabi.

The colour palettes are created in a way that they have a sense of belonging – to merge them with the whole spatial setting, other than being visually delightful. Appropriate combinations of colours, textures and forms are used to bring a balance among all the interior elements in a space. Along with this approach, I love working with natural materials and I strive to express their best characteristics using intricate details and hand-craftsmanship.

Our age-old crafts, with their fine tuned sensitivity to an array of materials and their appropriate applications, can provide the subtle wisdom that traditions are made of, while remaining rich sources of inspiration and providing us with a timeless sense of aesthetics. With this understanding, I try to retain timelessness in my designs, to bring about a real character. I often use crafts in their original form and enjoy working with artisans and people associated with crafts which helps me achieve finesse and intricacy in my designs, while keeping things rooted in context.

While it is wise to borrow and adopt good, constructive ideas from other cultures, following an ideology without understanding the logic in it and ignoring our own positive features is disgraceful. Ours is a living culture – of traditions, crafts, styles and a philosophy that highlights work as a way of inner fulfilment – of wholesome attitudes and a distinctive, sensible way of life. While technology, industry and commerce have completely taken over and occupied human lives in the west, the urban-Indian lifestyle is still independent from the compulsive limitations of total industrialisation. This makes our way of life far more versatile, individualistic and offers a possibility to create diversely different things simultaneously.

This conviction, along with my passion for nature, remains at the core of all things I do.

Career

1975
Design education at the National Institute of Design – Paldi, Ahmedabad.

1975 – 1976
Design apprentice with Textile Designer Rajen Rajendra pal.

1976 -1982
Designer with Architect and Furniture Designer Nilendu Shah.

Since 1983
Interior Design & Architecture consultancy, practicing in the field.

Academic

Since 1991
Faculty member at the School of Interior Design, CEPT – Ahmedabad, currently guiding Thesis-students.

Practice

During the course of the last 38 years of my career, we have done various types of design work – large offices, boutiques, shops, restaurants, hotels, resorts, a water park, public hall and convention centre, a number of residences etc.

I like to connect and co-ordinate with other designers for specific projects and believe that a good creative team can enrich and add many dimensions to the project. Once the main concept design and visualisation is done, design inputs from various designers are co-ordinated into our work.

Our Team of Consultants:

  • Electrical consultants – Shri Nandishbhai Shah
  • Air-conditioning consultants – Shri Mihirbhai Patel
  • Water-management and plumbing consultants – Shri Apurvabhai Shah
  • Structural consultants – Shri Devendrabhai Shah, Shri Jayeshbhai Dharwa
  • Landscape design – Ms Abhijaben Dalal

List of Interior Design Projects

Hotels and Resorts

  • Hotel Quality Suites Shalin at Ahmedabad,
  • Water World Resort – a water park (largest in India) and resort at Mehsana,
  • Mugal Gardens – a tented resort at Mehsana,
  • Nature Cure Centre – an Ayurvedic and Natural Healing centre at Mehsana,
  • Hotel Narayan Niwas Palace – renovation of a heritage building at Jaisalmer.
  • Damanganga Valley Resort – a resort at Silvassa.
  • House of M GHBM lounge, a lounge restaurant at an entertainment centre, housed within a heritage hotel, Ahmedabad
  • Palace Hotel – renovation of a heritage hotel, belonging to the royal family of Bikaner at Mount Abu
  • Kensville Golf Club – golf club near Nal Sarovar, Ahmedabad
  • Utelia Palace – renovation of a heritage hotel, belonging to a royal family at Utelia (ongoing)
  • Jaipur House – renovation of a heritage hotel, belonging to the royal family of Jaipur, situated at Mount Abu (ongoing)

Cafés, Shops and Boutiques

  • Fun RepublicIndian Restaurant and Banquet Halls at a multiplex.
  • Random Access – a cyber café,
  • Ara – a lifestyle shop
  • Sonar Tori – a handicrafts boutique,
  • Peter A De Souza – a men’s wear shop with a Goan flavour.
  • Shyamal & Bhumika – A boutique for Ahmedabad’s leading fashion designers.

Lifestyle sample houses for developers:

  • Aryaman # 1 and Aryaman # 5 – sample villas for Saumya Constructions
  • Sanskar – Sample apartment for Savvy Infrastructure
  • Safal Vihaan – Sample villa for Safal Group
  • Nobles Antrix– Sample apartment for Nobles construction
  • Altan Fields – sample weekend villa & club house for Aavkar Realty
  • Abhilash – sample apartment for Aavkar Realty
  • Shalin Bellevue – sample apartment for Saikrupa Infrabuild
  • Shalin Boulevard – sample apartment for Shalin Sheel Infra LLP

Public Buildings

  • Town Hall – renovation of ‘Art Deco’ heritage building, seating capacity – 1200,
  • Gujarat University Convention Centre – large convention centre, seating capacity – 2300 and exhibition hall commissioned by Gujarat University, Ahmedabad.

Corporate Offices

  • Sayaji Iron & Steel Works – office building at
  • Indian Dairy Corporation – office building at
  • Linde’ Processes Pvt Ltd – offices for a German company at Vadodara.
  • Saga Windell – office building for industry manufacturing pumps at Ahmedabad
  • Contech India Pvt Ltd – office building for a computer hardware industry, Gandhinagar
  • Reliance Textiles – office for MD Shri Ramnikbhai Ambani at Naroda plant.
  • Ramdev Foods Pvt Ltd – Directors’ office wing at Changodar, Ahmedabad (planning stage)

Exclusive Residences

  • Villa ‘Rambag’ for Hasmukhbhai Patel – a private residence with spa, gymnasium, entertainment zone etc. –with architectural woodwork, water channels, stone-work structures etc.
  • Ramvatika for Hasmukhbhai Patel- a weekend home located besides Narmada canal
  • House 2 at Ramvatika – a part of Ramvatika, located besides Narmada canal
  • Maliya Palace for Rajveersinh Jadeja – Restoration and architectural redesign of a traditional Darbar Gadh for a royal family based in Maliya
  • Weekend home for Upendrabhai Shah
  • Weekend home for Keyurbhai Gandhi
  • Weekend home for Shirishbhai Sanjanwala
  • Residence for Dinkarbhai Uppal
  • Residence for Chiragbhai Lalbhai – Architecture and Interior design
  • Residence for Pankajbhai Shah

List of Architecture Projects

Maliya Palace for Rajveersinh Jadeja
Restoration and architectural redesign of a traditional Darbar Gadh for a royal family based in Maliya

Utelia Palace
Renovation of a heritage hotel, belonging to a royal family at Utelia (ongoing)

Jaipur House
Renovation of a heritage hotel, belonging to the royal family of Jaipur, situated at Mount Abu (ongoing)

Altan Fields
The entire scheme of weekend villas, including club house for Aavkar Realty, in collaboration with architect Shri Made Vijaya from Bali

Residence for Chiragbhai Lalbhai
Architecture and Interior design

House 2 at Ramvatika
Architecture and Interior Design