Shalini Misra Ltd have been shortlisted for 4 categories in The International Design and Architecture Awards. Read more about Founder and Creative Director, Shalini Misra, below:

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Name: Shalini Misra

Company: Shalini Misra Ltd

Position within company: Founder & Creative Director

Website: www.shalinimisra.com

Tell us a little about your background in design:
My qualifications are as an architect from the Delhi School of Architecture and Planning (SPA) in India and I have also specialised in Urban Planning (University of Columbia in New York) and studied Virtual Reality in Architecture at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, in London. I’m one of Architectural Digest’s and House & Garden’s top 100 interior designers, and I’m a committee member at the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID), Advisory Board member at the KLC School of Design and on the Steering Committee of The Calico Club. I’m also proud to be on the South Asian Acquisition Committee (SAAC) at Tate, and to judge international design awards.

Aside from my professional work I’m also a trustee and mentor of UK charity Vahani Scholarship Trust, a non-profit organisation that recognises the importance of opening doors for underprivileged children and an advisory board member for Common Sense Media, a global charity dedicated to improving the well-being of children and families in the digital age.

How would you describe your personal design style?
Our client’s sensibilities are always at the forefront of our approach and so this means that we do not walk into new projects with a defined style to impose on a client’s home, but we do have many thought processes and principles that we naturally apply. For urban projects our designs will often bridge styles and periods, reflecting the nature of the locality and the different energies that it offers. We love to bring these elements together balancing colour, layering lighting, introducing elements of impact and surprise, incorporating a mixture of textures and materials to create a tactile aesthetic that emphasises the volumes of the spaces and brings every area to life. Every surface and detail is considered equally and nothing is left to chance. The result should be something unique, that suits the client’s lifestyle and is full of authentic character and style.

Where does your design inspiration come from?
I think when you have your eyes and your mind open to possibilities you never stop finding new things to inspire you from all sorts of different areas. I had a formal education, not in design, but a degree in architecture and I have studied urban planning and virtual reality, so I’m always inspired by the idea that a space contains its own unique energy that can be transformed into something that resonates with the people who live or work in it. I draw as much inspiration from the nature as I do from ancient elemental philosophy and modern architectural theory. Walking alone and looking around you, walking with friends and family and sharing ideas and visiting art galleries, design exhibitions and, during the pandemic, reading are all things that have fuelled my inspiration.

In what direction do you feel that design is moving towards in a general sense?
There is only one way that we can go in my opinion – collectively at least, which is to draw the principles of wellness and sustainability closer into our concept designs and choices of materials, because the adage that good design has a responsibility to the world it inhabits has never been truer!

Name five key themes to consider when approaching design in 2020 and beyond.

• Sustainability
• Biophilic Design
• Wellness
• Eco-Design
• Upcycling

If you could offer one piece of advice when it comes to design schemes, what would it be?
Don’t lose sight of the fact that the designs must be built around the clients’ lifestyle or commercial aspirations. That is the most important thing. 

How important are The International Design & Architecture Awards?
The awards are extremely important as they draw attention to the incredible talent that we have in our industry as well as to important themes that are emerging in the world of design – which is very important in this day and age.

What projects are you currently working on?
We are working on numerous exciting projects at the moment including a Villa in Dubai, an apartment in LA, a large landmark building in NYC, Office space in central London, A large family home in Los Altos and A family home in Notting Hill and St Johns Wood.

What was your favourite project to work on and why?
One of the projects we engaged in – a family home in London, had many elements to it regarding the family’s art collection. It was crucial to ensure that the lighting deployed in the home was complementary to the art and other objects, taking into account the different textures and surfaces. This helped to determine not only to how the art would be placed, but also where best to place it.

What was your most challenging project to work on and why?
One of our recent projects was a Victorian House, built in an Italianate style and set in one of the London’s conservation areas. The challenge was to create spaces that could house the family’s extraordinary art collection, which included some of the 21^st centuries best known artists such as Anthony Gormley, David Hockney and Tracey Emin to name a few. It was not a project for the faint hearted and required spaces to be enlarged and re-imagined. It was useful to be able to call upon the principles of Vastu to help build a sense of harmony. Two of the many architectural challenges were the relocation of a staircase and the reinforcing of particular walls, so that they could carry large paintings.

Which products/services could you not live without when designing?Simple tools such as a good digital camera, great colour tools and samples and I’m a sketcher so I always have a good soft pencil in my toolkit… other than that today’s computer programmes are also vital in producing plans

What are your aims and goals for the next twelve months?
As we stand here in the first half of 2021 it’s hard to answer that question without alluding to the pandemic and so first and foremost, I hope that all those who have suffered in this last period recover from these issues that have affected us all so profoundly and secondly, I hope that Design manages to have a positive part to play in the construction of our future.

From a personal and business perspective we have worked hard in 2020 and 2021 to generate new ideas such as www.thedesignbuzz.com and we have opened a new office in Dubai – so we hope to see these gather momentum and come to fruition.

Final thoughts; tell us a little more about yourself and your daily inspirations:

Your most treasured possession?
My own home.

Your favourite holiday destination?
Its still the joy of witnessing the migration in the Kenya’s Masai Mara, or Tanazania’s Serengeti. It’s the animal kingdom in full flow with all its beauty and harsh reality thrown together. The imagery and thoughts that it provokes live on in the memory for a lifetime.

Your favourite hotel, restaurant & bar?
Soneva Fushi in the Maldives remains right up there on my list.

Your favourite book, film & song?
Life of Pi
My Octopus Teacher
New Songs all the time

Your favourite food and drink?
I love homemade fruit smoothies – you can always create something that matches your mood and satisfies your needs!

Your favourite way to spend an afternoon?
With my children.

If you weren’t a designer, what would you be?
An Architect.

Anything else interesting?
Health is everything, on every level, from our planet’s, to our family’s. Health = Wealth.

Shalini Misra Ltd

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