Experimenting With Narratives

The driving force behind The Orange Lane and Peacock Life, Shabnam Gupta details her design stories, where the project is always hailed the hero

- Tina Thakrar

Imagine a young Shabnam Gupta, before she had even an inkling that she’d enter the world of design, trudging through Europe on a backpacking trip, marveling at art galleries, museums, and architectural landmarks. Visualize her studying design at LS Raheja College of Architecture and taking up humble jobs at her father’s production house, all the while observing things around her and developing a sensitivity to art and design through nature and travel. Try and work out her thought process, as she craved to do some unconventional projects but found it hard to be taken seriously on account of being a novice.

Look at her now - one of India’s most sought after interior designers, especially by celebrities like Kangana Ranaut, Irrfan Khan, Parineeti Chopra and Rani Mukherjee, founder of award-winning design firm The Orange Lane and furniture and home decor store Peacock Life, and someone who considers colour and texture as the foundations of her designs. “I would like to believe our design is instrumental in bringing people joy. I strive to work towards a holistic approach where design is not about creating good looking spaces but about how that design makes you feel or function. It’s about calming people’s souls in this chaotic world,” she says, detailing her design approach.