Stoking the luxury of design

Arushi Chaudhary

A warm, cosy home to come back to at the end of the day. A comfortable, stimulating workplace that keeps you inspired. The interiors of the places we dwell in play a huge role in keeping our mind space calm and clutter free. Interior designer Anjaleka Kripalani has spent the last two decades creating such panaceas of escape and embellishing them with bespoke luxury.

Anjaleka, who studied interior architecture at the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology in New York and started her career as an interior specialist with Ralph Lauren, is considered a pioneer of luxury lifestyle in India. She displayed her latest collection of Luxury Living at the India Design 2019 held in New Delhi from February 12 to 15.

The display made for an innovative mix of contemporary and classic design elements that carry a mark of exclusivity and yet appeal to a wider cross-section of homeowners and buyers. Speaking about her collection, Anjaleka said, “For India Design 2019, I have come up with a mixed bag of classic, ultra contemporary and fusion design themes displayed in formal settings such as dining room, living area and bar. For the living room, there are two distinct settings, one quintessential classic and the other out and out contemporary. For the dining space, I have chosen a contemporary design whereas the bar display is fusion. Going the fusion way for bar design was a conscious choice, as this is one part of any home that has a fun, laid-back vibe to it, and so, there is enough room for experimentation.”

Talking about what possibly makes her conceptualisation of interiors stand out, she adds, “My brand Renaissance Homez has been a top importer of furniture since 1997, which gives my designs an edge. The use of materials, play of colours and how these elements come together to create an aesthetically pleasing design, setting up apart.”

Having been in the business for over 20 years, Anjaleka has practically seen the interior design market in India grow. How does she perceive the change? “The outlook of the interior market has become more open to home lifestyle products and the Indian customer is more exposed. Not long ago, investing in interiors of a home was a concept limited to the rich and affluent. Today, people are house proud and do not shy from splurging on setting up a home of their dreams,” she says.

“The one trend that I have seen gain traction is that most people today go all out in setting up the living areas and open spaces of homes and scrunch back on private spaces such as bedrooms and study. This helps to bring in an element luxury to living spaces even within budgetary constraints,” she adds. 

Over the years, Anjaleka has earned herself a distinguished clientele that includes the likes of Goenkas, Birlas, Burmans, Rahejas, Jindals, Suresh Kalmadi, Sangeeta Singh, Kiran Chopra, Kiran Chowdhary and the now discredited Vijay Mallya. So, which of these has been her most exciting project so far? “I cannot pick out any single project as my body of work has been extremely diverse in terms of themes and spaces I have worked with. That said, designing the Dabur office, Rattan Chadha’s farmhouse and a Moroccan home have been my most creatively satisfying projects,” she replies.

Talking about trends in the interiors sector, Anjaleka says, “Soft colours like coral, lime green and yellow are all the rage these days. Apart from quality furnishings, people are also keen on lighting effects and artefacts to bring in that element of sophistication to their living spaces.” Take your clues!