Finding your way in the design world isn’t always easy. It’s rarely a straight road, and certainly not the one you first imagined. Whether you’re a student, a recent graduate, or already working in architecture or interiors, you might have moments where you wonder: Am I in the right place? Am I doing what I’m truly meant for?
You’re not alone.
We believe the best way to begin is by exploring not just tools and trends, but stories. The stories of people who’ve walked this road before you. In this blog, we’ve brought together a few such voices from India and beyond who built meaningful design careers on their terms. And if any of their journeys feel familiar to yours, maybe that’s your sign to explore further.
Sunita Kohli: The Curator of Culture
Born in Lahore (1946, Dec 28), brought up in Lucknow, Sunita did her English Literature and taught catholic children, from where she remembers learning the history of English furniture.
First Interior Designer to win the honour of Padma Shree, recalls that the seeds of passion for cultural heritage and taste were sown by his father when he used to take her to visit antique shops/kabaddi shops in childhood, developing her rich taste in heritage
Source: Words Interview posted on K2India Youtube, Image Building Material Reporter, Editing Pragya@Kaarwan
After marriage, whenever free, she found time to sneak into kabad khanas/antique shops with her husband. This later prompted her to open her own collection of antique furniture shop and design studio by 1971 in New Delhi. With the help of local artisans, she started manufacturing her own furniture(by 1972). The unit did fine productions in Art Deco, Biedermeier and Anglo-Indian colonial furniture style.
Later, her daughter Kohelika joined her after completing her architectural studies at Pratt Institute in New York. Together, they founded K2India, an interdisciplinary firm that brought together all their previous ventures under one roof. With Kohelika came a fresh wave of digital tools and contemporary approaches, creating a dynamic balance between tradition and innovation.
Source: Image credits from Pravasi and Architecture Design Magazines
She reworked the interiors of the Prime Minister's office, the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Hyderabad House in India, and the Parliament in Bhutan, among other enviable projects. She has worked on diverse projects like cruises, resorts, hotels, residences and more. Her focus has been on restoring Indian culture even in her contemporary projects.
Shabnam Gupta: Designing with Instinct
In 1994, after completing her Diploma in Interior Design from L.S. Raheja School of Architecture, Shabnam worked with architect Tushar Desai before she built her studio, ” The Orange Lane”, in 2003, that blends raw materials with playful, earthy palettes. While her work with celebrities like Irrfan Khan and Rani Mukerji brought her into the limelight, her sensibility was always rooted in creating spaces that feel lived-in and loved. Recently, her firm has also worked for Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma Kohli, the celebrity couple, coupling nature and comfort to make their home serene.
Source: Words_MGS magazine, Image_Ahemdabad Mirror
What sets her apart isn’t just aesthetic flair, but her ability to blend intuition with execution. She’s often said that her process is highly instinctive; she "feels" her way through a space, looking beyond floor plans and into the people who will inhabit it. But behind that feeling lies an incredible command over craft and detail.
Shabnam Gupta has served as a mentor and Chief Advisor for Hamstech's Interior Design stream, where she has contributed to the learning process in various interior design courses. In her sessions, she has shared insights on current topics in interior design, encouraging new thoughts and views among students.
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Source: Various websites as mentioned in image
In an interview with MGS magazine, she shares, “ I am fortunate to be getting the kind of work that gives me the creative freedom and satisfaction to do what I want to do. I believe that I am a learner, and the day I stop learning, that will be the end of my creative hunger. More than anything else, the journey so far has taught me to be a calmer person. In our line of work, where you have to interact with so many different teams, including your own, it teaches you how to handle human relations. Sometimes I joke our job is half of that of a psychiatrist.”
Whether you dream of designing celebrity homes or simply want to stand out at your first internship, the sooner you build your toolkit, the more confidently you'll create.
Orlando Soria: Real Value over Glamour
Orlando Soria is an interior designer, artist, and writer, based in Los Angeles, California. He graduated from Cornell University's College of Architecture, Art and Planning and later from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Design. He initially wanted to be an art professor, then started as a graphic designer, which didn’t work for him and later started working as a production designer and was later cast as an assistant on the HGTV show, for Unspouse My House.
It wasn’t a linear journey, but Orlando has been open about personal setbacks, rejections, and moments of self-doubt. Yet through it all, he found design to be a tool for healing, not just for homes, but for the people who live in them.
Source: Words from AD pro blog and Image_The Lost arrow_ editted by Pragya@Kaarwan
His work goes beyond styling. He helps clients reimagine their spaces after life’s rough patches, tapping into both emotional needs and aesthetic clarity. He brings humour, empathy, and storytelling to each room and reminds us that good design is deeply personal.
He advises young professionals to develop their business sense and technical design skills for the field and then take time to dive into the creative aspects.
So What Does This Mean for You?
We can safely conclude from these inspiring figures that staying rooted in a value, while honing your craft and adapting to meet market demands, is what keeps you relevant in any field. Sunita Kohli pioneered in a masculine industry, with her zeal and grit, standing tall on her love for vibrant cultural heritage and rich English taste, amalgamating diverse projects, filling the gaps, learning from working with local craftsmen and guiding students of Harvard. Shubnam is a sensitive soul and a feeler, she focused on technically resounding before opening her practice, and expressive artist like Orlando, mentioned in AD pro blog, that he could have easily shown off his richness on social media platforms to lure the public in but he stands tall on bringing depth as he helps people reimagine their spaces and lives after bigger rejections. While honestly admitting that honing oneself in business and technically in the design field is better before diving into the creative aspects of the field.
Your journey might look different based on the available resources to you. But what is in common in these stories is that regardless of your current situation, you can make a huge impact if you:
- Stay true to yourself, accept your learning gaps, work onsite, with craftsmen
- Learn the technical know-how of the field, be it from the site, artisans, get a bit of experience in business, and
- Be open to adapting to new tools, technologies, and market requirements while bringing value to people.
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Growth Comes from Movement:
In India, anyone starting in the field will find it easy to get clients for Interiors in their immediate network. Once the house is built by an architect, builder or contractor, the need to renovate it to the client's taste is huge.
Interior designers can also venture into the world of set design, exhibit design, or work with party planners, etc. There is a huge scope of opportunities once you are confident in your skill set and are willing to explore beyond your comfort zone.
Here are some of the key software tools interior designers use:
- SketchUp + V-Ray / Enscape (for quick, presentable 3D)
- AutoCAD (for working drawings)
- Photoshop & InDesign (for presentations and moodboards)
- Revit (if you want to scale into larger projects or BIM)
Kaarwan aims to help you grow, not just as a designer, but as a confident, skilled professional who can take charge of their path. We’ve curated beginner-friendly courses on all of the above, taught by experts, designed for Indian learners, and priced to be pocket-friendly.
You don’t have to wait for clarity to begin. Start by exploring. Learn by doing. And find your tribe along the way.
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