Welcome to Samvaad, where art meets conversation, and inspiration knows no bounds. Here we engage in insightful conversations with eminent personalities from the art fraternity. Through Samvaad, Abir Pothi aims to create a platform for thought-provoking discussions, providing readers with an exclusive glimpse into the creative processes, inspirations, and experiences of these creative individuals. From curating groundbreaking exhibitions to pushing the boundaries of artistic expression, our interviews shed light on the diverse perspectives and contributions of these art luminaries. Samvaad is your ticket to connect with the visionaries who breathe life into the art world, offering unique insights and behind-the-scenes glimpses into their fascinating journeys.
In this episode of Samvaad, we have the privilege of sitting down with Ashish Agarwal, founder of Ashish Agarwal Interiors, a purpose-driven interior design firm based in Guwahati, Assam. Specialising in residential, commercial, retail, and office spaces of varying sizes, their portfolio reflects a commitment to creating environments that evoke human emotions and foster a sense of belongingness. From multinational corporations seeking growth-driven atmospheres to individuals envisioning their dream homes, Ashish Agarwal Interiors caters to a diverse clientele with meticulous attention to detail. Joining us for this insightful conversation is Nidheesh Tyagi from Abir Pothi, as we uncover the visionary insights driving the creative force behind Ashish Agarwal Interiors, shaping the landscapes of tomorrow. Please do check Part-3 (Click Here)
Nidheesh: I’m not related to interior design, but what do you think about public spaces and the design, especially considering how fast India is growing? What are your thoughts about that?
Ashish: Yeah, it hurts actually when you travel to other countries, even countries which are economically poorer than India. There is some sense of aesthetics or some sense of heritage. India, the art and architecture of that country speak for themselves, but unfortunately, that’s very rare to see in India, except for places like Rajasthan, Gujarat, and maybe some parts of UP, where you actually see the heritage replicated in public spaces. For example, if you travel to Jaipur, the Pink City, even the parapet walls and the boundary walls of those places are done with art that is absolutely Rajasthani. They have a context, and the moment you land, you start having a good feeling. It is very rare to see in any part of India, except for Rajasthan, unfortunately. There is a lot of construction happening. If I take the example of Assam, that’s a small piece of advice or observation you can tell me. I can say that there are a lot of flyovers coming up, and the flyover sidewalls are painted with very bright colours and modern forms and shapes. If I were given a chance to come up with a concept of how to paint these walls, I would definitely take up the heritage of Assam or the art and culture of Assam and portray that with white and colours, instead of just those. It’s looking good, but then these are the areas and the places, for example, a lot of railway stations are getting redesigned here, and unfortunately, it’s all modern architecture. We could have brought the flavour of Assam. It could have been a great experience both for the visitors as well as for people residing here, but maybe there are some limitations.
Nidheesh: So, we move from this market and, you know, the public spaces to the private spaces. More and more people are buying their houses. They’re like, you know, and then it is also changing this whole equation between the functionality and the flaunt of having a house because, for most people, buying a house is like the singular most important thing in their lifetime. So, how do you approach them as your design principle? And so you kind of try to manage their ego as well as the functional needs as well as the transition of, unlike in the West, we are still, we will buy one house and remain there mostly and kind of we grow very attached to them, unlike what happens in the West where people will keep moving with their age and family and that kind of stuff.
Ashish: Interesting, so this is a topic which I’d love to delve a little deeper into. Where do you get the influence from a person who is doing well and wants to buy a house? What I’ve observed is buying a house and designing a house is very emotional in India, like a wedding. Making a home are the two emotional things which are the biggest events in anybody’s life. So, we have to deal with that emotion first. You have to find out what exactly they are aspiring for from a marketplace, a public place to a private place. Of course, it is very, very personal. An individual is just different from another. I would say there’s a huge role of the internet which comes into play in this area. It has a curse, it has a blessing, both.
All these developing countries are hugely influenced by the Western countries, the Western world, their lifestyle, and their climate conditions, which are very different from ours. And we want to live that minimal life, and at the same time, we take the entire burden of our culture, and, you know, the traditional way of cooking or wearing different attire on different occasions. Our weddings are elaborate, our cooking is elaborate. So, how do you strike a balance between this traditional lifestyle as well as to adapt to the modern world? So, that is where the role of an interior designer comes in the first place. This is much before the design starts. We try and strike a balance. We try to educate our clients in terms of what to bring from this world, what to take from that world, and make a practical solution in between. For example, a kitchen which is an integral part of any house and the most active area of the house. And we, everybody, know how elaborate our cooking is. It runs the whole day. The kind of smoke, and grease we have to create is huge versus what they do in the Western world. So, we make them understand, you know, we can’t do this kind of cooking. So, what are the functionalities required in those designs which they do? Fortunately, the Indian market is also doing a lot in terms of bringing solutions to handle all these kinds of challenges. So, I’d say we are glad that, you know, India and broadly Asia are doing a lot in terms of having high-section chimneys which can take care of the grease.
You have great surfaces these days which can take care of your stains, great hardware is there. So, there’s a good balance and a blend where the solution is coming into place. And of course, people have started understanding that if you want to have a kitchen which is modern, then you have to behave accordingly. The occupants need to understand if you’re going to have this type of kitchen, then you have to behave like this type of person. You just can’t have your old style of cooking and behaving in a kitchen which is very modern in today’s time. So, of course, it is awareness. We share videos, and we share YouTube links to make them understand this is a new place where they are going, and they have to change. Also, it’s not just your house which is getting changed. So, I think that helps a lot.”
Nidheesh: And kitchen Beyond kitchen?
Ashish: “Then beyond the kitchen, of course, there are many things which are making things easier. Like, for example, if we adopt technologies, there are huge inventions coming in terms of light inventions, and home automation, and this one shift which I have seen over the last 20 years is that the family size is getting reduced and more nuclear families are living in India. We have HNI clients, we have mediocre clients, and for all of them, technology is playing a very pivotal role. So, for example, if I have a small space, it can be multi-utilized having very modern furniture and smart furniture. So, of course, I must say the entire shift when we design, we also take care of the technologies which can be adopted so that we can bring again both worlds together and give a very conducive solution. And the best part is it’s getting cheaper and cheaper every day, so it is also affordable. So when you talk about drawing rooms, it is something which people want to flaunt and some people do it for themselves. As I said in my earlier answer, is that once one understands the personality of a person, what kind of zone he wants to be in and what kind of things he wants to show, so again we try and make a balance between both, and technology plays a huge role thereby making things, for example, if you want to make an art or anything related to sculpture, whatever they want to show in terms of their favourites or their personality.
Nidheesh: “So yeah, people who are like, you know, young and emerging, and I mean people who want to aspire, they might be like in commerce and they might be doing some economics or some other not so visual kind of art subjects. And how do you kind of, you know, so and you are one of those, like you were doing commerce and data crunching probably, and then suddenly, no, no, I want to be the design person. So what do you tell them, okay? And what do you tell the young emerging designers?
Ashish: Working on design is very… everybody looks at design from a different perspective. One designer is different from another designer, but in general, what I’ve seen off late is that they are too driven with internet information, I must say. They should follow their heart, and what is calling, and believe in their hand sketches and what they can do through pencils and follow. Of course, it is a big challenge for the new generation that if they cannot express their ideas through some other media, it is very difficult. So, I have seen very few that conceive original ideas, they convert them into good 3D visuals to convince the clients, but 80% of this fraternity of the new generation is just taking references from different worlds and trying to make a picture and then show it to the client. Of course, this makes their job pretty easy, but I must say, if you want to make some mark in your career or you want to create something original, follow your heart, follow your instinct, and great results are going to come up. So, this is a big message to the new generation that they should try and follow their heart, whatever they feel like designing, they should attempt it. It might be a little struggling initially, but when projects are delivered properly it’s going to take…
Nidheesh: Yeah, I think so. One of the questions is, do we keep the heart and our own core creativity in the centre and use technology to support it? Or sometimes, I think the easier way for most people, from using computers to chat with GPT to AI, is to bring that in the centre and then again, because there are so many people, here we are always, there’s always a market for that kind of stuff.
Ashish: Yes, so I feel this pressure is too high and you are not given the amount of time you need. This is the biggest challenge I feel this new generation is going through because they have to deliver so much in such less time that it’s not technically or practically possible to conceive so much of it and then give shape to it and then deliver it. The Western world has taken the maximum advantage of buying time into it because they work in a format, they work in a structured way whereas in India we take advantage of every situation. So, of course, we are all victimised, I must say, but then I feel that even if you make one piece of furniture, maybe a statement piece of furniture, in whatever you have copied or inspired through and just put it there, that is going to make a difference in your career, even everybody’s who is going to see that piece of furniture is going to get inspiration and that is where the things can happen from.
Nidheesh: “What do you do to kind of keep this heart thing in the centre and in your own routines and yes, how do you practice that?”
Ashish: “I do make sketches most of the time. Even though I go through a lot of references, at the end of the day, I just make sketches. So, recently I did a little renovation in my house. I just did not open the internet mostly and I did not try to take references. So, I just made sketches. However, it was difficult initially because you might have to take a couple of prototypes and then you fail and then you improvise, which is just generally not what your situation doesn’t allow. You know, we take photos especially when the site is executed at the place itself. So, another thing which we are trying to do is that we are collaborating with furniture designers. So, we take care of the site work at the local place and someone else is designing your ideas somewhere else so that helps us to bring more of the original work to the site. So, there could be artists, there could be light designers. So, I feel the interior designer is more of a film director. So, once you understand the story idea, you make the script and then you have many people on board who can help you ideate it as well as, you know, take the expert guide and give the job to the expert, get the drama enacted. Yeah, absolutely.”
Nidheesh: “Thank you so much, Ashish. It was wonderful talking to you. It’s a beneficial interview.”
Ashish: “Thank you so much.”
Was Guwahati Ready for Retail Design? Ashish Agarwal’s Journey Proclaims the Answer (Part-1)
