Art adds a new dimension to experiencing a space, says Sanjana Shah in Room For More Art

Abir Pothi presents Room For More Art — a series of features on interior designers across geographic boundaries, discussing with them the nuances of their profession, their methods of sourcing and projecting art into their work, the challenges they face, and a whole lot more perspective.

Sanjana Shah: Steeped in art right from childhood with her family

Design and art have both been deeply embedded in the mind of young Sanjana Shah ever since she remembers — and in a similar way, she admits that art is a factor right from the inception of any project for her, and in fact helps it evolve in entirety to present a final, aesthetically satisfying conclusion. Today the founder of contemporary multi-disciplinary design firm Kerning Design Co. since just 1.5 years ago, Sanjana has a formidable academic roster when it comes to her profession, having graduated from the CEPT School of Interior Design and done a Masters in Entrepreneurial Leadership from Babson College. Besides this, she had also packed in a five-year course at Kanoria Centre of Art when she was younger — in fact, given that her mother is a Pichwai artist and her father a developer, young Sanjana formed a bond with art in her childhood, fondly remembering travels collecting artfacts or even art books as a family. This has manifested into the understanding that spaces are incomplete without art. Sanjana believes that art invokes feeling while experiencing a space, and adds a new dimension or layer to that feeling, simultaneously helping to reflect the user’s personality. With her at the helm, Kerning Design Co. has undertaken numerous commercial and residential projects, making an effort to create spaces that are both timeless and functional, weaving together different design disciplines for a single artistic narrative to emerge. They believe in persistence when it comes to raising awareness about how art can enhance a space in their projects, and have created incredibly aesthetic settings that juggle coziness and minimalism, with utility and panache. Whether it is paintings, photographs, textile wall art, ceramics, sculptures or even a statement lighting element, their projects manage to balance subtlety with eye-catching flourishes, and embrace a diversity of styles to accomplish the final product.

Some samples of her work: