Clean lines, basic forms and earthy materials. Put these together and Nupur Madhav can give you a standout design. Founder and principal interior designer of Shankh, which has been crafting furniture, furnishings and accents for over 17 years, Nupur also offers consultancy for design and manufacturing. Always interested in design, she says she is motivated by travel, books, and browsing through markets and galleries. “Since childhood, my creative instincts have always kept me occupied. Getting into the field of interior design gave me inner peace and enjoyment,” she says.
Nupur went on to do a three-year diploma course in interior design from the Board of Technical Education, New Delhi, with specific interests in furniture and product design. Her design philosophy speaks of timeless elegance and happiness. All the visual and emotional aspirations for her design satisfaction are derived from ‘purity of thought’. “I believe in purity of materials, and therefore use them in their basic forms. I am partial to elements like wood, stone and fabrics in silk, cotton, etc.,” she says. Clean lines play an important role in her aesthetic, and are teamed with vivid colours to form a visual treat.
She’s proud that her firm celebrates the skill of local artisans and customises design solutions. “When I design a piece or a space for my clients, I like it to be reflective of their personality. Every object crafted at Shankh is conceived with this intent,” she says.
Shankh has crafted the interiors and furniture for various residences in Delhi, Jaipur, Patna, Ahmedabad and globally in the Netherlands. The design consultancy has also undertaken various commercial, office and industrial projects. “I am currently designing and manufacturing furniture for a few export houses in NCR and also for corporate offices in Gurgaon, Delhi, Noida and Thiruvananthapuram. Apart from interior design, I innovate with product design,” she says.
With mushrooming designers having put India on the global design map, Nupur feels strongly about the future of Indian design. “India is culturally rich in crafts like textiles, stones, wood, etc. Globally, we are now design-sensitive and are fusing the past with the present — heritage with futuristic styles.” .
