Meet TheGlitz ‘Super Woman’: Interior Designer Misbah Kapadia – Founder and Curator of Design Konstruct. Misbah, a prominent face in the design industry, has worked for more than a decade. She has significant experience in designing hospitality and residential spaces.
She is the mind behind conceptualizing the designs for some popular restaurants such as the Silver Beach Cafe in Bandra and Lokhandwala, Facing East, Madeira and Mime, Bougain Villa, Ooh Pitara, Ruby Talkies, Hapaa Asian Stir in Pune, Liquor Embassy in Nashik, 1BHK Bangalore Shiv Sagar, Bangalore and many more.
Misbah has also designed homes and retail experiences. These include a beautiful home for artist Deepti Sadhwani, a 4bhk apartment at Raheja Imperia Worli as well as a retail offering for Ethnicity in Mumbai. No wonder, we voted for the intrepid Misbah Kapadia to be TheGlitz ‘Super Woman’.
Your journey has had many momentous milestones. Could you tell us about your life-changing journey that has moulded you to be what you are today?
I have functioned in this Industry for over 15 years. My journey has been very eventful and deeply enriching. There have been various challenging tasks and long-term experiences in this field that I have encountered that have brought me goodwill and recognition. During my college days, I had sharted working for Architect Vivek Verma, under Minnie Bhatt. From there on, there was no looking back. At 22, I joined hands with Minnie and became an integral part of Minnie Bhatt Designs.
For 10 long years of learning and growth, I evolved as a person, gained knowledge, learned about team-building skills and was able to successfully deliver more than 12 sites per year. It was then that I thought that I should come up with my own firm- Design Konstruct. A place where I can create and innovate and everything else just fell into place.
Could you list 3 of your major achievements?
1. Facing East, an Asian restaurant located in Mumbai is an Industrial chic décor with a neutral colour palette coupled with ambient lighting and plenty of greenery. With a distinct bistro feel, the interiors of this casual dining restaurant have been modeled to resemble an old house in Hong Kong which gives it a well-lived-in vibe. This made the project really special.
2. One of my recent projects, Ruby Talkies, is another major achievement I am proud of. Ruby Talkies is an eclectic mix of old styles and new forms. It transports back to an era that embraces a kaleidoscope of contrasting design features, colours, shapes and form. From its warm and inviting outdoors to its cozy and comfy indoors, everything has been compassionately curated by our entire team to give the place a retro cinema touch at the same time maintain a comforting and homely feel. Since a lot of people were involved in the process, we kept in mind the design brief given by the Ruby Team, and carefully curated design elements throughout the space which makes each corner and nook different from one another.
Another interesting project is a stylish new residential project in Worli. Since the client (Pooja Chaudhri) had already worked with different designers earlier, she was unhappy with the outcome and hence reached out to me. I had a deadline of two months to complete the project. The client was very flexible and open to the ideas that my team had shared. The budget was not so tight and overall, we are very happy with the outcome.
What are the setbacks you have faced? How did you tackle these setbacks or challenges? And what lesson have you learned from it?
As an interior designer, it is essential to know how to strike a balance between introducing modern and fresh designs while maintaining a timeless style in the space we have created.
The outcome should be so unique that the client appreciates the modern trends that have been incorporated and the overall design of the interiors and the design doesn’t go out of style after a few years.
When you look back, what are the three qualities in you that have helped you become what you are today?
I am a very organized and dedicated person. Passion is what drives me for every project. I love to be an active part of the design process from start till every last bit of execution. I love to collaborate, ideate and enjoy the creation process. I am also very punctual and I like to complete my projects before the deadline.
Who are the people who have been the wind behind your wings?
My parents have been very supportive throughout my life, they have always encouraged me to pursue my dreams. My sister has been a major guide in my life. She introduced me to a Mumbai-based Interior Designer and that’s how I got started.
Lastly, if there was a quote to define you, what would it be?
“The key is to adjust and adapt as quickly as possible.”
