Hasty haute

A drab office that was revamped into something quite glamorous in a fortnight

Fauna decor: Framed peacock and butterflies dot the wall.

When Sadhana Srinivasan stepped into her new office at Beliciaa Towers on July 14, she knew the place required some redesigning to reflect the work her company, Neeras Design Studio, was capable of doing. She was little prepared though for the extensive work she realised she had to do, when she noticed the ruinous condition of the ceiling and the flooring.

The city-based interior designing company needed a home befitting the quality of its clientele, and hence the decision to move office from Adyar to MRC Nagar. However, she had only 15 days to accomplish this, as she had already invited the who’s who of the city for the office’s grand opening on August 1. Quite an unpleasant situation to be in!

New colour scheme

The easy solution was, of course, to postpone the inauguration. She was having none of it though, and decided that design challenges were any day preferable to a public relations nightmare. The first step towards bushelling the office was creating a new colour scheme. “We had used sunset colours in our old office. I decided to opt for ivory, teal and gold this time,” she says. “I chose teal as it is the colour of goddess Kamakshi.”

Sadhana’s spiritual inclinations are manifest in the different design choices she has made for her new office. A ‘tree of life’ is emblazoned across the wall to the right of the entrance with mood lighting that enhances its appeal. “It is symbolic of growth and prosperity, and brings positive energy.”

Symbol of happiness The walls are also littered with mounted gold butterflies of different sizes. “Butterflies are symbolic of love and happiness. Their use is also representative of a freedom of expression in design.” As you step further inside, you find yourself in the glow of low-hanging mushroom lights by her desk. “They are made out of raw silk to avoid being damaged by a tall person standing under them,” she says, smiling. The 1,000 sq ft space is complete with a vaastu mirror in the shape of Lord Ganesha and fabric lights.

The entire redesigning was the fruit of the toil of around 50 people for more than 12 hours a day. “Despite some last-minute glitches, we were able to open the office on the day we planned,” she says.