Boss Women: Get Inspired By These 10 Celebrated Female Designers in India

A leading name in restoration and conservation, Abha Narain Lambha is a globally known architect. Her works include restoration of Jai Villas Palace in Gwalior, Ajanta Ellora Caves in Aurangabad, Royal Opera House in Mumbai, the list goes on endlessly. Her firm, Abha Narain Lambha Associates, has garnered prestigious recognition over time, including 9 UNESCO Asia Pacific Awards.

Annkur Khosla is an architect and interior designer with the philosophy of creating meaningful and soulful spaces. She is the founder and principal architect of Annkur Khosla Design Studio. The firm handles work in bungalow design, hospitality, wellness, and interior projects. In every project, she tries to connect the spaces with the user’s emotions.

Anupama Kundoo is a famous architect, author, and researcher. Her work focuses on traditional building methods and locally handcrafted materials. She advocates for responsible building construction practices which have low impact on the environment. With her intensive research and experimentation, she has developed building prototypes that are eco-friendly as well as beneficial to society. Her firm Anupama Kundoo Architects has done some exceptional projects in Auroville like the Wall House, Mitra Youth Centre, and Town Hall.

Originally started-out with a dream of being an archaeologist, Brinda Somaya is now an influential architect and urban conservationist. Her firm Brinda and Kalappa Consultants was established in 1978 and has won a lot of recognition from around the world. She believes that the true strength of architecture is through an emotional connection with design. Her portfolio ranges from architecture and interior designing to urban planning and conservation. Some of her work includes restoration of IIM Ahmedabad, Nalanda International School, reviving of Bhadli Village, and much more.

Started out with a degree in Civil Engineering, Chitra’s love for nature and the motto of its preservation can be noticed in her work. She promotes the use of mud brick, which is sourced from the soil excavated during foundation-laying; and prefers the use of human labour rather than machine equipment to reduce the ecological footprint of her buildings. She is currently the Principal Architect and Managing Director of well-known Bengaluru based architecture firm, BIOME. Swastika Dance School, Buddhi School, and Olde Clubhouse are some of her major works.

An industrial and furniture designer, Gunjan Gupta founded her studio, Wrap Art & Design in 2006. The firm is dedicated to delivering sustainable and high-end handicrafts. She strives to promote ‘Made in India’ as a luxurious standard globally, while simultaneously reviving the traditional crafts in India. She has won awards like the British Council Young Creative Entrepreneur, Designer of the Year in 2012 by Elle Décor, and many more.

A brand strategist, interior and product designer, and founder of her firm, Pavitra Rajaram is an example of a true multi-disciplinarian. Her work creates modern, eclectic, yet cozy home interiors. She is the brand advisor for India’s leading paint company Asian Paints, and works them on their décor strategy.

Like the love of Laurie Baker with brick is eternal, similarly, Revathi Kamath was known for working with mud. She, along with her husband Vasant Kamath, was the co-founder of Kamath Design Studio. She aimed to break the class-connotations around mud as a construction material, building luxurious homes and resorts out of the same. Her revolutionary projects and relentless drive to achieve sustainability had her nominated for several Aga Khan Awards.

In 2020, Revathi Kamath breathed her last, and left a void in the architecture world. She will always be remembered as one of the greatest architects of the country.

The Founding Partner of architecture and urban design giant Morphogenesis, Sonali Rastogi is a recurring name in the Indian design industry, and for good reason. Her methodology is to use passive strategies that can be ecological and economical. Interestingly, Morphogenesis is one of the world’s first architectural practices to report gender-positive pay scales! Her work includes IILM in Greater Noida, Infosys campus in Nagpur, ITC campus in Kolkata, and more.

Founder of a Delhi-based design studio Project 810, Vritima Wadhwa is a furniture and interior designer. Her practice is dedicated to creating memorable experiential spaces for its users, while bringing detail to perfection. They do not categorize furniture and space designing separately from each other, with the ideology that furniture plays a critical role in creating a space. In each of her projects, she tries to tell a different story.

Here’s hoping that the next few years see a lot more women breaking the glass ceiling in the Indian design industry! Take your first step towards that goal, and check out Novatr for more such inspirational blogs and online design courses that will bring out the boss in you.