We worked with Shraddha and the Olive Roof team for the overhaul of the interiors for our 2.5 bedroom terrace flat in Mumbai. As design enthusiasts ourselves(one a trained architect), we had a lot of views and ideas for our home and were looking for someone who'd share our vision for the space but bring their ideas to the table as well. Shraddha was the perfect balance between being open to our suggestions and gently pushing back when she felt something else might work better.
Her pleasant manner belies the efficiency with which she runs her ship! We set a challenging timeline for the project with the constraints of fixed permissible working hours for her team dictated by the building management. She delivered to plan with regular meetings along the way, where we would course correct as needed and take key decisions around things like fabrics/furniture etc. Her team of carpenters is very skilled and managed to create our floor to ceiling bookshelves, pull out beds, built-in wardrobes, broom closet, and a kitchen done in combination with IKEA. She's well networked with vendors for specific requirements like our built-in oven, induction hob, or the particular kind of tile we wanted for the bathrooms.
The house itself was unusual with a double height ceiling and skylight that we wanted to make the most of visually, a terrace space abutting the 0.5 bedroom which we wanted to convert to a reading room, an integrated living-dining room that we wanted to combine with the kitchen space for a semi-open layout, and our stuff from a 4BHK that had to now find its way into a 2.5BHK in cleverly concealed storage. Our other ask was that we bring in a lot of our pre-existing furniture, much of it purchased in just the last year or two. She was flexible with her design and found a way to incorporate most of what we had in mind without creating a crowded or cluttered space.
What also helped in large part was a shared aesthetic sensibility, all of us wanting to play broadly in the same colour palettes and styles. That said, she did get a sense of what we would and would not like fairly early on and was able to offer us choices in line with our taste. Shraddha is also great at subtly pitching an idea without being pushy, making you much more receptive to her ideas as a client. If she pitched an idea that would cost more than our plan she would also suggest another area we could choose to cut back in without affecting the final results, if we wished to keep the project on budget overall. While we may not always have taken that route it was good to know she kept track of both budget and timelines - perhaps the two most critical areas for any house refit besides the design itself. You get the feeling she's on your team and it's not a battle of designer vs homeowner at any point.
Working with her was an absolute pleasure and made what can often be a stressful experience, a labour of love for us. We would recommend Olive Roof to friends/family in a heartbeat.
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