Kirthana Shetty

Principal Architect & Managing Partner- SPACE N FORM (Interview PART 1)

Journey till now

Kirthana Shetty, an expert in the field of architecture, received her Bachelor of Architecture degree from UVCE (University Vishveshwaraiah College of Engineering), Bangalore University. She was talented in art (painting and drawing) and on the advice of her teachers, she pursued a career in architecture though she was absolutely clueless about the field. But during the course itself she realized that she had made the right decision, and that realization only grew stronger as she began working and practicing. She completed her academic internship at Mistry Architects. That’s where she got interested in residential architecture. After graduation, she worked for a firm called Centre for Design Excellence, where she gained valuable experience in Interior Design. Subsequently, she joined Monalisa Interior Decorators, one of the leading turnkey agencies for Corporate Interiors at the time.

Working in this firm provided her with hands-on experience in handling large-scale turnkey projects, from design to execution, including all aspects of project management, which aided her greatly in establishing her own practice later on. She worked for Sundaram Architects for a few years after leaving Monalisa. All along she had been freelancing too, and in 2006, she established her own practice, Space N Form. It began as a consulting firm and gradually evolved into a design and build firm. Space N Form has completed several residential architectural and interior design projects, as well as some corporate and retail interiors. She has also worked as a BOH consultant for some of the leading hotel groups on projects in India and abroad.  She stated that it had been a fantastic journey and that every moment had been exciting, and that she could not have been in a better profession than this.

Some of the top philosophies

She was influenced greatly by Leonardo DaVinci’s famous quote, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.  Good design is about eliminating the unwanted and incorporating the meaningful. Uncomplicating and decluttering life to make the journey easy and light is the philosophy which even Vedanta teaches us. The spaces where we live or work, play such an important role in our lives. Well-designed spaces enhance our living, they have the capacity to influence our emotions and thoughts.

Good design creates the right energies that is needed for an enriching experience, so it is very important for the designer to create the right balance. A good designer should know where to stop; it’s a fine line between over designing and under designing and that’s the balance that the designer has to get right. A design done with a clarity of purpose, a design that exudes simplicity and elegance while engaging all the senses is what appeals to her.

To increase the efficiency of organization

Time is the essence of any project, and so is communication. For a project to be successfully implemented, it is crucial for the designer to have a sense of time management and plan the course of the project effectively.

For good management of time and resources, smooth communication is a must. Communication with the client and the execution team has to be handled well so that decisions are taken on time, thus avoiding confusions and re-work.

Rigorous follow-up is required for the successful completion of a project, with clients for decisions and payments, with vendors for deliveries and with contractors for timely completion of tasks. Discipline is the key which she tries to implement in all aspects of life and this has helped to maintain the efficiency of her organisation too. To be continued >>