A finance and marketing graduate who loved math, Shruti Jaipuria always had a fiery creative streak, something she refused to sideline. Today, having earned her chops at the prestigious Parsons School of Design, New York, the 33-year-old Bengalurean is a high-flier in the interior design space.
Her vision is now the soul of some of Bengaluru’s beloved restaurants, lounges, art galleries, retail boutiques and residential projects. What can hard work and commitment do? This is that story.
“Growing up, I was always drawn to the creative, but I loved math as well,” she tells us. She continued to teach herself software and use it for fun on the side. “I also took as many drawings classes as I could,” she says, before quitting her corporate job to follow her dream – building Maia Design. And then, there was no looking back.
Drawing inspiration from the world around her and constantly questioning how it can be applied to the world of contemporary is something this creative director dwells in. “We have a lot of tools at our office – blocks, magnets, play dough, different materials that we just like to play with. It’s like being a child again!
Curiosity, fun and wonderment are at the core of the creative process for us,” she explains, working at her home away from home, her office of five years. They work with artists, often defining their ‘experiences’ with installations.
A talk show set, the plush interiors of Toast & Tonic, the quirky dining space at The Black Rabbit, the warm and earthiness of Arbor Brewing Company, the incubation labs at Titan, designer Namrata Joshipura’s store at the Leela are just a few that remind us city folk of what Shruti has been up to. The latest feather in her cap? The Black Rabbit’s interiors were featured as one of the best in India by a popular design magazine!
Challenges are imminent but the easy going lass seems to be unfazed by it. “It’s a very, very disorganised industry and you need to work with people who are not very professional.
My greatest learning has been patience,” she dishes out, as we catch her at her office on a busy day. She finds time for herself too, “I am a pretty easygoing person.
I love to eat, work out, spend time with my dog, cook a little, travel and I’m getting more and more involved and intrigued by classical yoga.” What’s next? A microbrewery, a spatial brand identity and store/lounge concept for a chocolate brand, a coffee roastery, an organic store, a few residential projects, and a holiday home on the hills is all on her plate. But she still has this to say, “I have a long way to go.”
