Ravi Vazirani, 32, is a great example that determination, hard work and passion are what it takes to succeed. While Vazirani has not been formally trained in design (he holds a master’s in marketing from Griffith University, Australia), he has quickly become the go-to design guy for those who like smart, visually lean and interesting living spaces. “A keen passion for design led me to doing what I do today. I have been designing homes since I was 17 years old, so I have been pretty fortunate to learn everything on the job, which is definitely a better approach to learning design,” says Vazirani, who works out of a quaint little cottage in the beautiful bylanes of Bandra, Mumbai.
Vazirani set up his studio over five years ago. “That includes a year of working out of a spare bedroom in my parents’ house—almost a customary must-do for every creative start-up,” he quips. Vazirani has a simple philosophy: design is in the details. “Having said that, I like design to be uncomplicated. If it makes me happy, I want to indulge in it. I don’t care how repetitive or clichéd it is, it’s our approach to it that makes an impact. You can’t design based on trends alone, because if you do, then it’s not timeless, it’s not your own, it’s borrowed and that doesn’t work for me. I like design to be eclectic, which is my style,” he says.
Vazirani’s design team is small. “Currently, we’re a team of six people, including me. While it is easier hiring designers with work experience and knowledge of required software[s], there’s almost always somebody in the team who has no formal training in design . You can’t be trained to be a designer. Yes, education hones your skills, but if you don’t have it in you, you just don’t,” he says.
Vazirani’s eponymous design studio is very young. “Our specialty is high-end luxury homes and we truly enjoy doing them the most. But having said that, if the project is interesting, we’ll work on it. Plus, there’s a certain joy when you’re working on a gamut of projects where budgets are so extreme, yet you must do equal justice to them all. Over the years, I can see us—the studio—beginning to appreciate details and indulging in them. That includes customising almost everything or investing in products that have that element of detail in them,” he says. For instance, while he was styling film director and producer Karan Johar’s home, Vazirani imported some pieces from George Nakashima, who is one of the best wood workers in the world. “We get a lot of appreciation for our floor patterns, something I enjoy creating. We’ve been working with cement, making lights, creating furniture and people have begun to approach us for those things, requesting that we incorporate those details in their spaces,” he adds.
Lately, Vazirani and his team have been working on a lot of restaurants and cafés, which is an interesting shift. “Homes take longer and commercial projects are usually time-bound, so that’s more projects in less time. We’ve worked on the redesign of High Spirits in Pune, which is one of the best venues in India for Indie music. We’re redesigning all the Atmosphere stores across India and internationally for the Himatsingka’s. Along with Bandit Queen, which is one of my favourite luxury linen brands, we’ve designed a few of the Juice hair salons in Mumbai,” he says.
Vazirani also developed a unique furniture line. “It was something that’s happened gradually: a natural evolution of sorts. Lately, we’ve been working with cement and metal, and I have been making one-off pieces of furniture and lights, which is nice because it makes those pieces exquisite,” he says.
The designer says that oftentimes a project begins from an artwork he really likes to use and revolves around that, as opposed to needing artwork because there is an empty wall. “With spaces, we won’t begin work on site unless I have everything on paper. That means a good 12-15 weeks go into conceptualisation and drawings. Every project has samples and prototypes that get made for approval. So, typically a high-end luxury home takes between 12-18 months while commercial projects are more time bound, so we adhere to those restrictions and design accordingly,” says Vazirani.
We ask him about the designers that inspire him. “The list is endless. I am a big fan of Tom Dixon and his use of brass. I love Bijoy Jain’s work. The simplicity in his work makes such strong statements and reinforces my belief that design is truly in the details. Internationally, I love Paola Navone’s body of work. Anouska Hempel, Vincent Wolf, Piet Boon, Peter Marino to name a few,” he says.
What next? “We are working towards designing a line of products, mainly design accessories and lights made of cement in association with Bharat Flooring and Tiles. We’ve just started work on our first international project, an Atmosphere furnishings store in Singapore,” he says. Wait and watch.
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