Reshma Chhabria, Founder and Creative Head at HIIH 

My favourite structure (designed by someone else):

The Chichu Art museum and The Oval by Tadao Ando, the Oval being an edge higher than the museum. There is something so compelling about the simplicity and clean lines of his work that makes it absolutely beautiful.

 I am inspired by: Nature, travel,and everything that the earth has to offer! For me, the fluidness and balance that we see in nature, is something that we cannot find anywhere else.

Design to me is: Joy. And to be able to interpret a client’s imagination and dreams to eventually concretize them, to be able to balance the purpose of functionality with pure beauty and to be able to help create a space that people can enjoy on a regular basis, is how I would like to define joy.

I wish I had designed (and how would that have been different from now): I don’t think it will be fair to pitch myself against another creative mind.

My worst design: It was from some of my early works for a fashion house store in a mall. Everything from the designs to the materials went through several changes due to the said mall’s rules and what finally came out as a product was just not something we thought of. But honestly, the client was very happy with the design.

My best design: Each and every single one which has made our client happy. However, if I have to say, I would say that some of our residential projects have been our all time favourites.

 My signature design element (one element without which no design of yours seems complete): I adore the use of natural material. Marble and teakwood have always made it to our sites. As a design element, pushing and experimenting with wood is something we always enjoy.

To unwind I (hobbies other than architecture): Reading. I can finish a whole book in one day and for me, travel adds value and a real purpose to my life.

If I was not an architect: I would probably be doing odd jobs between countries just to collect enough to go to the next.