Our vision defines, confines, designs, decorates and draws our colourful world. Our present is just a blur sliding on the edges of the past and the future visions. The interior of this droplet of the time could be filled as per our wishes, desires and dreams.
That is how we live and enjoy every moment of our time in a space envisioned by the architects and interior designers of impeccable imaginations.
Payal Kapoor, Director at VISIONS Interior Designers & Consultants, always looked at the world as an open canvas, where she could mould the interiors of the human space-time as per the vistas of her own visionary torques.
Sensing a magnificent creative spirit in her, after graduation from the Interiors School in 1987, the Executive Director of one of the leading Interior Designers in Delhi handpicked her. After getting sufficient exposure at Manasara, she was offered a challenging opportunity by the ‘Dream City’ promoters and was appointed by them as senior advisor of their design firm ‘Craftsmen’. The projects by this firm mainly were executed on a turnkey basis.
Under Payal’s supervision, the company diversified from making panel doors and windows to excellent quality furniture and executed several projects on a Turnkey basis.
Payal reflects, “After putting my efforts, I felt that my creativity and identity as an interior designer were infringed upon. Hence, I decided to launch my own in 1991 and founded ‘Visions’.”
Thus, began the process of institutionalization of Payal’s Design Genius. Guided by her creative instinct, Payal designed some of the best iconic structures in and around India.
They include luxury trains like Palace on Wheels and Sambhar Express, over twenty hotels and royal palaces, six schools, twelve offices such as TATA’s corporate office and Reliance Industries’ New Delhi office, forty residences including French Embassy Guest House in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, Mint Casino Ship, PVR Mega Mall, Gurgaon, five showrooms including IGI Airport Departure, etc.
Payal has also received numerous awards, including WADe Asia 2018, Baron’s Who’s Who (USA) of the World Global Edition, Excellence in Architecture & Design at the Festival of Architecture & Interior Designing (FOAID) 2019, etc.
In an exclusive interview with CIOLOOKINDIA for its edition of ‘India’s Brilliant Interior Designers-2022’, Payal spoke in length and breadth about her VISIONS. Highlights of that sparkling discussion are given ahead.
Please brief our audience about Visions, its USPs, and how it is currently positioned as a leading player in the Architecture and Interior Designing space.
My company, VISIONS, was incorporated in 1990 as an Interior arch Design proprietor firm. Having specialized in hotels and hospitality, I started executing hotel projects like Umaid Bawan palace, Imperial hotel, and a lot of heritage hotels across India but landed up doing schools like GD Goenka, ITL, etc., Institutes, spas, luxury trains like Palace on wheels, sambhar express, ships like mint casino in goa. All sorts of luxury homes, offices, saloons, and diverse kinds of work have been done by Visions over the last 35 years.
What was your inspiration behind venturing into the Architecture and Interior Designing niche?
No inspiration as such entering this field. I guess it just grew on me, and as good projects came my way, I tried to execute the same honestly, and recognition and fame followed.
What USPs make you stand out as a leading Interior Designer?
I do not impose my design ideas on any client and try to incorporate their style and needs in the final design. I prefer to work as a team to achieve the end result as per their sensibilities.
It is important to adapt to the client’s needs, budget timelines aesthetics, and handholding them till the end. And I guess that’s what makes us different.
What are the immersive benefits of the services/solutions you provide to your clients?
With us, the client does not have to look for ppl to execute their work as we have a house team of civil, interiors, and landscape fit-outs. It is a one-stop-shop, so the clients have no headaches as they are dealing with only one person.
What were the initial challenges after venturing into the field, and what are the challenges now?
Thirty years back, challenges were of different kinds. Communication was slow, no internet, WhatsApp, smartphones etc.
There was a lot of dependency on research through books library, and we were totally hands-on, and speed slowed down as communications were physical or through landlines.
Now the info is at a click of a button, and the digital world has made things easy, and coordination is simpler. However, nowadays, most designers cut-copy-paste, which shows in their work.
What would be your advice to the aspirants who are willing to venture into the field of the Interior Designing market?
Young designers need to focus on research before starting a project and before they start designing it. Focus, hard work and honesty have no shortcuts and staying humble and working as a team always helps maintain timelines and execute designs immaculately with good artistry.
