Tushar Mistry has created a niche in design and space planning. As Principal Architect of TMDS, Tushar is backed by 18 years of experience, having learned and worked with Architect Alhad Raje, whom he considers his mentor, and Architect Reza Kabul.
Despite coming from a small town and facing the challenge of a lack of communication skills and exposure, Mistry has proven his ability in construction and design. For now, the Principal Architect of Tushar Mistry Design Studio is contended with his work speaking and is looking forward to showcasing a body of work whose appreciation will be its real achievement.
Icy Tales is in conversation with Tushar Mistry about his interior designing career.
Q) Describe Your Daily Routine As An Interior Designer.
Tushar Mistry-ย My daily routine is quite similar to any working professional. You can be an interior designer, but in the end, you are a human being; it is all the same, waking up, getting ready, followed by breakfast. The slight change is that my work isnโt the same every day. On some days, we have client meetings, and on others, we have site visits or work at the studio. My routine typically revolves around my schedule, so I customize it daily. Mornings and nights are the same as any other human being; in between, it is a dissolved dynamic.
Q) There is a lot of competition regarding your business; how do you cut through this competition, and what makes Tushar Mistry Design Studio unique?
Tushar Mistry-ย Versatility in our work make us stand out from others. I can proudly say that we can cater from the simplest to the most complex projects that come to us. Today, everybody has worked in the market, and we are distinctively different because our USP completes our tasks within or sometimes even before time. We have repetitive clients, which signals that we are doing a great job. And we are very honest with our work; we donโt try to brag about anything or cheat people. Other than that, discipline is also one of the most important aspects of our working style.
Q) Is there any interior design style you favour/dislike?
Tushar Mistry-ย As I already mentioned that I am very versatile in my designs, so there is nothing good or bad that I feel. Liking is all subjective. If one person prefers green and another prefers blue, that does not mean blue is better than green or vice versa. Itโs all about our perceptions. In the initial phase of my career, I criticized many things because that Tushar was a novice and had no experience. Gradually, when you work, you get to know that many factors affect the whole bouquet that you curated.
So, now I try to pick and choose everything different, beautiful, and admirable and gain some positive learnings from each project. Even if there is a bad project, no matter if itโs done by me or someone else, we should appreciate the efforts. So, nothing is bad or good, and itโs all subjective. One person may not like Neo-classical, whereas I would be the one who would prefer more silent or muted aesthe. So, being a designer, you need to get into the psychology of every person. Therefore you canโt be biased towards one style. I am yet to find my class, and itโs just that right now, I am happy being versatile in my work.
Q) As you started TMDS almost a decade ago, what challenges did you face while you began your development?
Tushar Mistry-ย When I started with TMDS, I only had one project in hand; there was no body of work of my own. Therefore, generating that confidence in people and convincing them with only a few own projects were primary challenges that we faced. Developing self-discipline and starting a business was difficult if I talked about myself.
When you do a job somewhere, you need to go there and work, whereas, in business, you carry yourself as your entity. So, generating the brand and its identity, getting the work from the market, and developing a strong client base were many of the few issues that we had to overcome initially.
When I started, I was all alone with just one person, so there was no support staff; cut short to now, we are a team of many people. If I zoom in a little more, the lack of communication skills and resources was a huge problem. To sum up, The progression was not easy, but we sailed through; our honesty and discipline took us there.
Q) How do you keep up with industry changes?
Tushar Mistry โ Upgrading yourself is the only key. To work in an industry, you must constantly upgrade, be vigilant and observe. If we talk about the simplest thing, Our phone also requires a software update from time to time so that the system gets upgraded. In the same way, our mindset also needs to be upgraded.
You even need to see what your other competitors are doing; you canโt be in a cocoon and create masterpieces. Donโt limit yourself; always wander around; wandering and travelling open your mindset to how everything changes. Donโt be monotonous; welcome and celebrate changes. One in all, I accept change, see its positive side, and take it further; thatโs how I keep up with it.
Q) What is your most important factor when designing a room?
Tushar Mistry-ย The most important factor while designing a room is the design brief, what and for whom I am creating the space. Whether itโs a public or a personal space, the age group, personality, and psychology of the person who is going to dwell in it are some of the considered factors.
For example, if you are designing a hotel, you need to capture the essence of the hotelโs brand. In todayโs time, there are no bad designers, but what one should understand is that the operations and the functioning are more important than the aesthetics.
I can make a brush of gold, but would you be able to brush with it? There is no point in that. So functionality and comfort are my priority when I am designing a space.
Q) Do you consider aestheticism or functionality to be more important? Why? Did you ever have to compromise one for the other?
Tushar Mistry-ย This is also a little bit of subjective discussion. Sometimes when we do showroom projects, we give importance to aesthetics because no one will use that space, but it needs to be visually very good so that the customers would get attracted. Whereas when it is a live apartment, and a person or even any animal will use it, functionality is the priority.
We sometimes have to negotiate with the clients because nowadays, everyone gets attracted to those google and Pinterest images and wants to get that, which are occasionally irrelevant. You canโt put a tiara on a bald head. This is the very reason that we appoint a designer so that everything can be put into place. My only advice to you is that list down the requirements that you need in your room and donโt overdo it.
Q) Give some Tips on how one can decorate their room/house in the most admirable ways?
Tushar Mistry-ย When working for a residential apartment, we put some empty spaces that the client can fill with artwork and background stories. That is true, you can buy any random artwork from a store, but the one you purchase from a particular place you visited would have a different impact on you. If I talk about the planters, when we put them in the space, they are small and donโt make a huge impact on the ambience, but when you nurture them yourself, you develop a sense of accomplishment and connection with your space.
Q. What is the best approach to designing small spaces?
Tushar Mistry-ย In my opinion, with the small rooms, always try to go vertical and curate things that are not big. Use a lot of mirrors, small or big. Go for muted palettes and add colours to the essence where you can quickly change it, like in rugs, cushion covers etc.
Donโt play with shapes; go more linear and geometrical. If the roomโs height is smaller, go for low-height furniture or a folding table. We Indians have a kink to fill up the corners, which are the most difficult place to clean, so leave corners free and get a clean and beautiful house. If you donโt have a TV habit, go for a projector screen instead. These are little things that you can go for while designing small spaces.
Tushar Mistry is the principal architect of Tushar Mistry Design Studio. He has envisioned TMDS being among the top 5 designers in India and the top 100 worldwide within the next 10 years. TMDS has excelled in delivering the finished task and upholding the commitment of making the best use of resources by providing innovative designs, bringing in class, and a touch of their spirit and soul to the entire area.
Having successfully executed various projects, such as residences, aspirational flats, hotels, and commercial spaces, Mistry sees himself as a guy on a mission but on an unlimited trip. With the flair of Mistryโs designs, TMDS has completed projects in and around Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Delhi, even attracting clientele from Dubai, Belgium, and Cameroon.
Last Updated on by Himani Rawat
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