THE FORMIDABLE MINDSET RACHNA AGARWAL

An Architecture + Design Top 50 honouree and founder of two studios, Rachna Agarwal remains a hands-on designer, an early-bird perfectionist and a woven vinyl devotee, who only critiques her night-time designs after morning tea.

- KRUPAKSHI MEHTA

She runs a 60-strong design armada and carries the confidence of a seasoned design maverick.

Rachna Agarwal, the Delhi-based design ideator who grew up in the by-lanes of Vrindavan, has become one of the most sought-after designers in India today. And her philosophy of design? “Design, for me, is a disciplined layering of thought, an accreting process where each project receives and returns a set of deliberate traces.” And she truly means it. With Studio IAAD and ZOERA to her name, this interior maestro has the courage to pivot, experiment and expand, guiding not just her team, but also her clients, toward a more thoughtful experience of space.

Rachna leapt into entrepreneurship young, founding Studio IAAD in a male-dominated arena. After nearly 25 years in the industry, she has shaped a diverse design universe spanning corporate offices, multiplexes, retail landscapes, hospitality projects, educational institutions and bespoke residences. Little wonder she has garnered the attention of connoisseurs, clients and collaborators across the country and beyond.

Architecture+Design brings you the story of this small-town-rooted girl whose journey reads like a heady mélange of craft and cunning. She forged her own path, leaving her fingerprints on some of India’s most discerning interiors and high-impact projects.

BORN INTO CRAFT