Heart-shaped box

A peek into the studios of stylist Nausheen Shah, historian Simin Patel and ceramicists Elodie Alexandre and Reyaz Badaruddin reveals why they begin their day with a spring in their step.

- SADAF SHAIKH

ACCORDING TO REPORTS, the average person will spend 90,000 hours at work in their lifetime. That's one third of our lives. Thanks to the proliferation of policies like 'hot desking' and 'hybrid work' post-pandemic, the office has become a sterile space to which we begrudgingly drag ourselves on mandated days only to sit at identical desks without any personality. No well-loved plushies, lush succulents, travel memorabilia or cut-outs of interesting illustrations-just spotless workstations and harsh overhead lighting. A fortunate few, like stylist Nausheen Shah, historian Simin Patel and ceramic artists Elodie Alexandre and Reyaz Badaruddin have evaded this homogenisation of workspaces. Step inside their cocoons of creativity that accommodate all the love they feel for what they do in addition to office supplies and treasured tchotchkes.

NAUSHEEN SHAH