MEERA PYARELAL - BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO TRADITION

THE ELEGANT INTERIOR DESIGNER SEAMLESSLY MERGES EUROPEAN AND INDIGENOUS STYLES IN HER HOME DESIGNS, EXEMPLIFIED BY HER RENOVATION OF KOLLARA HOUSE, HER FAMILY'S ANCESTRAL THRISSUR RESIDENCE. IN AN INTERVIEW WITH HELLO!, SHE DELVES INTO THE ESSENCE OF RESTORING THIS REMARKABLE 76-YEAR-OLD PROPERTY

- NAYARE ALI

Coming from a family of awardwinning doctors, and married to one as well, Meera Pyarelal’s foray into interior design could be considered a departure. However, there is a connection between these two seemingly disparate fields. Whether it’s safeguarding human lives or restoring the historical and personal significance of a home, both involve taking good care and putting in effort to protect and preserve what is most precious to us.

“When I was growing up, I had always thought I’d become a doctor but I’m the only one who veered away from the expected path,” Meera says with a laugh. Her father, Padma Shri award-winning general surgeon, Dr KP Haridas, is also quite artistic and enjoys doing calligraphy as a hobby.

“He would say performing surgery is like creating a work of art. However, as I got older, I discovered my passion for maintaining a beautiful home and creating a certain atmosphere in the rooms. That’s when it dawned upon me that being a doctor wasn’t the right path for me,” she reveals.

Earning a master’s degree in English Literature, Meera got married at the age of 20, and her life took a different direction as she became deeply engrossed in setting up her home. It was then, while doing up her apartment in 1999, that she truly embraced her passion for interior design.