A DESIGN ODYSSEY

In October this year, Hyderabad is set to witness the first edition of Design Democracy. We speak to the founders, Shailja Patwari and Pallika Sreewastav, about their vision for this ambitious project.

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India is currently in the midst of a design revolution, where indigenous designers and brands are producing high-quality work across the interior and lifestyle spaces. Design Democracy aims at providing an open platform for these brands to showcase to the growing design community in the country alongside international brands.

Design Democracy is a festival and exhibition platform where design lovers meet to see, network and experience design in the beautiful, vibrant city of Hyderabad.

Why Hyderabad, you ask? The city of pearls has currently seen a boom in construction across the residential and commercial sectors, and the city has established itself as one of the prime luxury markets in the country. Design Democracy will be the city's first interior and lifestyle exhibition focusing on B2B and B2C connections, providing a platform in one of the fastest growing markets in the country.

It is curated by architect and iconic lighting designer Arjun Rathi, who has been a part of many prestigious interior shows in India and has become one of the most successful designers in the country. Now, he's using his expertise to curate Hyderabad's first interior show.

Design Democracy is co-founded by Hyderabad's finest, Shailja Patwari and Pallika Sreewastav. Pallika is the COO of a software company, a qualified interior designer and a mother of three girls. Shailja is a fashion designer who owned one of the first few multi-designer women's wear stores in Hyderabad and has worked in the fashion industry for over 20 years. During the lockdown, she spent a lot of time redecorating parts of her home and fell in love with the whole process of interior design.

In conversation with the humans of Design Democracy:

What inspired you to create Design Democracy, and what motivated you to bring it to Hyderabad for its first edition?