Shimmer, shine and sparkle

Designer Saheba Singh has left her imprint across celebrated restaurants in Delhi. Masala Library by Jiggs Kalra, Smoke House Deli and Tanddav in Delhi, Farzi Cafe in Bengaluru and Delhi are a few places she has lent her expertise. Born to a family of designers, the 35-year-old admits that it was only natural for her to enter this field. Saheba, who is the director of her firm This Is It Designs, says, “I was always interested in designing spaces. Putting things of the same sensibility together is something that I have been extremely fond of.”

Vibe: The Sky Bar, Hilton, Gurgaon.

Light plays an important feature in her works. So Saheba used a dramatic chandelier for Masala Library to ensure that the space — previously an old luxury car showroom — did justice to the vibe of the restaurant. “Lights can easily make or break a space. The huge chandelier makes the space relatable to the people using it,” explains Saheba, adding that every designed space needs to complement the vibe of the restaurant. She says, “I believe that the interiors of restaurants can’t be blindly made with vintage art decor or anything similar. The designs have to correspond with the demographics of the space and then can be enhanced with a series of light fixtures and light solutions.”

The first independent project the designer did was a small 2,500 square feet lounge in 2004. Since then she has successfully completed a host of F&B projects, private residences and boutique retail. Saheba admits that she is happy to have found her calling in design, given how designing a space never seemed like a task for her.

If there is something that she has struggled with, it is designing spaces in the artistically structured Connaught Place (CP), New Delhi. “The sites in CP can be difficult at times. You have to keep in mind the structure and the columns, which stay where they are. The aesthetics can be pushed only to a certain limit,” says Saheba.

While Saheba’s resume boasts of a number of hospitality spaces, on her wishlist is a desire to design a cultural center with glassboxes. She explains, “I want to work on a food and beverage space, which also includes a homegrown restaurant run by me. The interiors will include huge glass boxes and the restaurant will serve exotic and regional cuisines. It will also include a central courtyard with a nice big water body ahead of it,” says Saheba, adding that she hopes to utilise one of the big spaces in the suburbs of Delhi for this project.

Saheba Singh

Having been in the design business for more than a decade, Saheba maintains that her design philosophy is always about being honest to her projects, “Whenever I ideate, I make sure that the space should not pretend to be greater than the product. I create designs that the space can absorb. I like keeping things earthy and honest,” she explains.