PRITI PAUL

Good design is hard to ignore, and Priti Paul has been serving it up with books and tea at almost two dozen Oxford Bookstores across India since 1995. Director of the Apeejay Surrendra Group where she manages its real estate and retail divisions, an architect, and the woman who transformed the Oxford Bookstore, Priti’s multifaceted life is lived on three continents—in Marrakech where husband Jaouad Kadiri runs JK Hotels; in London, where she studied architecture and learned the ropes of the company’s shipping arm; and Delhi, her India base.

It was in Delhi that she threw open the doors to her latest project, the all-new Oxford Bookstore. Set in the Capital’s historic Connaught Place (CP), it’s the sort of bookstore where you gawp not so much at what the shelves stock but the shelves themselves. That is, till you see the office, one flight up.

The Commonwealth Games may have been a call to spruce up Connaught Place, the whitewashing receiving a nod, but in Priti’s offices, it has been brought alive and into the 21st century. A modern office—all-white with a few pops of colour on the walls—where the beauty of the century-old architecture is reinforced with chandeliers, well-placed arches, and mirrors.

“My sister (Priya), my brother (Karan), and I were clear that our office should be rooted in history. And here, we emphasised that. We removed the false ceiling—it’s the original nine ft high ceiling now—added an arch, mirrored it with another by shifting the doors slightly so it’s symmetrical. I wanted to keep a very soft white-on-white palette, which is one thing people associate with Connaught Place, and use that as an element to tie in all the other spaces.” No detail was overlooked—even the books in her office were chosen for their white spines.

It comes as no surprise to discover that Priti is a member of INTACH and that their company also worked on the restoration of the Jantar Mantar with the Archaeological Society of India, and that it took her over three years to find the space. “This was a long, expensive project, but very satisfying in the end. Not only did we create something new but also preserved the old.”

Paul understands the importance of drama, and it’s on her mind when she puts together her look. Whether she is wearing white lace saris or colourful Manish Arora, both accessorised with big bindis, Paul straddles continents and looks effortlessly.

Suchita Kapur