DESIGN DIVA Architect Canna Patel shares her design journey
One of the foremost names in architecture, the force behind Ahmedabad-based HCP Interior Design walks us through her journey, inspiration and current projects
Looking back, after 30 years of being in the profession of architecture and interior design, I feel my design journey started at a young age. I was born in 1962, in Ahmedabad; a time when there was a lack of design awareness in our society at large, and it was this missing link that helped me absorb much more as a young Canna, when I travelled abroad with my parents. Dad, being one of the renowned architects of the country, always had a lot to share. Most of our discussions revolved around general experiences, rather than designing. My mother, on the other hand, guided me about how one must value little things in life. They were an inspiration for me. My work today reflects their sensibilities, and how they were able to empathise with different people in the society.
After completing school, I enrolled for architecture in CEPT University. It significantly shaped my thought processes. In my
final year I was awarded with a gold medal for my thesis on ‘Effective Environment in
Residential Open Spaces’. I then pursued Masters in Architecture from U.C. Berkeley, US which further helped me refine my intellectual thought process. After marriage, I moved to Milan in 1992. There was a shift of interest from architecture to interiors due to the design influence of the city. I started working with HCP office (my father’s practice) in Ahmedabad while staying in Milan, sending hand sketched working drawings, which were then drawn by draftsmen in the Ahmedabad office and executed on the site.
After moving to India, I initially worked at my father’s firm, establishing an interior design studio at a time when there was no awareness regarding interiors in the country. Due to the lack of standards in the practice at the time, I had to set work practices and procedures in the office that have now become a trademark of my practice. I remember going
to furniture workshops in the old town Jamalpur area every evening for an entire year. Mere observations of how they made the details taught me so much.
I established my own firm in 2006, HCP Interior Design. I decided that I was going to work on architecture and interior projects together. My passion has been to create spaces that are unique and memorable while being fairly simple that can evolve to provide timeless experiences. Our practice has been known for its signature style of designed interiors that complement and indeed, seamlessly blend with the architectural forms and spaces. Running my own practice, I also faced and overcame the hardships in establishing contracts, processes for smooth execution, better representative methods, transparency in budget and estimates.
Along with my practice, I worked towards overall upliftment of the design fraternity. According to me, the best way to do so was to educate and guide students and young designers in the right direction. I started with educating young professionals in my studio, especially young women. Taking this endeavour further, I have conducted several seminars and webinars. From being an Indian ambassador to Italy to giving a seminar at Domus Academy, Milan to sharing stage with the most amazing women from different fields of work and most recently sharing my interpretation of Timelessness with staff at Google India UX/UI, I have had audience from different fields of work and different social and cultural aspects. I have served as a visiting faculty at CEPT and NID, Ahmedabad. I am also currently in the process of compiling a book that shall contain a select collection of our projects. The book is an attempt to explain self-interpreted design principles through our work.
As a practice, we realised the importance of sensitivity to Indian climate, social norms, cultural values and aspirations while acknowledging the cultural, social and economic shift the country is going through; in a way self-interpreting and defining a language for modern interiors in India. Lately, we have worked on several government projects of national importance, such as Sachivalay in Gandhinagar, Rajbhavan in Gandhinagar and very recently we have got an opportunity to work as interior sub-consultants on the prestigious Central Vista Project in New Delhi. An attempt is being made to discover patterns, motifs and details inspired from our heritage, cultural ethnicity, animal and botanical diversity; and find ways in which they can be re-interpreted and developed. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity that we are all proud of. AT