A handful of Indian interior designers are known far beyond their own clients, through published projects, awards, books, product lines or public profiles. This article introduces nine of them and the studios they lead, in Delhi and Mumbai, and explains what hiring a high-profile practice involves. It describes their professional work only. For firms you can shortlist by city, see the best interior designers in India.
The designers and their studios at a glance
| # | Firm | Location | Work it takes on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ashiesh Shah Architecture + Design | Mumbai | Residences, collectible furniture |
| 2 | Gauri Khan Designs | Mumbai | Residences, commercial |
| 3 | K2India | New Delhi | Residences, restoration, furniture |
| 4 | Lipika Sud Interiors | Delhi NCR, New Delhi | Residences, farmhouses, corporate |
| 5 | Morphogenesis | Panchsheel Park, New Delhi | Workplaces, campuses, homes |
| 6 | Studio Lotus | Lado Sarai, New Delhi | Homes, hospitality, retail |
| 7 | The Charcoal Project | Mumbai | Residences, furniture and decor |
| 8 | The Orange Lane | Mumbai | Residences, hospitality, retail |
| 9 | ZZ Architects | Lower Parel, Mumbai | Apartments, bungalows, hotels |
Nine famous interior designers in India
Sunita Kohli
K2India · New Delhi
Interior designer, architectural restorer and furniture maker who founded K2India, a firm covering architecture, interiors, furniture, restoration and landscape. She received the Padma Shri in 1992 and is known for restoration work, including at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Lipika Sud
Lipika Sud Interiors · Delhi NCR
Heads Lipika Sud Interiors, which designs residences, luxury farmhouses, corporate offices, hospitality and institutional projects. She is also president of the Guild of Designers & Artists.
Ambrish Arora
Studio Lotus · New Delhi
Co-founder of Studio Lotus, set up in 2002 with Ankur Choksi and Sidhartha Talwar. The practice is known for hotels, institutions, adaptive reuse, workplaces and retail, with a focus on sustainable design.
Sonali and Manit Rastogi
Morphogenesis · New Delhi
Founders of Morphogenesis, an architecture and interior practice in New Delhi known for sustainable, climate-responsive workplaces, campuses and homes.
Gauri Khan
Gauri Khan Designs · Mumbai
Launched Gauri Khan Designs in 2013. The studio designs homes and commercial spaces for private clients and public figures.
Sussanne Khan
The Charcoal Project · Mumbai
Founded The Charcoal Project in Mumbai in 2011, combining an interior design studio with a store for furniture and decor.
Ashiesh Shah
Ashiesh Shah Architecture + Design · Mumbai
Architect and designer who leads Ashiesh Shah Architecture + Design and Atelier Ashiesh Shah, which makes collectible furniture and objects.
Shabnam Gupta
The Orange Lane · Mumbai
Founded The Orange Lane in 2003. The practice designs homes, hospitality and retail spaces, and is known for colourful, craft-rich interiors.
Zubin Zainuddin and Krupa Zubin
ZZ Architects · Mumbai
Principal architects of ZZ Architects in Lower Parel, a firm of around seventy people working on large apartments, bungalows, hotels and offices.
The order follows city, Delhi first, and is not a ranking. Details are drawn from each studio's published information and reputable profiles; studios are linked with nofollow.
What makes a designer famous, and does it matter?
Fame in interior design comes from different places: a long body of published work, recognition from design juries and awards, a product or furniture line, or a public profile outside design. None of these tells you how a studio will handle your home. What matters for a client is the same as with any firm:
- Who will lead your project day to day, and how often the principal is involved.
- Whether the studio has finished homes like yours that you can see.
- How the design fee, execution and changes are priced.
- Who supervises the site and handles service after handover.
Working with a high-profile studio
- Check scope and minimumsMany studios have a minimum project size and take on only a few homes a year.
- Agree the fee basisA design fee as a percentage, a rate per square foot or a lump sum, with execution quoted separately or by a partner contractor.
- Plan for timeBespoke design and furniture take months; luxury projects commonly run four to six months after design approval.
- Put the team in writingName the lead designer and site manager in the agreement.
More bespoke studios are listed on our luxury pages for Bangalore and Mumbai. For the look itself, see luxury interior design and bespoke furniture.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the most famous interior designer in India?
There is no official ranking. Sunita Kohli, who received the Padma Shri in 1992, is among the most honoured; Gauri Khan and Sussanne Khan are among the most widely recognised by the public; and Studio Lotus and Morphogenesis are among the most recognised practices in the design world.
How much does a famous interior designer charge in India?
Costs depend on your rooms, their sizes and the exact board, finish and fittings, so we do not quote per-sq-ft figures for the firms on this page. Build an itemised estimate in our interior cost calculator, then ask two or three firms to quote the same list and compare it line by line.
Can I hire a celebrity interior designer for a 2 or 3 BHK?
Some studios take on apartments, especially in their own city, but many have minimum project sizes and waiting lists. Ask the studio directly about scope, timelines and who will lead the design day to day.
Are famous interior designers better than local designers?
They bring experience, a recognised style and strong teams, but a good local designer who visits your site often can deliver a better result for a typical home. Judge both on finished work, written specifications and how the project will be run.