Natasha Aggarwal Creative Living Interior Design Studio a.k.a NACL is a multifaceted interior design house that is a bustling place of innovation and ideas, founded by Natasha Aggarwal.
An ingenious minded, founder Natasha Aggarwal has a strong scrutiny of designs, patterns and art since childhood. She pursues her aspirations of being a profound interior designer with diligence, enriching and improving her skills and knowledge to stand out in the field of designing. Before plunging herself into NACL, she went to study Business Management to acquire the skills of supervising a business. She got her Diploma and masters in interior from Mumbai, and learned living design from Domus Academy, Milan. After returning back to India, she engrossed herself into the field work, practising interior designing in the guidance of prominent home designers. Natasha emerges as a trailblazer in the home designing industry with her unique designs and creative mind. Natasha has been the finalist at the Times SHE women entrepreneur 2020 and won 40 under 40 young interior designers award. Her design journals have been beholden to a special place not only in India but abroad also.
She composes NACL into a hub of young talent and creative energies which works with a modern approach of foraging for the latest trends to serve their clients with the best output. NACL has brought pragmatic changes in executing interior designing projects by interacting with the clients pan-India and giving them their dream space with an alluring touch.
In an exclusive interview, Natasha shares her journey and inspiration below.
What drew you to become a designer?
Growing up I was surrounded by creative people which helped me build my inclination towards art and design. I was always inclined towards commercial arts. But I stumbled upon a small renovation project during my college days and that was the starting point to my career as an interior designer.
Designing an entire room felt like my hobby of creating things suddenly became a liveable reality and my creation will stay in existence for years to come. The process seemed like a life-size art & craft project that was exciting and satisfying. It opened up a new design avenue and interest in me, which I never knew existed, and I thoroughly enjoyed the process. As a result, I pursued it as a career. Coming from a business-oriented family and graduating in Business Management, I was somehow always attracted and diverted towards the creative side of a business. Interior design and the establishment of my own firm was the conjunction of the two.
How do you define your signature style?
At NACL, creative living is the focus. We craft spaces through various intricately designed elements coming together to harmoniously complement each other, instead of each piece demanding focus and attention. Our signature style would entail modern and minimalist spaces that are customised to every client’s needs. Reflective of the boutique firm’s ideology, patterns and daily use materials all come together in unique textures to create bespoke spaces, by exploring materiality through parameters such as matt vs glossy, straight vs angular, metal vs wood, clear vs textured glass. At NACL, we believe that interior design is a reflection of one’s personal style. Hence, we create customised pieces to be incorporated into the spaces on-site such as light fittings, furniture pieces, etc.
What is your favorite thing to work with
Within interior design, I have developed a fondness for lighting design. Lights can change the mood of a space and can become a focal point in any room. We have tried our hands on some designs in a couple of our projects and the end result only strengthens this belief.
What part of the design process do you enjoy the most?
I enjoy the process of design through challenges as well as the client’s satisfaction after a completed project. At NACL, creative living is the focus. We craft spaces through various intricately designed elements coming together to harmoniously complement each other, instead of each piece demanding focus and attention. Our signature style would entail modern and minimalist spaces that are customized to every client’s needs. Reflective of the boutique firm’s ideology, patterns and daily use materials all come together in unique textures to create bespoke spaces, by exploring materiality through parameters such as matt vs glossy, straight vs angular, metal vs wood, clear vs textured glass. At NACL, we believe that interior design is a reflection of one’s personal style. Hence, we create customized pieces to be incorporated into the spaces on-site such as light fittings, furniture pieces, etc.
How do choose colour palette?
At NACL, we spend our first few interactions, getting to know the client’s preferences and likeness. After gathering an understanding of their preferences, we generate a cohesive mood board which then acts as a guide through the designing process- from picking furniture and interior finishes to accessories and artifacts. We ensure that the style of the space reflects the personal style of the client’s personality. The color schemes can also reflect the personality of the user with the use of neutral tones as they can add a clean and unadulterated aesthetic to space. On the other hand, if a client enjoys personalizing their space, space must be designed with higher flexibility and versatility. Loose furniture and artifacts that can move around easily tie in well with such a design scheme.
Are there any challenges you are facing during the pandemic and how are you dealing with it?
Working from home is an eye-opener. It made me realize that working remotely is possible if all the systems and processes are in place. However, it comes with its drawbacks, especially when communicating design schemes remotely; a lot of the nuances are lost in translation. I do believe that was I able to compartmentalize better and achieve a more efficient work-life balance. Although, I am more focused and productive while working in an office environment. Though, we were well prepared for the lockdown. We ensured that our systems were in place to keep the workflow uninterrupted. We set up Cloud servers and created daily task lists to help the team function efficiently. We stuck to our usual work hours while working remotely; on-site work had come to a halt, making it easier to work from home.
What would you like to see more in the Indian interior decor industry?
The interior design industry in India has grown tremendously in the last few years which has taken this field from being just a luxury for a few people to a necessity for all. This shift has given new designers and small startups a lot of hope and motivation to pursue it. The variety and quality of work visible in the market only inspire me to do better and prove myself to outdo my previous project. Maybe that is also one of the reasons why I lean towards a bespoke approach to spaces, keeping each project different from the other, allowing me to create spaces that are unique to that particular client and their needs.
