Ar. Shraboni Gajjar, the founder of espacioLINES shares her love for exploring new forms and crafting vibrant and lively spaces.

espacioLINES is an architecture and interior design studio situated in the city of Ahmedabad founded by Ar. Shraboni Gajjar. The studio focuses on the functionality of spaces and crafts aesthetic spaces for the clients.

In a conversation with Ar. Shraboni Gajjar, she reveals her design journey.

What is the story of your passion for architecture? 

We are creatively involved in place making . We love exploring with new forms and making the space vibrant and lively for clients.

What pushed you to commence your own architecture studio?

My father had been practicing interior design since the beginning, but his was on a small scale. I have seen the struggle of having a practice in those days and to make it work financially as well as in terms of a focused career. Since then, I had thought of putting up my own practice and taking it to further level.

Journey of Design Process!

Could you write in short about the philosophy you go with when designing a certain project?

Once we get a project, we first thoroughly have all the clients’ need jotted down at the layout level since, functionality makes the design and not the otherwise round and after all that’s the whole purpose of our job. Once we have the requirements, we make the best efforts to use each corner and all the place effectively to put in the space to use. Designing it creatively is a play of materials and lighting , which is also very much defined by the client budget and taste. We try to put each element to its best and make sure everything blends in a subtle way yet making it aesthetically sensible.

What is the inspiration behind your concept developments and design ideations?

A project is not driven single handedly, is what we believe. It is a joint process. It is an emotional journey , where we along with the client put up the whole story into action. Hence, inspiration is everywhere !!

With years of learning and practice in architecture, how did you evolve your design language?

Initially when we started practice , it was more of an approach which was based on making things look nice. However, as years passed and we understood the importance of a space, it has become more of functional, and keeping minimal elements. To summarize, it is minimal and functional.

What values do you prioritize in your life and how do they reflect in your way of work?

Hard work is something which I feel, has no substitute. There’s no escape. You need to be on your toes each moment. You cannot have a laid back attitude. Because once something is up on-site, it cannot be undone. So what has to be done, has to be planned, has to be thought, and hence has to be known at first !!

A Sneak Peek Into The Projects By espacioLINES

Looking back at all the design projects you’ve worked on, which is the project that has made an impact on you?

Recently, we did a landscape project in Ayodhya. This is a first project that we have worked outside of Ahmedabad / Gujarat. This project has given a completely different experience. It was quite divine, yet satisfactory. We had pulled up a flower landscape project in just 10 days on site. Working day and night and solving all on site issues with vendors and labor contractors as one team and it turned out to be a success!!

Considering the quick paced lifestyle of today, how do you use technology to deal with the project challenges?

Well, as far as we see, technology has been a tool to add functional resolve into a project. Technology has all answers, be it vendors for any new material or element that we put into design or say for any detail , that we think of presenting to the client in lively form before execution. However, some challenges on site are resolved by experience and not technology.

Could you share the story of a project which has truly challenged you go beyond your conventional style of approach?

Before covid , when we were practicing firm, I used to handle designing and my father ( he is technical head of the firm) used to look after site execution. We had a good project during covid which was a 7 bhk bungalow interiors. I was thorough with the design process, and things were to be executed on site. During execution, we all family members were covid positive and hence there was a period where we could not make site visits. Hence the quality of the project had suffered a lot and we even had to leave the project mid-way. Hence since that time, we had made it very clear, that what so ever be the point, we have to be there on-site and facing it …its like a war, u have to fight , and for that u have to be present. Site visits are of much importance to us. It helps resolve the project better and is also one of the key factors for client satisfaction. Hence I would say, yes, we learned a lot from our failures!!

How do you think your projects can make a change in the way people perceive built spaces?

Everyone has their own perception. Designing a built space is yes a challenging task, but also a collective process. People perceive the space as per their own frame of reference, hence what really matters to us , is how the person using the space perceives it and when the user is satisfied, it is the real success of the whole designing process.

Beyond Design!

Apart from architecture, which are other hobbies that inspire you to keep going?

Dancing, especially I love Zumba. I love painting and love colours. I also love travelling and exploring new places.

What impact has the journey of architecture had on you personally?

I matured with my profession I can say. I grew up with it !! In short- it has seen me good, bad, in and out…

Looking ahead in future, what are some of the commitments to yourself to help you grow as an individual?

I commit to myself to keep doing all the hard work, and keep bringing joy in the lives of the places and people belonging to it.<3

Beyond professional achievements, what personal legacy do you hope reaches the masses and can make an impact on their lives?

Beyond professional achievements, any life which I would like to make an impact on would be animals !! We humans are really selfish and have enough help and support required. This world was not really created for merely human lives. Its the same authority of each creature alive. I often think I wish I could create animal village, or a jungle somewhere, for all the dogs and cows, which are shelter less, due to our shelters intercepting their land.