The rise of Visakhapatnam-based interior designer Ameet Mirpuri
From refurbishing small boutiques to renovating international hotel chains, Ameet Mirpuri has been steadily building his brand
“A house is much more than just its four walls. How we decorate it is an extension of our personality,” says interior designer Ameet Mirpuri of Design Studio. He is easily one of most sought-after designers from the State.
“Every project has to be approached in a unique way. No design or idea can be repeated. So coming up with new ideas is a challenge,” he says. Ameet has designed the Andhra Art and Crafts Hotel in Visakhapatnam that highlights the State’s traditional art forms. He has also designed for Le Sutra in Mumbai.
Ameet says most of his ideas come from his travels. “Whenever I go to a new city, I walk around its markets for hours. There are hundreds of ideas waiting to be discovered in these places, one just needs to have a curious eye,” he says.
Notable works
- Hotel Novotel- Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Bheemunipatnam
- Palm Beach- Visakhapatnam
- Farzi Cafe- Hyderabad
- Bubbles Hair & Beauty- Visakhapatnam
With a career that began in 2002, Ameet has built a brand whichextends to Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Bengaluru, Kolkatta, Mumbai and Siliguri. With a team of 26 employees, he has designed cafes, lounges, hotels, boutiques, spas and homes.
“For me, it is the vibe of a place that decides the design. For instance, we are currently working on a project in Bengaluru that has a 150-year-old fig tree right in the middle of the property. I knew this was the highlight of the place as soon as I walked in. We designed the property in concentric circles around the tree,” he says.
The beginning
Born and raised in Visakhapatnam, Ameet was interested in designing from a young age. After a Bachelors in Business Administration from GITAM University, he moved to Pune to study at Marathwada Mitra Mandal School of Interior Design. After a design internship , he moved back to Visakhapatnam to join his father in interior designing.
The initial years were a struggle, he says. “We started with very small projects. I have even done just one wall of someone’s living room. But since I likewd what I did, the scale of the project never mattered,” he says.
Ongoing projects
- BoTai – Bengaluru
- Farzi Cafe – Mumbai
- Raddison Blu – Visakhapatnam
- Residence of Nagarjuna Akkineni
- Residence of Nagachaitanya Akkineni
His first big break was in 2010 when Hotel Novotel’s lead designer backed out at the last moment and he was approached to head the project in Visakhapatnam. The work at Novotel garnered him praises and got him a lot of other projects. But it did not mean he automatically bagged projects elsewhere. “I had a reality check when I tried to enter the Hyderabad market. The small town tag made it difficult for me to gain trust from high-end clientèle. I turned to designing smaller boutiques and cafes which helped me gain a base and made my work visible in the city,” he says. Today, Ameet has designed several renowned lounges and cafes in Hyderabad like Over The Moon.
Ameet has helped to revive traditional art forms, especially from Andhra Pradesh. “ Our traditional art forms are unique and if used thoughtfully, they can be blended with the modern architecture.”
(Living Vizag is a weekly column that profiles people who make the city special, and explore it through their eyes)
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