Hafele-TFOD Profile Of The Week: Ar. Sanjay Punjabi, Image N Shape, Surat

Image N Shape is a prestigious interior solutions firm, with a rich variety of projects in areas of healthcare, education, commercial and residential spaces. With Sanjay at the helm, the firm produces innovative design solutions, and has earned great acclaim. 

“We have shifted to thinking of space as the sheltered enclosures of a flexible handkerchief," explains Sanjay – about the firm’s exploration of amorphous interior forms. Instead of thinking of design as a way of connecting lines he re-envisions curves as the designing space within a flexible medium! The incredible thing is that he uses a lot of technology from across varied creative fields to create his unusual forms. He “thinks” designs on the computer – unlike most designers who first sketch out their ideas on paper and later take them to the machine. 

Sanjay also believes bio-mimicry is an efficient tool of design. Inspired by nature, he believes architectural design should imitate nature in being energy-efficient, structurally sound and beautiful to behold. He strongly believes that as a designer the more he learns from nature, the more he will create designs in harmony with the natural as well as the built environment.

From ancient monuments and places of worship to modern skyscrapers and famous landmarks, aesthetically pleasing architecture from across the world has influenced Sanjay. His personal design style, therefore is more of a catchphrase. Drawing his creativity from a huge array of powerful inspirations, his décor schemes convey the client’s wishes as much as his personal ideology. To create spaces conducive to the purpose, utilize spaces to their optimum capacity and be in sync with nature – is the basic way forward, at Image N Shape. 

However, there is something special about the way he handles residential interiors. Especially the most private part of a home – the bedroom, the most private chamber of the home is seen infused with a unique, bespoke aesthetic – with carefully chosen colours and complementing furnishings and accessories. The walls opposite the beds double up as amazing art-works – thus becoming the central theme of the space. Children’s rooms too have a different and characteristic aesthetic; sharply different from the adults’ bedrooms. 

And whatever be the design program and style, Sanjay’s expert handling of the spatial dimensions comes through brilliantly. Whether for a corporate office, a high-end products showroom, a multi-cuisine restaurant, a retail outlet or a home – Sanjay’s design priorities are clearly evident. The gentle yet striking introduction of artistic elements or detailing in a simple clean-line space transforms the character of the spaces. An ethnic, rural-styled ambience is also successfully created for a client who specifically wished for one!