My room looks like it’s been hit by a mini-tornado at all times. I try to pass off the mess of books, music and clothes that occupy bed, chair and every conceivable surface, as the “lived in” look. The only wall “art” in the room is a poster that reads: “Don’t straighten my mess… you’ll foul up the system,” and I have stuck it at an awkward angle, just to prove my point. Sadly, it’s not doing its job, and I still have to bear periodic cleaning sprees by my mother. In fact, I’m irked by too much order.

Hardly an ideal candidate for an interior designing firm, you’d say. I’d agree. Yet, there I was, walking into the Camac Street office of Studio W.B., one of the biggest interior designing and architecture firms in the city.

12.30pm-1.30pm
Induction

Having landed up with no formal training and not even informal interest, Neha Jain, one of my bosses for the day, gave me a brief overview. “The firm was started by my father-in-law Ajit Jain. Now my brother-in-law Amit Jain, my husband Karan, my sister-in-law Vanita and myself are all involved in the business,” explained Neha. “My mother-in-law Kumkum looks after the finances. Amit is the designing head.” So it is all in the family.

Over the next hour, they all took turns filling me in on the basics of interior designing. “Feeling the space, understanding the client, availability of materials and budget are the most important aspects of designing,” said Amit.

Space is of primary importance. “So one of our biggest challenges is not to waste space. The trend is towards simplistic furniture. So even if the client wants something very ornate, we suggest simple items. The modern space is not suited for such splendid furnishing,” explained Neha. Trends change, yet home decor should last you for at least five years. “Like everything else, decor trends are cyclical. What was fashionable 20 years ago is back in style now. The trends are decided in Europe and USA. It takes at least a year for them to arrive in Calcutta,” added Amit.

So freshers must have an uphill task mastering it all. “It’s a creative line and difficult to teach. Often, I get a block. I can’t think of anything. Someof my designs are conceptualised alone at night or when I am at home,” revealed Amit.

Pictures by Rashbehari Das

1.30pm-3pm
At the designing department

What I am told
• Amit thinks of layouts and designs and explains them to the team which then drafts it out.
• The designs are drawn on AutoCAD, a designing software.
• There are two parts to the design — the plan, which is how the room will look from the top and the elevation, which is a front view. The plan is easy to read, with symbols that can be easily understood by anyone in the field. The elevation must have detailed instructions so that the person at the site understands the wall treatment, size of furniture, the inlay work on floors and so on.

What I do
• Pore over files and designs and try to look as if I understand the symbols and drawings.
• Try to pick up the basics of Autocad in record time.
• Design a very basic room. Try not to notice the look of horror on the faces of the designers when my room has only a big bed, a chest of drawers and a big window. I have, they point out, forgotten to make a door to the room.
• Insist that this is the way I want the room to be, when they try to suggest other utilities like a cupboard and AC, though I allow myself to be persuaded to have a door.

What I learn
• Planning is the name of the game. Even the position of the AC has to be chalked out so the duct can accordingly be attached to let out the water. You have to imagine yourself living in the house before its ready. No problems should crop up later.
• The designer has to have practical knowledge. What’s drawn on paper must be easy to execute at the site.

3pm-3.30pm
At a meeting with a client

What I am told
• It’s very important to understand the client and his needs, more so while designing a residence for it’s a very personalised space.
• You must keep checking with the client at every level. Meet with the plans, take him shopping with you when you are buying things for the house. It gives them pleasure to know how it is shaping up and also saves the designer from having to hear later that you have over-stepped the budget or bought things for a commission.

What I do
• Sympathise with designers who have to put up with the demands of the clients. The cupboards have to be big but not clumsy, the light bright but not harsh and so on.

What I learn
• Know the limitations. You can’t recreate every foreign trend. Only the aware and travelled client will appreciate designs that are different.
• There will be clients whose demands will clash with the designer’s sense of aesthetics. Try to convince them. If that doesn’t work, there are only two ways out — either compromise, or pass on the project.
• The interior designer has arrived. Anyone with any awareness will want to engage a designer, especially for commercial spaces.

4pm-5pm
At the site of a Lee Road flat the company is designing.

What I am told
• The supervisor is the link between the designers and the contractors doing the job.
• The supervisor has to know how to read the plans and what is practicable.
• She has to keep an eye on the progress of the work, check with the contractors about raw materials and what they need.
• Get samples checked by the clients when they visit to ensure they like the job.
• There are crises all the time. The supervisor is the manager-cum-ideator on the site.

What I do
• Rue that I am not wearing sneakers. It is dusty with carpenters, plumbers, electricians and floor workers all at it. I sneeze uncontrollably.
• Check with the contractors about what they need and jot it down.
• Make a tour of the flats and like what I see.
• Assist the supervisor in checking some samples and tag along when she gives instructions about wardrobes.
• Feel clueless when a minor crisis occurs. The client doesn’t want divisions in the storeroom shelves. The supervisor explains that marble is soft and so needs the support, but it could be done with black stone.

What I learn
• That even at the site, interior designing is not just about what colour walls will look good, arranging a few pieces of furniture and flowers, as I had thought.
• Furniture is often made at the site, to suit client specifications and the space.
• Light walls or a strategically-placed mirror can make a room look bigger than it is.
• Wallpaper and concealed lighting are pop trends.

It is 5pm and I feel so ready to return to the homely mess of my room or the disorder of my office desk. I don’t want a perfect house any more than I did before. But at least I can better appreciate the skill and effort of those who spend every day making perfect homes for those who want them.

What would you like to be for a day?
Tell t2@abpmail.com