Top 10 interior designers in India
Ten studios across Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore worth knowing in 2026, one for each way of working.
Not a ranking, and written by a studio that is on it — we are entry one, and the entry says so.
How the ten were chosen
We limited the list to studios whose residential work you can find published and visit in person — practices with a body of homes rather than a single famous one, spread across Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore so that no city's scene stands in for the whole country. Commercial-only firms and pure product brands are left off.
- —One studio for each way of working — boutique, architecture-led, designer-led, developer-backed, platform — so the list shows the field rather than ten versions of one corner of it.
- —Facts a reader can check on the studio's own site in a minute: where they are, when they started, what they are known for. No prices, no counts of homes, no reviews of other people's work.
- —A question under each name, drawn from our guide to choosing a designer, that is the most useful thing to ask that particular kind of studio.
This list is the studio's own editorial selection. It is not an award, a survey or a ranking, and it does not claim any endorsement by the studios named. If you run one of them and would like a fact corrected or your entry removed, write to hello@elaraandco.in and we will do it within a week.
The ten
- 01
Élara & Co.
Boutique luxury studio · Bangalore · This studio
Whole-home interiors for villas, penthouses and apartments in a quiet, European register — every room rendered and approved before an order is placed, one team from first measurement to final snag, and hardware named by make and series in the quote. The studio writing this list, so read the entry accordingly.
- Best for
- Owners who want one accountable studio for design and execution, and who would rather see the finished room on screen before it is built.
- Ask them
- “Which of your homes can I walk through — and which are still renders?”
- 02
Studio Lotus
Craft-led architecture and interiors · New Delhi · Since 2002
Founded by Ambrish Arora, Ankur Choksi and Sidhartha Talwar, and known for folding Indian craft into contemporary buildings — Krushi Bhawan in Bhubaneswar and the Royal Enfield headquarters in Chennai among them.
- Best for
- Homes and hospitality where material and craft are the point, and where the client has patience for it.
- Ask them
- “Which craft communities will work on our project, and how is that scheduled?”
- 03
Morphogenesis
Sustainability-led architecture practice · New Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai · Since 1996
Founded by Manit and Sonali Rastogi, with a body of large residences, campuses and workplaces designed around passive cooling and energy performance, and interiors that follow the same logic.
- Best for
- A large plot or estate where the environmental performance of the home is a brief, not a footnote.
- Ask them
- “How does the interior scheme carry the building's passive-design intent?”
- 04
Rajiv Saini & Associates
Refined residential studio · Mumbai
Restrained, precisely detailed homes across India, with an eye for proportion and material that has made the studio a reference point for quiet luxury in the country.
- Best for
- Owners who want less, done exactly, and who will pay for the detailing that makes less work.
- Ask them
- “How do you handle a client who wants more in the room than you would?”
- 05
Atelier Ashiesh Shah
Collectible-design atelier · Mumbai
Ashiesh Shah's practice blends wabi-sabi interiors with a collectible-furniture programme made with Indian artisans, so the rooms and the objects in them come from the same studio.
- Best for
- A home that is also a collection, where furniture and lighting are commissioned rather than bought.
- Ask them
- “Which pieces are studio editions, and what are the lead times on them?”
- 06
The Orange Lane
Designer-led residential and hospitality studio · Mumbai · Since 1999
Shabnam Gupta's studio, known for earthy palettes and layered, lived-in contemporary rooms; named Interior Designer of the Year at the EDIDA India awards in 2024.
- Best for
- Owners who want warmth and character over polish, and a designer with a clear personal voice.
- Ask them
- “How much of the styling is bought in, and how much is made for the home?”
- 07
Gauri Khan Designs
Glamour-led residential and restaurant design · Mumbai
Gauri Khan's studio, known for high-glamour Mumbai residences and restaurant interiors, and a retail store of furniture and objects in the same register.
- Best for
- A statement home or hospitality space where the drama of the room is the brief.
- Ask them
- “Who in the studio leads the project day to day after the concept is agreed?”
- 08
The Charcoal Project
Design studio with a furniture gallery · Mumbai, Hyderabad · Since 2011
Sussanne Khan's studio and retail gallery, pairing contemporary residential design with a curated floor of furniture, lighting and objects the studio also specifies.
- Best for
- Owners who want to see and sit on the pieces before they are specified for the home.
- Ask them
- “Is the design fee separate from the furniture, and can we source elsewhere?”
- 09
Quirk Studio
Colour-forward residential studio · Mumbai
Founded by Disha Bhavsar and Shivani Ajmera, with a playful, colour-confident approach to apartments that has made the studio one of the most published in the country.
- Best for
- An apartment that should feel joyful and personal rather than serene and neutral.
- Ask them
- “How do you keep a colour-led scheme from dating in five years?”
- 10
Livspace
Technology-led design platform · Bangalore, pan-India · Since 2014
The largest home-interiors platform in India, with designers in most major cities, standardised modular products and a process run through software rather than a studio floor.
- Best for
- Modular interiors in a city without a strong boutique scene, or an owner who wants a process more than a designer.
- Ask them
- “Who is my single point of contact from the first meeting to snagging?”
Three kinds of studio, and how to tell them apart
Most of the difference between two quotes is not talent or margin but the model behind the studio. Place each name on the list in one of these columns before you compare any two of them.
| Boutique studio | Architecture practice | Design platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who designs | The principal or a small team; you meet the person drawing your home. | Architects, with interiors as a continuation of the building. | An assigned designer from a large bench, within a product catalogue. |
| Who is on site | The same team, usually with a dedicated site lead. | Site architects, alongside a separate contractor. | Project managers and vendor teams; the designer may not visit. |
| How it is priced | Itemised quote against a written scope; bespoke joinery, not a range. | Percentage or lump-sum fee; execution contracted separately. | Package price; modular products with a published warranty. |
| Best when | The home is the project and you want one accountable studio. | You are building, not fitting out. | You want a predictable process and a fixed timeline. |
Studio visualisationBefore you shortlist anyone
A list tells you who exists. It cannot tell you who is right for your home, your budget and the way you like to work — that takes the same eight questions put to each studio you are considering, and a written scope from the two you like best. We keep those questions in our guide to choosing a designer, with the six things worth walking away from.
If Élara is on your shortlist, we would rather be asked the hard questions first. We are a young studio and say so; what we show is visualised and labelled as such; and the scope, the hardware and the handover date go in writing before anything is ordered.