This vibrant Surat studio is a visual treat

Shifting gears, career-wise is fairly frequent. But in Eshita Marwah’s case, it was a U-turn to her first love. Interior designer and the founder of by e & co., she began her professional journey as an engineer, (from a Master’s in science at UPenn, to working in semi-conductors, then, as a layout and circuit design engineer) but went back to design. Says Eshita, “As a child, I loved to paint and was super excited about all arts and crafts. In boarding school, I would make art projects for most of my classmates, making sure to make them all look different too. Eventually I picked engineering because I loved math as much, but the entire time it was art and design that fed my soul and refuelled me. So, I decided to finally change gears.”

Eshita moved to Surat from Boston, and established by e & co. in January 2015. She lets us in to by e & co.’s home—a colour-washed Cottagcore-chic studio with hints of Madame Puddifoot’s English tea shop (had she turned to Eshita for a redesign), and Indian elements that reflect the evolution of her design journey.

Art from the Heart

Ask Eshita about her inspiration, and she says, well, everything, “I’d like to think it’s drawing inspiration from my travels, and from different forms—nature, fashion, art, architecture and so on.”

This organic, going-by-the-gut approach has helped her develop a design aesthetic that can’t necessarily always be defined by a ‘design style/school’, but rather how a space or object makes you feel. For Eshita, the goal behind her designs is for the overall vibe to be calm and cosy. “Any space has to be inviting, it has to make you want to spend more time in it.”

A calm, vibrant space to work in roots her, allowing her to listen to her subconscious, in order for the designs to take a natural course. An approach that’s worked for her, seeing as she’s redone Yuvraj Singh’s Goa bungalow, the interiors of Anjali Mody’s Goa villa and worked on clothing store Zwaan’s showrooms in Surat and New Delhi (and more).

Cottagecore Fantasy

A serene, sedate (yet spirited) aesthetic binds her designs. One that amply resonates in her own space. Eshita redid her cabin (part of a larger 4,000 sq ft office she shares with her husband’s V-Create Architects) over four months. She designed it herself, along with frequent collaborators like the House of Knots, Studio Yuri, Mother Gone Mad and Surat-based design studio Rogán. While no structural changes were made, everything from the panelling to the ceiling was stripped down, and redone.

Wandering through the 315 sq ft studio—and the candy-cane striped furniture, grey-blue cabinets, arches, diaphanous curtains through which views of the river Tapi peek through and décor accents that wouldn’t be remiss as artworks—is quite the sensorial treat.

“Having been trained to think analytically as an engineer helps me as a designer, because of the attention to detail. The minute things make all the difference in circuit design, as well as interior and product design. It is about proportions, balance, practicality and common sense.”