Designing Her Destiny – Shalini Ganguli

Among the great talents in the interior designing world, Shalini Ganguli holds her own with her potential and a keen eye for detail. With a fast-growing Instagram following of nearly 30k fans, Shalini displays some incredible spaces and homes that she has transformed

While she has established herself as a brilliant designer, her beginnings were quite different. As a child, Shalini was very outgoing and popular, surrounded by many friends. In college, she opted for Political Science, more because getting a degree was something she felt she had to do – as is the case with many young Indian students. She then took up her first job as a copywriter in the advertising world. She did this for almost 9 years until she decided this was no longer what she wanted to do. Despite writing for many years, Shalini laughs as she recalls how she grew completely disinterested in writing. “In fact, I don’t even think I’m a good writer!” she says

The Exciting Beginnings

Now that she was free from the corporate world, she saw her very first opportunity to create change in her own home. She decided to transform her home one room at a time. Her first project was transforming her guest room into an entertainment den. She posted a picture of the transformed room and noticed it started getting attention from designers and bloggers alike.

This continued with every room she transformed, and it was at this point, Shalini decided to follow an interior designing career. When asked about her Instagram strategy she says, “It was just pure luck.

Maybe it’s because I was consistent but in a matter of 6 months my page grew”. Seeing the high-quality spaces on her feed, and with a fine attention to every detail, one can easily understand why her business grew.

Shalini started learning from all the sources that she could. She would relentlessly ask questions, read blogs of other designers, and try to learn from every credible source she could find. With no formal training or degree, today Shalini Ganguli has left an indelible mark on many beautiful homes and spaces. After giving birth to her son, Shalini’s designs focus on eco-friendly, non-toxic materials. She loves being a mother and says that motherhood inspires her even more.

When asked about her inspirations, she says that it can come from anywhere – from travels, patterns, colours, etc. Her social media pages are bursting with different designs and she often showcases other talents as well. Growing up, Shalini was always surrounded by antiques as her mother was an avid collector of antique furniture. There was always someone fixing or repairing old furniture. Shalini claims that this was probably why she was always drawn to good furniture.

The Road Ahead

For her future plans, she aims to constantly improve her skills. “I don’t want to be static and I want to keep improving myself.” From starting as a writer to a growing, passionate designer, Shalini Ganguli’s journey is a fine example of how following your curiosity can change your life. Shalini says “I’ve only just begun, and nowhere near arrived, so watch this space for more!!”
We are sure to see many more transformations from this natural talent.