Casa Paradox

Paying Homage To Indian Craft

The illustrious career of Satish Gujral—one of India’s best-known versatile artists (painter, sculptor and architect)—fuelled his daughter Raseel Gujral Ansal’s desire to get into architecture and design. “His canvas was ever-changing, whether it was on the wall or a sculpture or through the conversation of a building,” says Ansal. “He followed his own unique interpretation of a language which he developed.”

Ansal’s journey in design began in 1986. “It started with interior architecture and working in my father’s architectural studio under him and my brother Mohit,” says Ansal.

In 1992, Ansal and her husband Navin Ansal launched Casa Paradox in Delhi, which was originally a furniture company. Fifteen years ago, it moved into interior architecture and architecture. The firm has primarily worked on high-end residential projects in various locations, including Hyderabad, Delhi, Houston (US) and Dubai. Currently, they are working on residential projects in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Delhi and Kolkata.

Ansal describes her design philosophy as “rooted culturally in India but with an international outlook”. She feels “sustainability is a conscious thread” when it comes to designing and executing residential buildings. Casa Paradox, Ansal adds, strives to use indigenous materials “to minimise the footprint as well as pay homage to Indian craft”.

Ansal feels the cultural tradition is missing in the current flavour of architecture in India as structures need to display that they belong to the soil in which they are built. “At the end of the day, evolution is about incorporating the past with the current.”

By Darielle Britto