AD100 2025: The best of restoration

Abha Narain Lambah Associates, Mumbai

Abha Narain Lambah

Project in focus: Punjab’s first luxury palace hotel, Ranbaas is located in Qila Mubarak in Patiala. Lambah and team have done the interior design of this hospitality project that is now a luxury boutique hotel operated by The Park Hotel. What was earlier the official guesthouse of the 18th-century fort is now a 28-room luxury stay. For its lighting design, the firm collaborated with Lucent Worldwide. Qila Mubarak was built by the first maharaja of Patiala, and is in the heart of the city.

Upcoming projects: A Good Earth store in Dubai; a fine-dining Indian restaurant in France; redesigning interiors of Taj Yeshwantpur, Bengaluru.

Material you’re obsessed with: Brass

Philosophy: “Design in context.”

Grounded, Goa

Anjali Mangalgiri

Project in focus: A contemporary restoration of a 150-year-old Portuguese house in Goa. Larger, updated openings invite light and breeze, creating a seamless connection between the indoors and the outdoors. Earthy finishes and thoughtful details further complete the sense of barefoot luxury in the house. A river flows nearby, and a beautiful walk connects the house to the river. The restoration is a marriage of historic and contemporary design elements.

Upcoming projects: A house in rammed earth in Goa; a home in Washington, DC; an apartment renovation in Manhattan; interiors for a penthouse in Singapore.

Material you’re obsessed with: Natural boulders

Philosophy: “Build what is necessary, build in harmony with nature and the land, build spaces that evoke strong emotional reactions.”

Pavitra Rajaram Design, Mumbai

Pavitra Rajaram

Project in focus: A heritage restoration project in Mumbai—planned as an art and culture space for Sarmaya, a not-for-profit arts foundation. The 3,400-square-foot space is located in the iconic Lawrence and Mayo building in the Fort area. “Over the years, the building had deteriorated due to poor maintenance. We took up the task of giving this derelict site a new life.”

Upcoming projects: A state-of-the-art, new-age hospital in Hyderabad; a four-acre development of weekend homes in the Nilgiris.

Material you’re obsessed with: Salt! I have seen it used in so many interesting ways in architecture.

Philosophy: “I want to create beautiful spaces and objects that are thoughtfully and mindfully made, with attention to detail, consummate storytelling, and paying homage to craft and culture.”