In my role as a Commercial Interior Design Team Leader at IKEA India, I spearheaded the planning and execution of Customer Meeting Points for XS Stores in the Mumbai market. I successfully coordinated the Commercial Built Up process, ensuring a seamless handover to the store team during openings.

Leading a dedicated team of three Visual Merchandisers and two Interior Designers, I focused on elevating the overall home furnishing presentation within the store. In the absence of the Interior Design Leader, I took on additional responsibilities to ensure continued growth and development of my team, positioning myself as a potential successor to the Com-in Manager role within one to two years.

The spark of creativity for us was markedly different because we embraced inspiration in a more structured setting. When we embarked on designing the apartment, we opted for a modern home with an Asian influence, much like the way the Trees were designed. What inspired us the most was how the entrance lobbies of the apartment buildings felt like an extension of the apartment. It was warm, muted, and elegant. The Softscape’s relationship with the Hardscapes was another inspiration for us to think of all the ways we would include a minimalistic yet green indoor environment.

As an educator, I am dedicated to sharing my knowledge and expertise with aspiring designers. From workshops to one-on-one mentoring, I am committed to helping others unlock their creative potential and succeed in the world of design.

As the Visual Merchandising Country Lead at Good Earth Stores, I planned, merchandised, and designed Customer Meeting Points across India. My responsibilities included overseeing seasonal product photoshoots for omni-channel platforms and managing marketing and branding campaigns at our physical locations. Additionally, I designed and strategized the physical brand identity for both current and future stores.

Through this role, I gained valuable insights into luxury customer needs and decision-making processes, enhanced home furnishing knowledge among Indian buyers, and developed a strong understanding of apparel and design partners and their unique selling points. I also focused on optimizing retail equipment for effective merchandising solutions and led the development of store teams to boost their skills and competence.

Good Earth Design Studio

I started as a Visual Merchandising Leader at Good Earth Stores, a sustainable luxury brand specializing in apparel and home furnishings in India. I orchestrate the planning, merchandising, and design of Customer Meeting Points across all locations, overseeing seasonal product photoshoots and directing impactful marketing campaigns.

I was later promoted to Project Manager Retail, where I craft and implement brand identities for current and future stores, honing my expertise in luxury customer needs and home furnishing trends. I am passionate about leading and developing store teams, fostering growth and competence in the retail environment.

Project Manager Retail - PAN India

As a leader in retail projects across India, I manage store interior design and reconstruction projects, coordinating new designs across multiple locations, including Lucknow and Dubai, while overseeing event setups. My role involves developing and implementing project plans and budgets, ensuring expenses are monitored for adherence. I provide timely project reporting and conduct ROI analyses to optimize sales. This experience has my marketing insights and infrastructure planning for store renovations and new builds. This project was exclusively done with Architect Adil Ahmed and team Bantus.

These photos are taken by a professional.

Our Delhi Khan Market store is the most profitable and experiences the highest customer flow. To revamp the previously underutilized mezzanine floor, we created display cabinets for bedroom textiles made using an ancient block print technique and introduced a central table to showcase various products, enhancing the shopping experience for our customers.

We also revamped the back entrance to the store that takes us to the mezzanine floor directly, in order to enhance the overall experience.

These photos are taken by a professional.

Lucknow

Delhi

Hyderabad

Hyderabad is the third-largest metro in India, projected to grow by 8.5% annually until 2035, making it one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. In response to this growth, our store is transitioning from a focus on apparel and home furnishings to a comprehensive home furnishing model. Should customer demand for apparel arise, we plan to adapt by introducing a pop-up model to accommodate those needs.

All the Retail equipment is adaptable for both models.

Visual Merchandising Country Lead - South

IKEA India

In my roles in the Commercial Interior Design Team I focused on planning and testing Customer Meeting Points for XS Stores, Large formal store and overseeing the design and development for store openings, including the Sustainability Shop and IKEA Family Shop.

I managed a team of three Visual Merchandisers and two Interior Designers, enhancing the overall home furnishing presentation in the store. Additionally, I contributed to successful launches and operations while developing innovative visual solutions in response to challenges, such as COVID-related product management. I utilized advanced design software, becoming the first Revit Super User in the country and transitioning AutoCAD drawings to Revit for the Navi Mumbai store. My experience deepened my understanding of IKEA's operational methods, customer needs, and the impact of commercial interior design on store performance.

These photos are taken by me,

These photos are taken by me,

Chennai, Bangalore & Hyderabad

R-City, Mumbai

Navi Mumbai

As a Commercial Interior Design specialist I was instrumental in managing the launch operations and enhancing the customer experience through thoughtful display and product flow strategies. My role involved collaborating with various teams to meet tight deadlines while delivering innovative design solutions that aligned with IKEA’s sustainability goals.

Throughout my tenure, I gained insights into the significant role of the commercial interior design team in enhancing store operations.

Commercial Interior design team leader

Commercial Interior design Specialist

Residential Interiors

Earlier in my career, I assisted many residential Interiors with designing room layout ideas, providing tailored consultations and conducting thorough research to deliver comprehensive design plans, detailed sections, 3D renders, and styling suggestions. I focused on formulating practical and aesthetically pleasing design solutions that aligned with clients' budgets.

I managed communication between clients and designers, handled billing, and coordinated scheduling through various vendor platforms. Additionally, I developed a standardized Bill of Quantities (BOQ) template with price ranges, collaborating with over 15 vendors to streamline operations and enhance client management.This experience has equipped me with a deep understanding of diverse client needs and preferences, enabling me to create profit-driven designs that encourage customization while optimizing delivery timelines.

Educator and Mentor

As a Tutor at Instituto Marangoni, I educated second and third-year undergraduate interior design students in Interior Design and Visualization tools. I guided them through real-world experiences, including material buying and the execution process from a designer's perspective. Additionally, I taught postgraduate students at SP Jain Management Studies, focusing on Luxury and Brand Management through the lenses of design, visual merchandising, retail planning, omni-channel experiences, and customer analysis.

This role has enhanced my understanding of young minds and the evolving nature of design through student interactions. I gained insights into various brands regarding operations, scale, and user experience, fostering knowledge sharing within the academic environment.

"I had the pleasure of recruiting and developing Nandita during my time as Shop Design leader with IKEA India.
I saw her grow from a creative and commercial visual merchandising co-worker, to an inspiring, dedicated team leader in only a couple of years.
Nandita has a wonderful blend of ‘no-nonsense’, clear and direct approach whilst being able to listen, and have empathy for her people. She’s has a good understanding of team dynamics and how to get the best from her team.
Being a strong character who knows what she wants to a kind, approachable, adaptable leader who can deal with any given situation.It was my pleasure to be a part of Nandita’s journey so far, a journey that I know will be a very successful one due to her attitude and approach."

Christopher Cartledge

Shop Design Manager, IKEA India

"It was fantastic to work together with Nandita. She has exceptional expertise in leadership, coaching and motivation. She has a very engaging personality which instantly makes her the crowd favourite. She is very well-informed, dedicated, organized, self-motivated and insightful. She capable of adapting to a new environment very quickly. She is a reliable, forward thinking co-worker and an insipiring team player."

Anisha Chaudhary

Senior Design Stylist, Asian Paints

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