Work Experience
2018
Intern at DesignQ, Bangalore.
Residential projects and small scale commercial projects were their keen interest of design. Interning here increased my exposure to construction drawings & material usage.
2019
Intern at Sapkyros, Bangalore. They handled residentail, religious and commercial projects. Interning here increased my exposure to client meetings, vendor meetings and the various stages involved in completion of a project.
2020 - 2021
Junior architect at Two Storey Design Studio, Hyderabad. Residential as well as commercial projects were their keen interest.
Junior architect at Crafted Spaces, Jubliee hills, Hyderabad. They handled residential and commercial projects. Collaborating with them increased my exposure to every aspect of this industry.
2021 - 2022
Freelance : Provided architecture and interior design services for a residence in Sarjapur, Bangalore.
Designed a tutorial centre for an education company based in Hyderabad, 5 Mantra Learning.
2023
- present
Architect/interior designer/furniture designer at Sona Reddy Studio, Jubliee hills, Hyderabad. They handle residential, retail and hospitality projects. Working with them expanded my design thinking and project management skills extensively.
Freelance : apartment interiors, gandipet, Hyderabad. Home office, Sarjapur, Bangalore. Farm house, Bangalore.
Technical Skills
Autocad Revit
Sketchup Enscape Lumion
Vray Photoshop Indesign
Illustrator
Soft Skills
Social media stratergy
Team leadership
Photography
Client oriented
Team Player
Time management
Creative spirit
Organised
Friendly
Languages : English Hindi Telugu Kannada
01 The Crossover House /// 02 Cobden Chambers /// 03
Mrunalini Rao Flagship
Exterior views of The Crossover House
T H E C R O S S O V E R
H O U S E creating a play on place, light and shadow
Project location Ambergate, Derbyshire
Project type : Residential / educational
Project area : 450msq
The problem of function is also one of obsolescence. If a building is perfectly designed for the specific function of its typology, once its purpose has run its course, the building loses its reason for being. Human/spatial behaviour changes over time. Changes in patterns or work, consumption, technology, lifestyle aspirations and even taste, can render an existing building to be at the end of its lifetime.
The brief is concerned with the development of a live/work housing design for a client with specific requirements. The client is a collection of 2 families seeking to live as a semi-anarchic/off-grid community. 2 of the adults work exclusively from home, the other 2 adults homeschool the
children and work part time elsewhere. The total number of occupiers is 8, comprising of 4 adults aged between 30 and 45 years and 4 children aged between 5 and 17 years of age. The users will be living and eating communally, producing their own food where possible, and wish to harness their own energy and water needs as much as possible given the site’s location.
Occupation of the adult users - Writer + part-timer Common interest of the adult users - Rewilding and Sustainable gardening.
In response to the brief, the architectural intervention for the collective housing aims to achieve a seamless relationship with the existing rural setting. Spatial elements have been put together to harness natural light coming into the space to keep the user inspired.
Left to right - communal spaces of the house : the kitchen follows an open kitchen plan with lots of storage area and a separate pantry to suffice all the members of the community ; the dining area sits within the exposed existing walls with staircase access to the first floor, direct access to the pantry & powder room and access to a pocket garden ; the homeschooling area ; the writers private office.
The home office or the creative corridor is designed for both the writers with integrated furniture. It opens up to the landscape with a private patio to stimulate creativity and have a close dialogue with nature.
The private study/multi-purpose space is a double height area which forms a small cosy nook with natural light flowing in from the skylight, views to the scenic road adjacent to the site and direct access to the master bedrooms and the first floor.
Forcing two families to meet at crossover and do that activity together. Reducing the line between indoor and outdoor. Times have changed but for the exisitng time is frozen still.
Cosy bedrooms with views to the landscape, a direct access to a private study/ multifuctional area, the first floor and an en-suite bathroom.
Roofing with skylights. Material include:
First floor with kids sleeping chambers and multipurpose area.
Ground floor is divided into private and communal units.
Private including: bedrooms, home office.
Communal including: living, kitchen, dining area.
The spillover spaces include: Private home office, home school, greenhouse.
Project location : Pelham street, Nottingham
Project type : Commercial/ educational Project area 435sqm
Cobden Place is an independent creative coworking hub located within the urban hidden courtyard of Cobden Chambers. Spread over four floors of a restored old lace factory. The building plays host to a ground floor coworking cafe, flexible hire events space, meeting rooms, creative facilities and flexible hourly, daily, weekly and resident coworking workspace.
Due to covid19 and work from home, respect for outdoor spaces has increased. In order to promote and inspire future developments such as at St Ann’s Allotments,
C O B D E N
C H A M B E R S
The redevelopment project
this brief challenged me to imagine a flexible proposal, inspired by a ‘shed’ aesthetic, to act as a vessel that captures the appeal of owning an allotment, whilst facilitating a number of exciting, original, community focused activities that remain true to the ethos and ambitions of the client.
In response to the brief, a perfume store + workshop along with a coffee bar and a communal garden space to grow the main ingredients for the perfume was designed. Sense of smell is considered a right brain activity which rules emotions, memory and creativity. Smelling sweet smells enhances ones mood. The concept of the project was to take the intangible idea of smell and transform it into a physical experential space by bringing the outdoors indoors.
• Adding levels in terms of furniture to create an interesting dynamic throughout the space.
• Glass + water : precious, replicating perfume.
Play on senses - sound of water falling
The EsScents Room - A perfume store
Partition designed creating privacy between retail and cafe space. Also seperating activities from a casual to a semi formal setup
Top row - The EsScents Room, houses the reception area, display area and a stand alone work bench. The back door leads to the workshop space situated in the basement.
Bottom row - The Caffine Fix, houses the coffee bar which enhances the experience of The EsScents Room by cleansings ones pallette.
Views of the communal garden space which was carefully designed as to not disturb the surrounding activities of The Cobden Place This space consists of a flexible greenhouse which can be opened up during the summer months. The water feature resuses the water used to watering plants, hence making the whole setup sustainable. Plants which are used to create perfumes are grown here.
Printed tile
Fluted Glass
Sandstone
Textured wall finish
The entrance on the ground floor opens into The Caffine Fix which leads to the The EsScents Room.
The Basement houses the perfume production area; agening and storing area; and the workshop area.
Top to bottom - The Caffine fix, The EsScents Room
Store front elevation
Project location Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, India.
Project type : Commercial/ Crafted Spaces
Project area : 3500 SFT, G+1
Year of completion 2021
Scope of project : Concept development, design drawings, working drawings, 3D modelling, spatial visualisation, site visits, vendor and client coordination
This was a renovation project. Architecture and interior design services were provided to the client. This is a botique store and the look the client was going for was colonial. Play with tiles, wall textures, false ceiling design, facade treatment , furniture and landscaping tranformed this place. The site had an old house situated just off a busy main road with couple of mango trees in front, and was originally constructed as a residence, but later on served as rental stores and office spaces over the years.
M R U N A L I N I R A O A blank canvas to shine
The two storey structure had load bearing walls with an external staircase to access the first floor and a brick compound wall, that was demolished and the new structure was introduced.
An Internal staircase was introduced to connect the two buildings levels, creating a beautiful transition space devoid of clothing and serving as the Reception area and feature element for the façade.
The most important part of designing a luxury clothing Retail Space is letting the clients clothing shine and take the front seat. Practicing restraint in design was crucial and it was important to identify areas where we could add design elements where the clothes wouldn’t lose focus.
Conceptual sketches
Longitudnal Section
Left to right Facade, Double height reception area with Poppy light installation inspired by Ruskin Bond, The Dialogue corridor for customers.
Detail drawing of light installation
Left to right : Facade, Double height reception area, Double height area with Poppy light installation inspired by Ruskin Bond, The Dialogue corridor for customers. (Handover photoshoot pictures)
Project location Gachibowli, Hyderabad, India.
Project type : Residential/ Crafted Spaces
Project area : 6000 SFT, G+2 Year of completion 2022
Scope of project : Interior concept development, design drawings, working drawings, 3D modelling, spatial visualisation, site visits, vendor and client coordination
This residence is located in a quiet gated community in Gachibowli, Hyderabad, spread across 3 floors with an area of 6000 sq.ft. The family wanted a modern Indian, easy to maintain home with subtle tones and hints of traditionality reflecting through out the space. Each space has been carefully designed to create a cohesive look and feel throughout the house.
The villa’s traditional elements are evident in the use of intricate patterns and designs in the fabrics, flooring material, and furniture. At the same time, modern elements are seen
F U S I O N
H O U S E 55 he traditional + modern style
in the use of clean lines, minimalistic designs, and contemporary art pieces. The overall color palette is neutral with pops of colors in various rooms. Experimentation with different types of material such as oxide and tandur for flooring, textured concrete finishes on ceiling, copper inserts in walls and flooring was incorporated. Stone cladding and brick cladding were also incorporated in the design. Experimentation with flooring as well as false ceiling design was also done.
The living room was designed with a focus on comfort and functionality. The small courtyard brightens up the space with greenery and natural light adding a very refreshing corner in the house. The kitchen originally had an open plan but the client wanted it to seperated from the dining space. To achieve this a foldable fluted glass partition wall was designed.
This villa is a beautiful example of how traditional and modern elements can be combined seamlessly to create a cohesive and stunning interior.
Left to right Facade, Entrance dispaly area, waiting area with tree of life installation, Double height reception area with Poppy light installation inspired by Ruskin Bond, The Dialogue corridor for customers.
Top to bottom : The dining area, The living area
Project location : Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, India.
Project type : Residential/ SRS
Project area : 2000 SFT
Year of completion ongoing
Scope of project : Concept development, design drawings, working drawings, 3D modelling, spatial visualisation, site visits, vendor and client coordination
nterior design services were tailored to the client’s desires, aiming to infuse her personality throughout the entire home. Cherished antiques, deeply meaningful to the client, were seamlessly integrated into the design. From the imposing stone pillars adorned with antique columns to the inviting cozy nooks and sweeping views of lush greens, the essence of this house encapsulates her spirit.
The earth-based materials, including tandur stone, jaisalmeir stone, tadelakt, lime plaster, and granite, not only enhance the aesthetic appeal but also create a sense of harmony with the natural environment, grounding the space in time-
B H A I R A V A
K R U P A
South India inspired chic fusion
less elegance and authenticity.
The earth-based materials, including tandur stone, jaisalmeir stone, tadelakt, lime plaster, and granite, not only enhance the aesthetic appeal but also create a sense of harmony with the natural environment, grounding the space in timeless elegance and authenticity. Every texture, color, and finish was chosen with utmost care, reflecting her appreciation for beauty and connection to the earth.
The kitchen and wardrobe were meticulously designed, blending functionality with exquisite aesthetics. Terracotta accents and fabric shutters were delicately woven into the design, infusing warmth and tactile richness. The use of textured glasses throughout the house adds a playful dimension, infusing the space with a playful visual interplay. Each element was thoughtfully selected to not only enhance the functionality of the space but also to elevate its overall aesthetic appeal, creating a harmonious and engaging environment.
Longitudnal Section
3D visualisation site pictures
M I S C E L L A N
E O U S
sketches, concrete casting, illustrations, photography, model making
Top left to right : Concrete casting, Illustration, Modeling making for sona reddy studio, Illustrations, Tubular space frame (material wooden sticks); Shore temple, Mahabalipuram carved out of soap; Detail at site (model made out of foam); Masters project concept models (concrete casting)
Scan me for previous works! Scan me for Masters- Thesis!
