(THE EVERYDAY GIRL) SHIVANGINI PARIHAR

Our first in 'The Everyday Girl' series is Shivangini Parihar, founder and owner of The Summer House. I met Shivangini at an exhibition, one forgotten day and fell in love with her work. I remember standing there transfixed at the simplicity of her creations and the charming pictures accompanying them (pictures, I later found out, are clicked by herself!) Decor lovers would have seen her work floating around and her story is one that my advertising friends would love to hear!

Name: Shivangini Parihar

Age: 33

Designation: Founder and owner of the summer house

What was your first job right out of college? Take us through your career path...

I started out as a junior copywriter with an ad agency and got to do tons of fun work right from the beginning. I had the absolute time of my life and my love affair with advertising lasted a very long eight years. It was here that I began to discover and love design. After my daughter’s birth in 2010 I thought long and hard if I wanted to go back to full time advertising. But design had taken over my senses by then, it was all I spoke about. And the fact that the market was full of kitsch so I never found the subtle stuff I liked and desired, helped me make the decision to start The Summer House.

When did you fall in love with all things wood?
I grew up surrounded by beauty. In my village and boarding school, everything had a story. But I took it for granted. From bed spreads embroidered by an aunt, clothes stitched by another, quilts made by my mom and even luggage made by my grandmom…everything in our house was beautiful and painstakingly put together. Craftsmanship and talent was truly appreciated in my home. It was only when I moved to the city and saw people oohing and aahing over things that were always a part of my life that I truly began to appreciate them. So not just wood, I began to love everything handmade, hand crafted and thanks to the personalities of my mom and grandmom, everything subtle. Wood was just easier to begin with.

Why 'The Summer House'?

Because our family had one. A beautiful white house surrounded by a rose garden. There was a well in the backyard, it had the sweetest water. There was a lake close by and the house was surrounded by hills. There was no other structure nearby, just a temple on the other side of the lake. Everything within the house was white or wood, vintage stuff that I found too old fashioned then. But some of my happiest childhood images are from in and around that house. Everything I create now, would fit perfectly in my summer house.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

From old designs and things. And from what I desire for my own home.

What's a typical day in your life like?

I wake up at sunrise and spend an hour reading or just being. If I don’t have that, I am nasty all day. Then there’s a hectic hour of making breakfast and keeping out of my husband’s way, as he gets ready for work while I get our daughter ready for school.

The morning is the only constant. The rest just varies. If there’s a ton to do, I spend a lot of time on the phone and computer. Otherwise I just sit with my notebook and think design. The evenings are spent in the park or on the beach with the kid. She runs around while I work or read. There’s nothing like a fixed dinner or sleep time in our home. So we eat and sleep when we feel like. Or actually, depending on the football match that day.

( Image by Under the Indian Sky)

All images courtesy The Summer House (except for the last one)