I'm Akshaya, and I recently graduated with an MFA in interior design from SCAD.  I grew up in Chennai, India, where the city’s energy sparked my love for how spaces shape people’s lives. After studying architecture, I realized my passion was in interiors—the places people experience daily. I dove into this through internships in Bangalore, India, and later as a junior designer at Archstory in Chennai, where I managed projects from start to finish. This hands-on experience led me to SCAD for an MFA, where I focused on human-centered design. My time at Drake/Anderson in New York deepened my love for creating thoughtful, impactful spaces, especially in luxury and hospitality. 

I’m fascinated by how different fields like fashion, graphic design, and branding intersect with interior design. While taking two luxury brand management electives, I got to dive into creating visual campaigns for brands like Bvlgari and Maison Margiela, which made me realize how much I love telling stories through design. My obsession with patterns and fabrics led me to an elective where I collaborated with Kravet to develop patterns for hospitality. I’m always curious and love digging into how design can connect so many different worlds in creative ways.