Spaces Vol 1 Is 6

Sonia
Text: A.B. Shrestha
Sonia’s entrance into the frame comes like a whiff
of fresh air not only due to her attractive demeanor
but equally due to her modern ideas.
DESIGNER
Sonia Gupta, nee Malhotra, is
starting to make her mark in
Kathmandu. This pretty interior
designer from Delhi is proving, once
again, that art and design knows no
boundaries. Nepal’s architectural landscape
already has had the likes of the great Robert
Weise and Louis Kahn imprinting their
respective stamps, and currently, Gotz
Hagmuller, making sure he leaves behind a
legacy as well. So Kathmandu is no stranger to
an international milieu in the architectural
field. Now, a younger generation of
international designers is entering the picture.
Sonia’s entrance into the frame comes like a
whiff of fresh air not only due to her
attractive demeanor but equally due to her
modern ideas. Her arrival on the scene
perhaps adds to the much-needed move
towards a more contemporary vision in
interior designing in the Capital.
J Bar in Thamel is one such move and it has
certainly done Sonia proud. Jeans Café in
Basantpur has been a continuation of the same
spirit as has been Vineyard in Baber Mahal
Revisited. Especially heartwarming to Sonia has
been the end result of her efforts in J Bar. “I
was fortunate to have really understanding clients
who placed their total faith in my abilities,” she
says. “My concept was accepted at first glance
and from then on, no stone was left unturned to
ensure that my work progressed rapidly and
without hindrances.” Enthused with the accolades
that followed, Sonia must be realizing that now
she has a reputation to live up to. The work she
has been assigned to refurbish the Coffee Shop,
the Ghar-E-Kabab as well as the rooms of the
Hotel de l’Annapurna might well be her
opportunity to do so.
One cannot but notice an aura of confidence
around her when discussing the project. “I
already have a concept in my mind about what I
think the finished project should look like,” she
says. “I have been studying the clientele here and
I have noticed that in addition to young
customers and the usual tourists, there are a
sizeable number of regulars. I don’t want them
to feel out of place later on and at the same
time I want the younger customers to enjoy a
more sophisticated and modern environment.”
She adds, “I will be working on this with Kai
Weise who will be responsible for the
architectural and structural work”. Well, this is
one project that will be attracting some attention,
keeping in mind that Kai’s father, the late Robert
SPACES SEP-OCT 2005 67