An unorthodox office

This is what Unorthodox Designs does differently inside their Gurugram office!

17 Jun 2025

ELLE DECOR

Much like the firm’s name, Unorthodox Designs in Gurugram uses an unusual coalescence of three minds to achieve the respite a workplace needs. Childhood friends turned founders and principle architects: Samiksha Khanna, Saalanki Saraf and Upneet Kaur use the office as their creative playground. A combination of their distinct callings —- A bold, quirky outlook that meets nature-based elements and a canvas of local, Indian materials — all of it comes together at the 2,500 sq ft office to birth an immersive, balanced space.

“There was no client, no formal brief. Only the intent to create a space that reflects the studio’s own evolving language” — Samiksha, Saalanki and Upneet

‘The Thought Spot’ encourages the flow of ideas; Styled by Sapna and Tarang Goyal; Photography by Tarang Goyal

One office, three minds

Projects often come with an initial idea or a spark that sets the tone, but in this case, there was no external entity to drive dialogues and ideas. “There was no client, no formal brief — only the intent to create a space that reflects the studio’s own evolving language” say Samiksha, Saalanki and Upneet. For their office, the founders were all drawn to the essence of Afro-Indian aesthetics that merge naturalness with ornamentation and form. These elements come together and reflect their ideas of the practice through their functionality. “Like we often remind our clients, we remind ourselves too: thoughtful design doesn’t need to come at an extravagant cost,” say the co-founders.

Sculpting a basement into a workspace

Guests are greeted upon entrance by a mural, lighted by a rope-and-jute chandelier. The studio’s motto ‘Translating Happiness into Spaces’ is a strike of black against the texture of the neutral coloured wall. This striking entrance maintains itself through the furnishings that implement stone veneer, choral 3D panels and wallpaper. Different layers make the space immersive without making it feel overcluttered. The prints are bold, and the space makes use of sculptural elements and statement furniture, which comes together with quirky lighting. This office will make sure its visitors remember it — through its bold textures and spaces like ‘The Thought Spot’ which is a collective space for brainstorming and putting ideas together. The conference room shelving also experiments with floral wallpaper that balances metal detailing, while even fun prints in the lounge give it a burst of energy.

A striking mural greets guests in the foyer, custom designed by Unorthodox Designs, with a carved Naga chair, boulders and a hanging rope and jute chandelier from outdoorfurnitures.in while the giraffe is sourced from a local artisan; Styled by Sapna and Tarang Goyal; Photography by Tarang Goyal

The lounge embraces afro-print upholstery and earthy textures on the walls from Nirmals Furnishings, complete with quirky decor items from outdoorfurnitures.in; Photography by Tarang Goyal

Sky is the limit

Located in a basement, the office has limited natural light and the tendency of moisture-retaining surfaces, while the layout lacked a cohesive flow. Instead of disguising these drawbacks, the designers responded thoughtfully, rearranging the rooms around the few light sources, introducing greenery to soften the space, and layering materials that felt warm, grounded, and expressive. Material played an important role: a tool for making up their composition with contrast. The primary colours were kept as a soft off-white that made space for the other elements to shine through, despite the lack of natural light. The use of earthy colours helps make an effective use of the space acting as a background to the pop of colours — the red chair in the lounge, deep burgundy across the director’s cabin and bold artwork that dots the space.