Meet Sonaali Arvind Naik
Interior Designer & Vastu Consultant
Founder, SAN Design Studio · Mumbai
I've spent fifteen years designing spaces that mean something — homes and workplaces across Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Goa and beyond, each one built around the people who actually live and work in them.
I started SAN Design Studio because I believed interior design should feel like a conversation, not a transaction. My clients come to me because they want a space that reflects who they are — not a showroom version of their life, and certainly not a trend that will look dated in three years. I design end-to-end: from the first site visit and 3D renders through to material selection, execution, and the final layer of styling that makes a space feel complete.
What I love most is the specificity of it. I have always been drawn to indigenous materials and craft — the ones that come from the land, that have been shaped by hand, that carry a texture and warmth no manufactured finish can replicate. I use them not as decoration but as foundation, because naturally sourced materials bring a sense of grounding and calm to a space that you feel before you can name it. Understanding that a young family needs storage that disappears and traffic flow that actually works — that kind of thinking is what separates a considered interior from a pretty one.
I also consult on Vastu — not as a rulebook, but as a framework that understands how energy, light and orientation shape the way a space feels. It is, when done well, entirely compatible with modern, functional design.
If you are renovating, building from scratch, or simply trying to make sense of a space that has never quite worked — I would be glad to talk.
"A space should feel like the people in it."
How I Work
Transparent,
Step by Step
Clear drawings, realistic timelines, and decisions made with purpose - you always know where your project stands.
Hands-On Through
Execution
I'm close to every stage of the build, meticulous with finishes beacuse you'll notice them for years, not just on handover day.
Built Around
How You Live
Traffic flow, storage that actually stores, lighting that flatters - the everyday detials that make a space work, not just look good.
Rooted in Craft
& Material
I have a soft spot for natural stone, brass, wood, and the heritage elements that give a space warmth and permanence.
While I'm the one you'll work with from our first conversation to the final walkthrough, I don't do this alone. Every project is built by the same team I've worked with since I started this practice — carpentry, civil and structural work, electrical, plumbing, painting, polishing, and POP and false-ceiling work, among the specialists who round out a site.
None of them is hired fresh for a project. They've been with me for years, which means they already know how I work, what I expect from a finish, and where the details actually matter.
That continuity is what makes the quality hold. A civil team that already understands how I plan for storage. A polish contractor who knows the sheen I'm after without three rounds of samples. It's why a kitchen I hand over today carries the same standard as one I delivered ten years ago — the plan and the people executing it have always moved together.