Evolving Interior Design for Modern Lifestyles: Insights by Sonali Bhagwati, Designplus Architecture

Sonali Bhagwati, Founder & Principal Designer, Designplus Architecture: Interiors today are no longer static backdrops. Over the years, I have seen them evolve into active participants in the way people live, work, rest, and adapt. As lifestyles shift and expectations change, interior design carries a responsibility that goes well beyond aesthetics. It must now respond to longevity, climate consciousness, and everyday usability. At Designplus Architecture (DPA), this has meant moving away from interiors as fixed compositions and toward interiors as frameworks: designed to grow, shift, and mature alongside their occupants.

Across our residential and hospitality projects, there has been a clear transformation in how spaces are occupied. Homes today are expected to perform multiple roles within the same footprint. A living room may function as a workspace during the day, a social space in the evening, and a quiet retreat at night. In several of our private residences in Delhi NCR and Mumbai, this shift has led us to rethink traditional room hierarchies. Rather than designing single-use spaces, we now prioritise clear zoning, adaptable layouts, and lighting strategies that respond to different times of day and patterns of use.


Flexibility, however, is often misunderstood. For us, it is not about ambiguity or loosely defined spaces. It is about clarity, designing with enough structure and intent that spaces can evolve naturally. In projects such as our large-format apartments in Gurgaon, this has translated into sliding partitions that allow rooms to expand or contract, layered lighting that shifts mood without altering layout, and furniture-integrated storage systems that quietly absorb the realities of everyday life.

This approach requires foresight. Interiors that are overly prescriptive tend to age quickly. Over time, we have learned that longevity comes from focusing on fundamentals: proportion, adjacency, and spatial hierarchy. These are the elements that allow rooms to change function without the need for structural intervention. Storage, in particular, is one of the most underestimated aspects of interior design, yet it plays a decisive role in how well a space functions over decades.

Climate awareness has further reshaped how interior decisions are made. Material selection today cannot be driven by appearance alone. Performance, maintenance, and durability carry equal weight. At DPA, sustainability is never treated as a stylistic layer. It is embedded in a series of informed decisions, choosing materials that age well, detailing them honestly, and ensuring they can withstand long-term use. In hospitality projects, where wear is inevitable, these decisions become especially critical. The success of an interior is revealed not at completion, but years later, in how gracefully it continues to perform.

Another shift is the need for sensory balance. Many of our recent interiors consciously move away from excess toward restraint. Natural light is treated as a primary design element. Tactile materials, stone, wood, and textured surfaces bring warmth and grounding. Controlled colour palettes create calm without monotony. This is not about minimalism as an aesthetic, but about designing interiors that support clarity, comfort, and everyday living.

Ultimately, interiors that respond meaningfully to changing lifestyles and environmental realities are those designed to last. When adaptability, material intelligence, and human comfort guide design decisions, interiors remain relevant well beyond the moment they are completed, continuing to support life as it unfolds, rather than resisting it.