A practice built through real projects
I began my work in interior design through direct, hands-on practice, working with real homes, real constraints, and real people.
I started my studio in 2006 after working with design firms in both India and Canada, navigating different markets, expectations, and ways of living. That early exposure shaped how I approach space: not as a fixed aesthetic problem, but as a lived one—rooted in culture, habit, and constraint.
Over time, my work has spanned residential and select commercial projects, often involving renovation-heavy conditions where decisions carry long-term consequences.
My focus narrowed to the spaces where decisions matter most: Kitchens, Renovation-critical zones, and the systems that support them.
These are environments where poor sequencing creates friction, and good thinking creates long-term ease.
This foundation is not theoretical. It comes from navigating layouts, budgets, timelines, client uncertainty, and the consequences of decisions made too early or without context.
Professional training and certification
My background includes formal design education and professional certification, including the Certified Kitchen & Bath Designer (CKBD) designation, earned and re-earned through continued learning and recertification.
Working across different markets and regulatory environments has sharpened my attention to:
Technical requirements
Construction realities
Code-aware planning
Functional prioritization
Alongside project work, I have held industry-facing roles focused on communication and knowledge-sharing, including serving as Communications Chair for NKBA at the chapter level.
To strengthen communication as a discipline, I also invested in structured training through Toastmasters International, focusing on clarity, structure, and how ideas land with an audience.
Credentials matter, but only when they are paired with judgment.
Perspective across cultures and systems
My work has been shaped by experience across countries, cultures, and professional systems.
Re-establishing practice in Canada required more than credential transfer →
It required relearning standards, processes, and expectations from the ground up.
That experience deepened my respect for structure, clarity, and adaptability.
It also reinforced a core belief: Design intelligence is portable. Ego is not.
This work reflects the professional path of Reena Venkatesh, whose practice bridges design, renovation, education, and communication.
From execution to interpretation
Over time, my work evolved.
Much of my professional growth came from observing where projects succeed and where they unravel.
Design outcomes are rarely compromised by creativity alone. They are compromised when decisions are made too early, without context, or under pressure.
Years of working through budgets, layouts, trades, product timelines, and human expectations led me to a simple conclusion: Design is not only visual. It is decisional.
I began to notice a consistent pattern → projects succeed or fail long before finishes are selected.
The real struggle lives in:
Decision overload
Unclear priorities
Lack of sequencing
Language gaps between professionals and clients
Observation shifted my focus toward:
Decision frameworks
Written tools
Education
Design communication
This realization gradually shifted my work from producing solutions to structuring the thinking that leads to better ones.
Today, my work spans design systems, resources, and conversations that help people understand what to decide, when, and why.
Engagement beyond private practice
My experience extends beyond individual projects into the broader design industry through:
Professional involvement
Collaboration with peers and suppliers
Participation in design conversations and events
Contributing to dialogue around how homes are planned, renovated, and lived in
These roles reinforce my belief that design is not just produced, it is communicated.
What this experience supports now
This background informs how I work today:
With homeowners seeking clarity
With professionals who value structure
With audiences interested in how design decisions shape daily life
It supports a practice that is:
Selective
Thinking-led
Systems-oriented
Grounded in experience rather than trend
Experience doesn’t just add years. It refines what you pay attention to