New Delhi, July 28 -- Born into an artistic family, it's not entirely surprising to hear interior designer Raseel Gujral Ansal describe "creativity" as her "fitrat", or nature. The daughter of celebrated artist Satish Gujral and ceramicist Kiran Gujral, Ansal remembers being "raised in an atmosphere where originality was sacred". "My parents taught me to stay rooted in India and in my belief systems," Ansal says. These lessons have held her in good stead throughout her career of 30-plus years as an interior designer and co-founder of architecture and interior design firm Casa Paradox, and its pret diffusion offshoot, Casa Pop.

In an interview with Mint, she talks about her studio that is more than just the place she works out of and why ...