Decorsutra Interview Series: NECTAR

Let’s go through this inspiring story of Shwetha Luhana, the founder of NECTAR, the Ahmedabad based Wedding Designer.

Shweta Luhana, the Interior Designer who passionately turned into an event designer and created a trend in Wedding Designs by creating unique and rare concepts for every client and each decor setup!

Have a look at the story of the strong woman in her own words and get motivated.

Professional Career:

How did NECTAR start

I am an Interior design Alumni from CE.P.T. University & I passionately travel the world to
gather my inspirations ……Being an interior designer I loves rare, I love details, I love
listening to stories, I admire timeless beauty.
Interiors Being Permanent personal spaces, it somewhere allowed me explorations with
materials, structure, forms only until its Functional limit ……. whereas I always wanted to
take the liberty to think out of the box without any limitations to create wild fantasies for
real!
I’ve always aspired to be that dream weaver who listens to A client’s Desires & convert It
into a crafted canvas & Décor as Field Gave wings to that aspiration & a sky full of
an endless possibility of some of the most Fascination creations & exactly with this
philosophy I at my firm NECTAR, strive to create spaces & experiences with lots of
experimentation at the level of craft, unique ideation with love weaving each new story
& every new desire.

How long have you been in business?

I’ve been in the business of Bespoke décor design since 2013, So its 7 years now!
We at NECTAR expertise in Exclusively Only designing events – So essential we are the
Go to Wedding design firm for whoever wants their décor set up to be unique and
created exclusively just for them and hence we are not an event management company
where décor is yet another plugin.

Services you offer and Specializations

NECTAR as a design firm deals with Boutique Luxury Weddings & Bespoke intimate
events like cocktails, brunches, sit down dinners & corporate gala nights, we at NECTAR
Believe in the art of assimilating the finest ideas to craft the finest experiences as Bespoke décor spaces. We are the go-to firm for every bride and groom that wishes their wedding festivity
events to be uniquely designed just for them with A brand new concept and ideation as
a One-time exclusive setup listening to their desires & aspirations
We render an unforgettable Soulful flavor to each and every event. we are that rare
a brand that tells your exclusive story as a spatial narrative at your event, which every
guest would cherish for a lifetime ahead!

What do you do differently than other companies.

At NECTAR we take immense pride & joy in creating a brand new design concept for each
the new bespoke event, we never repeat our setups or ideation for any other event
thereafter – Its always a One Time Show!
Since our design methodology runs on the format of weaving a client’s Desires &
drawing our inspirations from there to convert It into a crafted canvas – we work very
closely with each of our bride & groom, understanding their vision of how they’d dream
their special day to be like, How They’d want it to be a space crafted from all their
special moments, travel inspirations & other intimate details & that’s what makes our
ideation so unique as its woven from a treasure trove of references of memories,
persona, special experiences & unmatched set of skills & passions.
I still remember many weddings we crafted were inspired by the spectacular home
that our clients grew up in or their exquisite passion for collecting rare art & that as an
the idea to weave as a décor canvas – So while other companies & methodology might just
be about making the space look festive or desirable – We Attempt to make it
mesmerizingly beautiful, unforgettable, special & uniquely yours!
We believe in the beauty of local & magnificence of Indian craft & all our Décor canvases
are very sensitive as an attempt to weave them both!

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Personal & Growth:

How do you keep up with industry trends and news.

Since we don’t believe in following only a specific trend or the trend of the season,
somewhere we are never intimidated by what the mass is following or what navigates
the mass . . . . we at NECTAR believe in being trendsetters & yes being inspired is
essential, So every now and then we travel, we meet new people, we hear lots of
stories & of course love staying connected to the décorsutra’s amazing creative bank to
gather our inspirations & create our own trends with each new décor canvas ahead!

What’s your secret for staying calm under pressure.

I always believe that If you are passionate about the vision you are holding & want to
see it taking in shape in reality – then everything in between is just a process!
And that’s the exact belief that keeps me calm in an industry like ours where every
moment until the curtain raiser is volatile, You might be just two hours away from
Handing over the decor setup & it might feel that you far from finishing it – the flower
guys have finished just 50% of his task, the lights are an issue, the wind maybe blows
away the crisp drapes – everything might seem chaotic, but then That 1 desire to see &
make it look exactly the way you’ve sketched gives you all the strength to synergize the
chaos and shape your setup with all its details to perfection in real!

Future plans and what do you aspire

When I created N E C T A R, I knew I was creating a design practice that believed in
assimilating & churning only the best creative juices……. it strives to weave memories
that create BESPOKE SPACES crafted with love as rare Timeless experiences!
I strive to have the right PATRONS who support our philosophy & give us a free hand as
opportunities to create rare & mind-blowing décor canvases.
I wish to have affiliations with organizations which run with similar philosophies as ours
and we have global tie-ups with groups like RELAIS & CHATEAUX properties the world over
& have a NECTAR family of patron’s world over love us for our aesthetics & reach out to
us for wanting their event to be a uniquely crafted NECTAR event.
We wish to create for royal families in royal homes across India as we are hugely inspired
by our Ancient Indian Regal history, patronage of crafts & exquisite royals with their
legendary lifetimes as a fascination canvas to study & be inspired from as an individual’s
story to create for modern regal India!

What’s your favorite event in decor

I love doing Intimate sit down dinner gatherings be it at home or as a part of the wedding
festivities or event Corporate gala night – Its gives me such a boutique canvas to play
with details be it laying out the entire arrangement right from seating to crockery to
menu card styling to floral and illumination details . . . right up till table textiles & allotted
guest tags design – it’s about creating a lifestyle experience at another level.

Ups and Downs, Suggestions:

What are some of the biggest challenges faced in your career

Being a girl boss in an industry that’s dominated by men can initially be very
intimidating, but by god’s grace once my talent was recognized everything else blurred
out & I’ve always been welcomed, celebrated, supported & progressed each with more
power & confidence . . .
But yes it’s a challenging industry wherein there is no definite timing to your work
hours, you meet all kinds of people, most of the work happens at odd hours of the night,
you are expected to explore some of the most distant spots as décor potential canvases, weather can be harsh in certain time periods of the year . . . you have to be physically
very fit to be on-site & direct while the event is shaping, So along with your skill, a
wonderful team, supporting family & spouse – immense confidence in your vision &
people & disaster management skills are the key to functioning smoothly in a field which
looks glamorous as an end product but has the harshest route as a behind the scene
making journey!

Your suggestions for upcoming Event managers/ Decorators

I believe teamwork is everything, wherein every person’s role should be respected and
demarcated But unless they all function in synergy a well-crafted end product is not
possible . . . . . Same goes for wedding designers, decorators and event managers as a
team!
Designers should not just be a plugin a resource who are brains working behind the
scenes without accreditation – They actually give the soul to the event Aesthetics &
event management companies should not just use that skill as a resource but
acknowledge them with more value and work as a bridge between clients and designers
to achieve the best ideation for the event and also work as a very Cooperating on
ground team for achieving the best execution outcome on the field!
At the end of the day, it’s a wholistic effort and a good show belongs to all as a collective
the effort to be cherished as a memory by everyone once the event wraps up.

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