Experiential designer and interior architect Parveer Braich runs her own multidisciplinary studio called Eksait, a word conveying the feeling of, ‘excitement’ in Hindi. Throughout her career she has delivered a wide range of projects for in-house teams and worked as a senior freelance designer for design and build companies and creative agencies specialising in exhibitions and events, before setting up Eksait in 2020.
Parv’s work combines interior architecture with experiential digital environments, providing hybrid services for her clients. Currently focusing on bespoke residential projects, she describes her studio as offering, “a breath of fresh air into our projects and processes, with a view to ‘eksait’ the curiosity of others.” Parv believes in collaboration and working with clients in a sustainable and ethical way to construct sensory environments that connect with people. She is also keen to work in a way that respects the commercial supply chain and is not exploitative.
After graduating from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Interior Architecture, Parv made her breakthrough into the commercial world through collaboration with a family-owned heritage mill and museum site in Shropshire. This project helped her to develop confidence and gain commercial experience leading to paid projects which built up her portfolio and led to her first permanent job role.
Starting her career as junior designer for an exhibitions and events company, then progressed to head of design, before eventually going freelance and running Eksait. Having felt the effects of a lack of diversity and experienced sexism during her career, Parv believes that education is crucial in, “dismantling subconscious biases,” and in decolonising homogenous narratives in the design industry. She’s also found that “unpacking my own design biases has been really interesting and altered project deliveries, which receives a very positive response from clients. Being an Indian woman who has grown up in the UK I have always challenged South Asian cultural biases and prejudice as forms of control.”
Parv is currently awaiting the result of a tender to create an art installation for a heritage museum named after the suffragette Amelia Scott. In the near future, she also plans to refine the visual identity of her creative practice, add to her current skills set by mentoring and progress into interdisciplinary teaching after completing an Masters in Art and Science.
We chatted with Parv to find out more about her career path and experiences as woman working in the design industry and thoughts on addressing gender bias and inequality.
How did you first become interested in working as an interior architect/experiential designer?
My experience over the last 10 years in the commercial creative and production industry has continuously landed me at the crossroads where ethical values and sustainable practices confront one another. I have worked both in house as senior lead for design production studios and freelance for many global and UK based creative agencies designing experiential exhibitions and events. Having worked ‘behind the scenes’ I have sometimes encountered situations where portraying a persona becomes a facade that overwhelms the genuine intention. I feel that it is a rite of passage to experience the commercial creative industry in this way. I want to stress the importance of retaining values for the benefit of the team, the wellbeing of external supply partners and, most importantly, the quality of delivery for the end client. Reflecting and adjusting accordingly is for me a healthy thing as it helps one to keep in line with my personal values.
Can you tell us a bit about your career path and how you got to where you are now.
For me the love triangle between art, science and history is constantly evolving. It started with art. During primary school in year 2, during an art lesson we were asked to paint portraits of the person sitting opposite us. My teachers acknowledged that I had a ‘gifted talent’ and hung my painting outside the headteacher’s office for some time. In secondary school I was drawn to the sciences because of the experimental aspect and found these easier subjects to comprehend than English, which I struggled with due to my dyslexia. I was always fascinated by history and the light it can shed on current circumstances. Having said this, the disciplines were taught in isolation from one another in my secondary education. I focused mostly on the arts, textile techniques and critical thinking. My sister suggested architecture / interior architecture as a degree course because it could lead to a stable career.
While studying for my degree, I came to appreciate the synergies between the arts, science and history. After graduating I went back to the West Midlands and worked at Subway whilst looking for jobs in the field. I decided to find experience by looking and asking everywhere and anywhere for opportunities. Thankfully, I managed to gain some commercial experience working on grant applications for a family-owned heritage mill and museum site in Shropshire. From this I worked on my first paid project and I am forever grateful that the family put their trust in me. Not only did I have real work projects to showcase in my portfolio but I also learnt to run a project.
My career path began from a position as a junior designer to becoming the head of a design studio, working as a senior freelancer predominantly for commercial design and build companies, and global creative agencies. Eventually, I set up Eksait studio where I can now demonstrate the integration in hybrid services to considered commercial collaborators, experiential exhibitions, technical productions and interior residential architecture as a collective. The hard work and determination required to set up my own studio are a result of making a conscious departure from consumerist commercial design and carving out an accessible pathway that is more inclusive.
Has being a woman impacted your career?
I have found that gender hierarchies are exposed when:
- A female manager allows sexist comments to be thrown about in an open office.
- When you see who is on the board of industry organisations. Afterall, this perpetuates an exclusive and selective cycle.
- When you’re told by the owner of a design and build company that he would never hire a female builder.
- When you overhear it being said that men have to be present in charge of meetings because women talk too much.
- When interview panels focus on a female candidate’s aesthetic qualities rather than their skills.
- Questions from friends / relatives “When are you going to settle down get married and have kids?”
- When the MD asks if I am single or looking start family to gauge commitment to the job. (additionally, making a joke by asking if we milk cows in our back garden – we are British Indian)
I have learnt over time that the remedy lies in unpacking biases and in education rather than in taking offense. Often the distasteful projections we encounter are a reflection of the ego-complex from the other side. I also need to reflect on my own biases and be aware of how my privilege would sit if I were in India.
The patriotic mindset of fixed roles with gender identity prevails although it is a mindset thankfully eroding for those who have an alternative outlook on life. Being a female Indian and growing up in UK I have always challenged South Asian cultural biases and prejudice as a form of control. It has taken time to manage such dialogues without feeling exhaustion. I have learnt to channel the disparity so as to lead by example and help ease the barriers for others.
Confidence in your own abilities can be undercut if they are constantly being chipped away at. Humour can be your best friend in this regard. Experience has taught me that ultimately, we are accountable for ourselves and how we communicate to others. It is better to reflect on our own actions and treat others with empathy rather than to focus on feeling offended.
Recently, there has been lots of discussion in the design industry around the gender pay gap and how few women progress into senior roles. Have you experienced this yourself and do you have any thoughts on how we can counteract this imbalance?
Working for a company is a two-way exchange. The company exists because of the employee’s, freelancers’, and sub-contractors’ contributions, which bring value to the business. Although gender pay gaps remain today and I know of male counterparts earning about 10-20% more than I do, I have also noticed a change in some companies’ policies. Some now offer full transparency before committing to a job. Leading by example will result in the other companies having to adjust accordingly as jobseekers will naturally apply at places promoting ethical practices. A good indication of whether a company cares about the wellbeing of its employees is the company handbook.
Location used to be a factor in negotiating salary reviews. The dialogue has changed in favour of the employee/ contractor, now that remote working has become established. There is greater scope to emphasise the values, disposition and skills that you bring to a company.
If you could go back to the beginning and start your career again what would tell your younger self?
I would spend more time on areas that you are not as comfortable or confident in. For me this is writing and verbal communication. I am dyslexic and always struggle with the articulation and structure of sentences. I have come to understand that I always need to allow more time to prepare. Having said this, I have also learnt that ideas can be conveyed through other media such as storyboards, animation, prototype models and diagrams. Moreover, I am becoming aware that it is because of my dyslexia that I can envisage solutions to problems effectively and have a strong understanding of spatial design.
Which female designers have most inspired you?
I am constantly open to un/learn across various disciplines as a result, there is a range of inspirational figures from specific moments. To name a few… Julia Lohmann, @malene.barnett, @tiipoi, @eidenai_ , @anoushkakhandwala, @kristinemays , @modularbymensah, @gem_shandy, @sabbakhanart, @sedilia_london and @blahjinder.
I am also motivated by the wonderful people surrounding me in the everyday too. Often with friends in the industry we have studio call catch ups. This is where we learn from each other and have a good laugh too.
Do you have any words of advice for women considering a career in the design industry today?
Ask yourself why and what are the motivators behind your choices. Aspire to roles which lead to gatekeeper and/or policy positions to help equalise representation and be sure to leave this door open for others. Giving yourself moments to reflect during each transition.
Where do you get your inspiration from and how do you approach a new project?
When up against a challenging project, I will reflect on ideas just before going to sleep or whilst going for long walks. I often visualise the design solutions in my head, distilling from the array of ambiguous ideas to get some clearer directions to take forward. I love referring to both Ted Talks and Ted Ed for inspiration in methods in exploration and processes.