18/04/2026
India’s residential interior design market has grown rapidly over the past decade as homeowners increasingly invest in creating personalised living spaces rather than settling for template-style designs.
But despite the demand, many homeowners still face challenges like project delays, contractors leaving midway, and interiors that lack originality.
For Akshata Menon Vig and Dev Vig, these gaps became the starting point of their entrepreneurial journey.
The story of De Space Interiors began in a very simple way.
In 2010, after the couple purchased their first home in Bengaluru, Akshata, an architect from Vastukala Academy, Delhi, decided to design the interiors herself.
Soon after the house was completed, neighbours who visited were impressed with the design and began asking who had done the interiors.
One neighbour eventually requested Akshata to design their apartment as well. “That’s when we realised this could actually become something bigger,” Dev told Startup Pedia in an exclusive interview.
What started as a single referral soon turned into multiple projects, eventually leading to the launch of De Space Interiors in 2011.
Interestingly, the company began with zero capital investment.
“The only investment we had was Akshata’s creativity and design thinking,” Dev said.
Instead of aggressive marketing, the founders relied entirely on word-of-mouth referrals to grow the business.
As the projects increased, the founders noticed another gap in the market. Homeowners didn’t just want design ideas; they wanted someone to execute the entire project.
“They wanted a complete solution, from design to ex*****on,” Dev explains.
To address this, De Space shifted to a turnkey interior solutions model, managing everything from design planning and carpentry to electrical work, painting, and final project ex*****on.
One of the biggest operational challenges in the interior design industry is managing skilled contractors, who often move between projects.
The founders tackled this by building long-term relationships with their teams.
“Our contractors stay with us because they get consistent work and timely payments,” Dev shared.
Some carpentry teams have been working with De Space since 2011, creating a stable ex*****on system.
Another decision that shaped the company’s journey was refusing to scale too quickly.
At one point, the founders experimented with hiring multiple designers, but the approach didn’t work.
So Akshata and Dev chose a different path: stay personally involved in every project and focus on quality over volume.
Over the years, this philosophy has helped the company build a strong reputation in Bengaluru’s residential interiors market.
Today, De Space Interiors has completed more than 800 residential projects, primarily in Bengaluru, with select projects in Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Kakinada.
The firm now works with around 75 contractors and specialists supporting project ex*****on.
Interestingly, the company still operates largely through referrals, social media, and YouTube home tours, rather than large-scale marketing campaigns.
Looking ahead, the founders are cautiously exploring expansion into cities like Hyderabad, while maintaining their boutique approach.
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