KOLKATA
Consider this your little dispatch from the design grapevine. The findings? Walls dressed in Swarovski crystals, jacuzzis claiming the sea-facing living rooms, timelines that seemed to defy the laws of construction, and bathrooms customised down to the last inch.
At Design Milestone Edition 2, held in December 2025 at Kolkata, where some of the country’s leading names from the world of architecture and design came together, one seemingly simple question unlocked a series of rather memorable confessions: what is the most unusual client request you have ever received? What followed was part comedy, part curiosity, and part masterclass in understanding people. The answers were unexpected, occasionally amusing, and sometimes unbelievably specific. But beyond the first reaction, they revealed something every architect and interior designer knows well: homes are deeply personal, and the requests that sound unusual often come from very real ideas of comfort, aspiration, convenience, or individuality.
For one homeowner, the wish was to embed Swarovski crystals into the walls. While some may see it as unconventional, designers often find themselves navigating different definitions of luxury. The designer here understood the kind of “lavish” the client envisioned and how open they were to bold, experimental suggestions. Brownie points for guessing if the sparkling walls ever made it from conversation to construction.
One lighting designer recalled being asked a seemingly simple question: “Can you put white lights?” But anyone in the design world knows that it is almost the 8th sin if committed in spaces meant to relax. Warm lighting is about mood, temperature, purpose, atmosphere, and how a room changes from morning to night, transitioning light smoothly.
Another designer recalled a client requesting separate toilets for husband and wife. Unexpected? Maybe. Practical? Absolutely. As homes become increasingly personalised, architects and designers are seeing people define comfort in their own ways, whether through privacy, routines, or simply having a corner that belongs entirely to them.
Some requests are not about luxury at all. They are about comfort. Like a client asking for the WC to be installed at a higher height because they were tall. It may sound extremely specific, but it represents exactly what custom design stands for: creating spaces around people, not forcing people to adjust to spaces.
A sea-facing living room usually comes with carefully positioned sofas and beautiful views. But one client imagined experiencing that view differently: from a jacuzzi placed right inside the living space. For the designer, the conversation moved from “can this happen?” to “how can this happen well?” Until, well… it didn’t happen. However, another client asked for a swimming pool in the living room. Well, your wish is my command, and voila, it materialised in ways that left the homeowner clamouring for more!
When asked about the strangest client requirement she had ever received, one designer had a different perspective altogether. She smiled and said, “That is exactly where my canvas starts.” Because that’s the beauty of the design universe, your imagination is the only limit.
