Where culture meets creativity, every room becomes a story worth telling.
For Kanika Bakshi Khurana, interior design is about more than creating beautiful spaces. It’s about telling stories, celebrating culture, and transforming houses into homes that evoke emotion. As the Founder and Principal Designer of award-winning Kanika Design, she brings together her Indian heritage, Bay Area upbringing, and global travels to create interiors that are bold, sophisticated, and deeply personal. Since launching her firm in 2008, Kanika has built a reputation for fearless creativity, exceptional craftsmanship, and designs that beautifully balance luxury with livability. Through her video series Design Hopping with Kanika, she takes her passion beyond borders, exploring the cultural influences that shape extraordinary spaces around the world. We connect with Kanika to discuss her entrepreneurial journey, the power of intentional design, and why the most memorable spaces are the ones that make us feel something.
Born in India and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, how have your cultural roots and personal experiences shaped your creative identity and approach to interior design?
Growing up in India and spending most of my life in the San Francisco Bay Area have both played an important role in shaping my creative identity. India introduced me to a world rich in color, pattern, texture, craftsmanship, and cultural traditions. Those early influences shaped my appreciation for layered interiors, bold combinations, and spaces that tell a personal story.
Living in the Bay Area exposed me to diverse cultures, architectural styles, and ways of living. It helped me develop an open-minded approach to design, where different influences can come together naturally rather than being limited to one particular aesthetic.
Travel has further expanded that perspective. Having visited more than 64 countries, I find inspiration in everything from local craftsmanship and traditional architecture to the way people use their homes in different parts of the world. These experiences have taught me that meaningful design isn’t about copying a particular style, but understanding what makes a space special and thoughtfully interpreting those ideas.
At Kanika Design, I bring these influences together while keeping the client’s personality and lifestyle at the center of every project. I don’t believe in imposing a signature style. Instead, I enjoy combining color, materials, art, and thoughtful details to create homes that feel collected, functional, and deeply personal.
Ultimately, my cultural background and life experiences have taught me to embrace individuality, celebrate different perspectives, and create spaces that feel authentic to the people who live in them.
You founded Kanika Design in 2008. What inspired you to pursue entrepreneurship, and what have been some of the most defining lessons and challenges of building an award-winning design firm?
My entrepreneurial journey began with something I had always loved but never initially considered a career. Growing up, I naturally gravitated toward rearranging furniture, experimenting with decor, and finding ways to make spaces feel more beautiful and functional. The turning point came when I designed my first apartment. Friends and family would often ask who had designed it, and their encouragement helped me recognize that my passion could become something much bigger.
In 2008, my partner, Adi, and I started Kanika Design as a six-month experiment. We didn’t have a fully developed business plan or know exactly where the journey would lead. We simply believed there was an opportunity to turn my passion into a meaningful business.
One of our earliest challenges was finding our direction. Initially, we took on both residential and commercial projects, but over time, I realized that residential design was where I felt the strongest connection. Choosing to focus exclusively on homes was a defining decision. It allowed us to develop deeper expertise and build a more personalized, full-service design experience.
Another important lesson has been learning how to navigate challenges while maintaining client trust. Remodeling projects involve countless decisions, and unexpected issues are inevitable. I’ve learned that the way you respond matters just as much as the design itself. Listening carefully, communicating honestly, taking responsibility, and finding practical solutions have become fundamental to how we work.
Building a business has also taught me the importance of balance. As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to feel that you should always be working. Over the years, I’ve learned that protecting time for travel, personal well-being, and new experiences is essential for sustaining creativity and making thoughtful decisions.
Today, Adi leads the operational side of Kanika Design while I focus on creative direction and our clients. That partnership has helped us build a stronger foundation and continue evolving.
Looking back, one of my greatest accomplishments is sustaining and growing Kanika Design since 2008 while staying true to our values. Recognition and awards are meaningful, but what matters most to me is the trust we’ve built with our clients and the opportunity to create homes that genuinely improve how they live.
Entrepreneurship has taught me that lasting success isn’t about growing quickly; it’s about continuously learning, adapting, and doing meaningful work with integrity.
You believe spaces should create emotional connections. How do you translate a client’s personality, lifestyle, and story into a home that feels both luxurious and deeply personal?
I believe a home should be more than just a beautiful space. It should reflect the people who live there, tell their story, and create a sense of belonging. For me, the most meaningful interiors are those that feel personal, comfortable, and emotionally connected to their owners.
At Kanika Design, our process always begins with listening. I take time to understand how my clients live, what they love, what inspires them, and how they want their home to feel. We explore their daily routines, family dynamics, personal collections, design preferences, and even the things they dislike. Often, clients may not know exactly how to express their vision in design terms, so part of my role is helping them discover what truly resonates with them.
Once I understand their story, I translate those insights into thoughtful design decisions. This might mean incorporating meaningful artwork, introducing colors and textures that reflect their personality, creating custom furnishings, or designing spaces that support the way they entertain, relax, and spend time with family. I also consider the architecture of the home, ensuring that every element feels connected rather than simply decorative.
My travels across more than 64 countries have also influenced how I approach this process. I love bringing together craftsmanship, materials, patterns, and artistic influences from different cultures, but always in a way that feels authentic to the client rather than imposing a particular style.
When it comes to luxury, I don’t believe it is defined solely by expensive materials or elaborate finishes. True luxury is having a home thoughtfully designed around your lifestyle, where comfort, functionality, quality, and beauty work together effortlessly.
Ultimately, my goal is to create homes that feel distinctive without being overly designed, sophisticated without sacrificing warmth, and beautiful while remaining genuinely livable. The greatest reward is seeing clients walk into their finished home and recognize their own personality and story reflected in every detail. That’s when design becomes something truly meaningful.
Your designs are known for bold colors and distinctive combinations of styles. How do you encourage clients to embrace unconventional design choices while maintaining comfort and functionality?
I have always believed that a home should reflect the personality of the people living in it, rather than follow a particular trend or design formula. My love for bold colors, patterns, and unexpected combinations comes
partly from growing up in India, where rich textures, vibrant colors, and layered design are part of everyday life, as well as my travels around the world.
When working with clients, my approach is never to push them toward something simply because it looks exciting. Instead, I begin by listening carefully to their preferences, understanding their comfort level, and discovering what inspires them. Sometimes clients are drawn to bold design choices but hesitate because they are unsure how those elements will look together or whether they will remain appealing over time.
That’s where my role as a designer becomes especially important. I help clients explore possibilities they may not have considered while ensuring every decision feels intentional and connected to their lifestyle. We use material samples, color palettes, space plans, and 3D renderings to help them visualize how different elements will work together before making major commitments. Seeing the complete design often gives clients the confidence to embrace something unexpected.
I also believe that bold design works best when there is balance. A vibrant color, distinctive pattern, or statement piece can create personality, but it needs to work harmoniously with the architecture, proportions, lighting, and furnishings. I pay close attention to how a space functions, from comfortable seating and practical storage to natural flow and everyday usability.
For me, unconventional design doesn’t have to mean sacrificing timelessness or comfort. A colorful, layered home can feel just as sophisticated and enduring as a neutral one when the choices are thoughtful and meaningful.
Ultimately, I want my clients to feel excited about their homes and confident in their decisions. The most rewarding projects are often those where clients discover a side of their personal style they hadn’t fully explored before, and the finished space feels both refreshingly different and completely their own.
Through your video series Design Hopping with Kanika, you explore design across cultures. What is one unforgettable international design experience that transformed your creative perspective?
One of my most memorable design experiences was during a three-month trip across Europe in 2023. Unlike our previous travels, this trip was specifically focused on exploring design, visiting showrooms, and learning from designers and craftspeople across different countries. It ultimately inspired us to create our video series, Design Hopping with Kanika.
One experience that particularly stayed with me was visiting Modern British Kitchens at the Design Centre in London. I had the opportunity to meet the owner, George, who personally walked us through their beautifully crafted custom kitchens and some incredibly clever design details.
What excited me most was how they challenged conventional approaches to kitchen storage. Spaces that might typically become narrow spice racks or standard pull-out cabinets were transformed into beautiful, functional storage for everyday items. I particularly loved how they made something as simple as spice storage more accessible and visually organized.
As an interior designer, I’m always looking for ways to make homes more functional without compromising their individuality. That visit reminded me how much is possible when creative thinking, quality craftsmanship, and true customization come together.
It’s this spirit of curiosity and discovery that inspired Design Hopping with Kanika. Through the series, I hope to share innovative ideas and craftsmanship from around the world, encouraging people to see new possibilities in their own homes.
Your firm has received numerous awards and national media recognition. How has your definition of success evolved, and what accomplishments hold the greatest personal meaning for you?
When I started Kanika Design in 2008, success was simply about turning something I loved into a sustainable business. Every new project, happy client, and opportunity to learn felt like an important milestone.
Over the years, my definition of success has evolved. Receiving recognition, including being named Best Interior Designer in the Bay Area by SFGATE in 2025 and seeing our work and design perspectives featured in publications such as Architectural Digest, has been incredibly rewarding. It’s especially meaningful to see the work of our team recognized beyond the homes we design.
But what brings me the greatest personal satisfaction is seeing how our work improves people’s everyday lives. There is something special about hearing from clients how their transformed homes have made their daily routines easier, brought their families closer, or simply made their homes more enjoyable. Those moments mean more to me than any award.
I’m also proud of the business Adi and I have built together since 2008. Entrepreneurship comes with constant challenges, and sustaining a business while continuing to evolve creatively and maintain strong client relationships has been one of our greatest accomplishments.
Travel and personal fulfillment have also become important parts of how I define success. Having the freedom to explore different cultures, continue learning, and bring those experiences back into my work has enriched both my creativity and my life.
Today, success isn’t just about recognition or growth. It’s about creating meaningful work, earning the trust of our clients, building a sustainable business, and enjoying the journey along the way.
As a woman entrepreneur in the creative industry, what advice would you offer aspiring female designers who want to establish their own unique voices, build successful businesses, and create work that leaves a lasting impression?
My advice to aspiring female designers is to take the time to understand and develop their own design voice, and then build a business around the kind of work that truly reflects it. It’s easy to feel that every opportunity is worth pursuing, especially when you’re starting out, but I’ve learned that knowing what to say no to can be just as important as knowing what to say yes to.
When we founded Kanika Design in 2008, we took on almost every project that came our way, including both residential and commercial work. As our business evolved, we realized that residential design was where our passion and strengths truly aligned. Beginning in 2022, we made a deliberate transition to focus exclusively on residential projects.
That wasn’t always an easy decision. It meant turning down projects we were perfectly capable of doing, but that didn’t fit the direction we wanted to take our business. Looking back, it was one of our most important decisions. It allowed us to deepen our expertise, refine our processes, develop stronger vendor relationships, and ultimately build a more focused and sustainable business.
I’ve also learned that creativity alone isn’t enough. Building a successful design firm requires communication, problem-solving, consistency, and the ability to earn and maintain your clients’ trust. Surrounding yourself with people who bring complementary strengths is equally important.
Finally, never stop learning or evolving. Your perspective will change as you gain experience, and that’s a good thing. Stay curious, trust your instincts, and don’t be afraid to make difficult decisions that support your long-term vision.
The goal isn’t to take on every opportunity or become the biggest firm. It’s to build a business that reflects your values, allows you to do meaningful work, and creates a lasting impact on the people you serve.
Anything to add?
After all these years, what continues to excite me most about interior design is that every home and every client brings a completely different story. There’s always something new to learn, a creative challenge to solve, and an opportunity to make someone’s everyday life a little better.
I’m grateful to our clients for trusting us with their homes, and to our team and partners who help bring these ideas to life. As Kanika Design continues to evolve, I hope we never lose that personal connection to our work and the people we design for.
For me, that’s what makes this journey so rewarding.
Any upcoming projects?
We have an exciting home and primary suite remodel project moving into construction soon, where we’re incorporating a design detail inspired by a palace I visited in Italy during our 2023 travels. We’re creating custom door trims using stone slabs, something our team and contractor are attempting for the first time. It’s both challenging and exciting to see an inspiration from our travels come to life in a client’s home.
We’re also continuing to develop Design Hopping with Kanika, with upcoming episodes featuring practical design advice, creative ideas, and tips that homeowners and interior designers can apply to their own spaces. And we have two more seasons in the works, but we’ll keep the details a surprise for now!
How can our readers connect?
Website: https://www.kanikadesign.com/ Email: info@kanikadesign.com
Phone: +1 415-894-2631
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kanika-design/
YouTube / Design Hopping with Kanika: https://www.youtube.com/@kanikadesign
Instagram handle: https://www.instagram.com/kanikadesign/
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