Even through the blurred background setting on our Teams call, the pop of colour in Mehek Malhotra’s Dehradun home is hard to miss. A yellow ceiling, an off-white wall decked with 20 things that I can count, a red three-tier shelf with more stuff, a blue chequered bedsheet by the window… Everywhere your eyes go, there’s an object to look at, admire or stare at long enough to make sense of.
Malhotra, who is known to her over 45.6K design-inclined followers on IG as Giggling Monkey, has been their daily bump of dopamine through her whimsical and joyous interiors, which are equal parts flamboyant and funny, bold and bright. On her grid, you will find chequered tabletops, striped curtains, and rooms filled with primary shades of red, blue, and yellow that co-exist but never clash. Presiding over this delightful chaos are her two cats, Gagu and Chikki.
There’s a two-years-in-the-making half-done painting—one of her five WIP artworks—of a hand holding a teacup against a pink-yellow background; a strawberry-shaped toothpick set; a cushion that resembles an XL packet of Haldiram bhujia; an old envelope from a mail club she has signed up for because “it has a cute sticker”; her great grandmother’s king-size bed, repurposed into a divan in the living room, on which her cats loll and she takes her afternoon naps… It’s the kind of personality-packed interiors where nothing gets thrown away and yet there’s always room for fun.
Collecting all “chhota-mota” things is a trait the visual artist, who was on the Forbes ‘30 under 30’ list last year, picked up from her grandmom, who comes up often in our 90-minute conversation. “My nani’s house is exactly like this, except her things are much older because she’s collected it in her life,” she says.
Call it maximalist, call it peak hoarder energy or clutter core, the house is a reflection of the visual artist’s personality. It is also a moodboard and inspiration for her design studio, Giggling Monkey Studio, and her work as the creative lead of Canva in India, where she creates templates that represent India’s diverse cultures. “People put away little things like photographs and knickknacks in drawers and boxes, but I like making a moodboard with it on the walls, because when I look at it I am able to see colours, patterns, textures. So, my inspiration exists in 3D for me. For me, out of sight is out of mind,” she explains while showing me a tiny pigeon from Juhu Beach Studio that she has hung around a DIY study lamp.
The dizzying prints and colours that beautifully come together in this home were first recognised by Japanese magazine Popeye and have since been the obsession of design magazines closer to home. It also brought her a serendipitous opportunity earlier this year. IKEA discovered Malhotra’s profile and invited her to bring her vibrant aesthetic to Milan Design Week. As part of IKEA’s immersive Food for Thought exhibition, she created a dining space in collaboration with Italian chef Maurizio Tentella of SpaceDelicious Pizzastella and BarParadis, a feat she is still trying to wrap her head around.
Beyond her own home, her no-rules-apply approach to design has found space in the F&B industry. At Bandra’s Punchline, she has played with holes and circles through furniture and fittings to give the space a warm, glowing orange vibe. She has also designed uniforms for Barbet and Pals and Punchline, putting her NIFT education to good use.
The next few months look busy for her. Come Diwali, you will spot her characteristic playfulness on Yauatcha’s and Chumbak’s Diwali hampers, which she designed. And then there are a few more hospitality projects underway that she is excited about. For now, she wants to wrap up all her projects and spend the last few weeks reading and soaking in Doon’s warm winter sun at the diwan by the window. Below, she picks out the five favourite things in her house:
A chandelier like a candy shop
“I always wanted a chandelier. For years I was saving up to buy a sunflower Murano chandelier that was priced at ₹3,00,00. I thought I’ll buy it on my 30th birthday. But this particular chandelier somehow found its way into my life. My boyfriend insisted “you will find something you like” at the secondhand market in Amar Colony in Delhi. So, I went. I had saved something like this on my Etsy cart. I got it for about ₹30,000. It was a logistical nightmare to put it up, but it’s amazing. It comes with a dimmer too.”
Puss on boots
“These boots—one black with a white cat on it and one white with a black cat on it—are by the illustrator Jocie Juritz. In 2021-2022, she had taken a shoe design course and released the collection for the first time. It’s named after her cats Ziggy and Etta. I love these boots. They’re a testament that when artists play outside their general canvas, it’s absolute magic.”
A head named Mr Pinto
“This head by Hyderabad-based sculptor Sama Kantha Reddy actually belongs to my boyfriend. But I think it belongs to my home more considering I spent more time with the head when I was house-sitting for him. I have also named him Mr Pinto. It’s like having another guest to hang out with in the living room.”
A cow with teacups
“One day I got a call from my friends saying they’ve found something at a market that reminded them of me. It was this cow! It has these small cups and teapots on top of it and it has teacups for earrings. I can’t believe such a thing exists in the world, yet it’s the most ‘me’ thing in the house. If my house had to melt into one object, it would be this cow.”
MJ jacket
“I literally found this Michael Jackson merch jacket on Hill Road (Bandra) for ₹1,500. It’s pretty cool. I remember buying it in college—about a decade ago. It has moved cities with me.”
