Interior designing is more than putting elements together to create a space; it involves soul of the design space, soul of the client's desire, soul of the designer's vision. Hanif Mohammed embellishes the same philosophy, and his approach is one of a master craftsman inherent skill, accumulated expertise, focused functionality, elegant aesthetics, and a great deal of passion.

Being born and raised in a family of architects & interior designers, Theniborn Hanif's inclination towards interior design was a given, and his accomplishments in the conventional interior design areas have been sensibly polished, as well as enriched by quality. "Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works," remarks Veena Ameira Balasubramaniam, Spokes person, Woodlife Interiors, sharing one of his tenets.

During his professional stint, Hanif has worked in collaboration with some of the popular European brands and has catered to the Middle East and North American markets. His portfolio has spanned across sectors executing furniture and joinery for over 200,000 sq.ft.of IT spaces, serving as the interface between design & site execution for residential & commercial projects and coordinating interior fit outs for hotel brands across India and Sri Lanka. Today, he

is one of the emerging leaders in innovative design.

After working with some of the best design minds in Chennai, Hanif founded Woodlife Interiors Pvt. Ltd. in 2014. In a shaded, quiet street near R.K. Salai, where the Woodlife's office stands abreast as a busy multi disciplinary interior design and turnkey contracting firm. It is a hub for quality conscious work, and it offers the entire roster of interior design and consultancy services. However, at times, it goes far beyond that. "At Woodlife, we design advanced and progressive, yet inextricably connected to the deeper and multi dimensional aspects of life," avers Veena, ecstatically.

Woodworking at its core, Woodlife brings out an earthier, original design that is alive in the truest sense

Woodworking at its core, Woodlife brings out an earthier, original design that is alive in the truest sense. The company takes great pride in not only creating bespoke, customized solid wood furniture but also acts as an expert design and technical consultant for setting up woodworking units. Such expertise has resulted in several successful projects across India cutting across the modernity of panel based processed wood and the elegance of solid wood. "Besides serving as a consultant for setting up modular furniture, we have successfully consulted for over six production house with a combined shop floor of over 300,000 sq. ft. But, we have miles to go," says Veena, modestly.

In the coming years, Woodlife has plans to set up carpentry and technical training school in association with European machinery manufacturers. She says,"The end goal would be to produce the next generation of qualified, technically aware carpenters and operators which would duly benefit existing and upcoming furniture production houses. Also, workshops for design students and carpentry being taught as an elective subject in schools and colleges are our other aim, which we believe will result in a full circle of design."

"It is all about getting back to basics and staying rooted in values is something that goes hand in hand with progress. Our philosophy reflects the symbiotic, multidirectional growth of nature and thus, life. We are all about soulful partnerships between client and designer, urban and natural, wood and steel, cement and mud, dream and reality," Veena concludes, on a cheerful note.