An innate flair

At no point in her life had Sarah Sham wanted to be an interior designer. But life had other plans.

- Anandita De

In 2012, Sarah Sham went to meet a potential client for her family business Essajees, which specialises in home decor accessories, including antique furniture, fine art, vintage items, showpieces and more. She wanted to show the new client some decorative chandeliers.

The meeting with the client, who had a sea-facing home opposite the famous Haji Ali Durgah in Mumbai, took a dramatic turn after Sarah recommended a few creative suggestions. The homeowner revealed she was facing major issues with the contracted interior designer and asked that Sarah take on the project instead. Caught off guard, Sarah scoffed at the idea.

A fourth-generation member of the family (and its business), 35-year-old Sarah had always known she would work for the family business. But she'd never, ever, wanted to be an interior designer. Yet, when that homeowner insisted, Sarah discovered her abundant talent for the work and confidently took on the project.

Two years later, Sarah Sham started her own firm called Essajees Atelier, an offshoot of her family business, and has been inundated with work ever since.

Confidence game

Even as a child, Sarah was ambitious, strong-willed and a determined overachiever, with a very vivacious personality.

She completed her undergraduate degree at Duke and then Oxford University in 2009, with a major in art history, and also completed the NYU Stern Advantage Program in 2008.

At the start of her career with her family business, Sarah worked with the projects department that created bespoke high-end furniture and lights, and she was content with this trajectory.