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.
この記事は Brunch の August 20, 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Brunch の August 20, 2022 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Is It Scrolling Or Screening?
Being on the phone while the TV plays is the new normal. Just don't do it when there's company. A case for what it means to be present
This week, we're...
Preferring the spinoff.
The newest tricks in the book
Time is money. Here are the best hacks for saving precious seconds and taking even your everyday feed to the next level
Snuffing out the flames
Has online dating peaked? People are ditching the apps, going old-school, and aiming for IRL connections. Here's how the swipe failed a whole generation
Off the eaten path
In hotels, cafes and home kitchens cooks are getting creative with food waste. Tomato skins show up in a cake, fat flavours broths, peels have fresh appeal. Of course, we're cheering this change
Glamming up your getaway
Every island in the Maldives is stunning. So how do resorts offer a luxury upgrade? At Cheval Blanc it's by elevating every experience-food, service, spa and beyond
Benefits with friends
Of course it's harder to make friends as we grow older. Responsibilities, increase, time is short. Luckily, we have our tribes
A portrait to reflect upon
Playing with lighting and layering, a young Amrita Sher-Gil depicted herself as bold, mischievous, and enigmatic - all at once
Keep your trope shut
A divided world, a post-apocalyptic wasteland, a prophecy, a burden too heavy for a young adult. 10 YA dystopian cliches to vanquish in battle.
Sanjeeda Shaikh
Actor, @IAmSanjeeda