Pallavi Dean, Founder and Creative Director, Roar

This is a big year for Roar. The studio is currently working on a great mix of projects globally and locally. Internationally, that includes an office in Boston, a luxury private villa in Mumbai, and the fit-out for two corporate buildings in Frankfurt. Closer to home, they have projects across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, including a school, a hotel refurbishment, several workplace projects and a longevity clinic. Most of these are currently on the drawing boards, so 2027 is shaping up to be a very exciting year for the firm.

Spearheaded by Dean, she shares, “I’ve always felt like an interior designer living in an architect’s body. At university, I started out in visual communications program, but my professors pulled me into the world of architecture and three-dimensional design. After practicing architecture for five years, I realised my passion was really interiors and how people emotionally experience space. Since then, I’ve explored set design and product design too. Honestly, there was never one defining “tipping point.” I’m quite fluid creatively. At my core, I simply see myself as a designer, regardless of the discipline.”