For Janki Desai, founder and creative force behind ALTAIR, space is not merely a venue to be decorated, but an atmosphere to be felt. “I’ve always been drawn to aesthetics of spaces,” she says. “I loved everything tastefully done.” That instinct, initially rooted in an awareness of how spaces could make her feel, eventually found its natural intersection in weddings – where design, emotion, people and storytelling could exist within the same frame.
What began as an instinct for aesthetics has matured into a distinct design language within the luxury wedding landscape. Janki finds inspiration in global architecture, hospitality, and the subtleties of travel.“Honestly, I’m always collecting references in my head,” she says. It is this constant observation that has helped shape ALTAIR into something she describes not simply as a studio, but a design house.
As her work has grown across intimate celebrations and sprawling destination weddings, so has her definition of luxury. It is no longer about abundance, but intention. “Luxury is restraint, detail, scale when it is necessary, and most importantly, an experience that feels effortless,” she explains. For Janki, even the most elaborate celebration begins with the couple, not the décor. Their personalities, travels, tastes, and stories become the starting point, while an ALTAIR signature runs through it all.
Whether orchestrating a close-knit gathering or an elaborate celebration, Janki’s approach remains rooted in the belief that good design should feel personal rather than prescribed. Perhaps that is what gives ALTAIR its distinct character – a strong point of view that never overshadows the people at the heart of the celebration.
“Human hands make the setting. Perfection is a perception.”