Shanmugam Interiors

I spend most of my time at 24, Tirupadiripuliyur Area, surrounded by wood scraps and cans of paint. Being in Arisipperiyankuppam, we are right in the middle of things, and the shop is usually covered in a thin layer of sawdust. We do interior work, which basically means we are always measuring something or trying to figure out if a cabinet will fit in a tight corner. It’s not the kind of job where you stay clean. My hands are usually stained with something, and there’s always a pencil somewhere that I’ve lost and then found again. We don't have a big showroom with bright lights. Most people just come by the workshop to see what we are currently building on the floor. It’s a bit messy, with tools scattered around and blueprints pinned to the walls, but that’s how we work. We take the raw materials and try to turn them into something useful for people's houses. Some days we are out at a site all day, and other days we are here cutting wood and sanding things down until they feel right. It’s a lot of physical labor and a bit of head-scratching when a design doesn’t go quite as planned. We just focus on the task in front of us, whether it's a small shelf or a whole set of kitchen cupboards. It's honest work and it keeps us busy from sunrise to sunset. We just do our best with what we have in the shop.