A dedicated and innovative architect, Swati Makhija has been practising architecture since 2011 and started her firm in 2017. She primarily deals in residential projects, including interiors, showrooms, boutiques, and mall renovations. Swati's passion for designing residential interiors led her to join the Rotary Means Business (RMB) group in January 2024 to enhance her social network.

Swati Makhija is the Principal Architect and Founder of Archiazo Architects in Udaipur. She has worked in this sector since 2011 and established her own business in 2017.

Swati Makhija mostly works on residential projects. Following her marriage, she relocated to Udaipur in 2011 and worked for Venugopal and Associates for three years. Then she met with an accident and spent two months on bed rest. Following her recuperation, she worked at Architect Sunil Ladha's office for three years. Later, her mentor Sunil Ladha encouraged her to establish her own business.

Arch. Swati explains that her firm, Archiazo Architects, specialises in residential projects that begin at ground level and also incorporates the interior work. She claims that when designing, she not only creates spaces but also strives to complete the design according to the client's specifications. She interacts with the entire family while developing home buildings. She enjoys doing home projects and has finished 90% of them, but she also works on commercial projects such as showrooms, boutiques, and mall renovations. Her major love is designing house interiors and projects for her clients.

To increase her outreach and to build her business more, she joined the Rotary Means Business (RMB) program. She claims that connecting with others has been difficult for her, so she joined the RMB group to expand her social network. She had grown up in a conservative scenario, and when she entered the social sphere, it was difficult for her to interact with others and explain her actions to them. To mingle, learn more, and to connect with others, she joined a Rotary Club and RMB.

She joined RMB in January 2024 and has just joined the Rotary Club of Udaipur  Udai to interact with people and gain new skills. She feels that joining a social club allows you to learn about everyone's unique experiences. RMB is a unique platform since all RMBians are in different enterprises and have their own accomplishments, learnings, and experiences, she claims. RMB meetings always include knowledge slot sessions and business presentations, which allow her to acquire experience and learn new things. Many more activities are being planned, and she thinks this group is ideal for socialising for people in business or profession.

Talking about her motivations, Swati Makhija states that after finishing 10th grade, she was unsure about her career choice but was drawn to the Design field since she enjoyed drawing and creating new things. In her 12th grade, she did a Diploma in Interior Design to express her talent. The teacher in her diploma course explained to her and encouraged her that she had the potential to become an architect in the future.

Her mentor helped her through many tests for admission to the B.Arch course. Thus, in addition to the interior design studies, she understood that this was the field she needed to pursue. She then earned her B. Arch degree from Smt. Manoramabai Mundle College of Architecture in Nagpur. She also did an internship at Malewar Associates in Nagpur and moved forward in this field.

Swati Makhija was born and raised in Nagpur. She completed her schooling there itself. She continues to communicate with her college mentors. She claims that craft and creativity were her strong traits as a youngster, and she enjoyed making new things out of various materials, as well as creating art and paintings. This prompted her to pursue both Architecture and Interior Design.

Regarding her role models, Makhija says she considers her father to be her role model since he always believed in her, which was the most valuable gift she received. Her father also inspired her and gave her confidence that she could achieve her goals. He was always there for her, encouraging her to be fearless in any situation. She also admires her father's hard work and the level he attained without any assistance. She realised that hard effort is the only way to succeed.

Her mother would often sing her the song "Jivan mein tu kabhi darna nahi". This song usually inspires her when she lacks confidence. Her mother would sing this song and tell her not to be frightened of anything. Swati says that while architecture is a male-dominated sector, her parents have always supported and inspired her, proving that women are capable of doing anything.

Arch. Swati also discusses her difficulties, stating that she struggled a lot as she was educated in Nagpur, where the native language is Marathi, but in Udaipur, the indigenous language is Mewari, making it difficult for her to interact with labourers. This was one of the disadvantages she had on the job sites when she needed to communicate with the workers in order to explain the work. She claims that the support of her life partner and in-laws’ family has made her life easier, which has also contributed to her progress to this point.

Swati Makhija advises the new aspirants that architecture involves more than just constructing the framework of a building; it also requires designing with love and passion. She believes that designing anything under pressure does not have a pleasant aura, hence it is necessary to create from the heart. When you create something with your entire attention, keeping the needs in mind, and you enjoy your design, the customer will undoubtedly enjoy it as well. Architecture necessitates imagination, design, love, and emotion, she claims.

Finally, Makhija recommends that hard effort is essential for success, and that you should never be scared to try anything new. She feels that if you want to succeed or progress, you must attempt new experiences. She advises not to give up in the face of adversity and to keep working hard. Only then will you be able to reach any level.

Anyone interested in engaging with her may contact her through her website, Archiazo Architects, as well as her Facebook page of the same name. She also has an Instagram page where people can see her efforts. You may also send an email with any questions or for vastu consultation.