Transforming celebrations into living breathing stories
In India’s fast-evolving experiential design landscape, few names have become as synonymous with immersive storytelling as Ambika Gupta. The award-winning founder of ‘The A-Cube Project’ has built a studio that doesn’t just decorate spaces—it transforms them into emotional worlds. From high-profile weddings to fashion collaborations with designers like Gaurav Gupta and Torani, and even cinematic sets for Amazon Prime’s ‘Made in Heaven’ Season 2, Gupta has quietly redefined what celebration design can look and feel like.
But her journey wasn’t linear. “My leadership style has really been shaped by risk-taking and trusting my instincts,” Gupta says. “I moved from journalism to engineering and then into events. None of it was planned, but every shift taught me something essential.”
Her first big break came with a birthday party in Chennai that unexpectedly drew attention. One event led to another, until her first wedding project set the course for everything that followed. A large-scale wedding at ITC Grand Chola became a turning point—and the birth of ‘The A-Cube Project’.
“When I entered the industry, there wasn’t a structured concept of wedding design,” she explains. “So, I introduced thematic storytelling from scratch, along with systematic pricing and delivery. That structure helped creativity scale.”
Building a company from the ground up in a new city meant navigating language barriers, vendor ecosystems, and a largely male-dominated industry. Those early hurdles shaped her leadership philosophy.
“Good leadership isn’t about control,” she says. “It’s about clarity, care, and consistency. I’ve learned to stay calm in chaos and allow creativity and teamwork to shine.”
At the heart of Gupta’s work is a deep belief that design should evoke emotion, not just admiration. Her process begins not with colors or décor, but with people.
“When we speak to clients, we go far beyond aesthetics,” she explains. “We talk about their memories, culture, dreams, scents they love, places that changed them. All those nuances seep into the design. That’s what makes it immersive.”
The results are highly personalised worlds: a Van Gogh–inspired installation for an art-loving bride, a Bali-themed celebration recreating a couple’s first trip together, and a Punjabi ‘Pyaar Ka Pind’ filled with the warmth of rural nostalgia.
“When spaces tell stories, they become reflections of identity and culture,” Gupta says. “They don’t just look beautiful—you feel something.”
That storytelling sensibility translated seamlessly to screen when she worked on ‘Made in Heaven’ Season 2. For Episode 7, Gupta collaborated closely with the show’s art direction team to craft a setting that felt cinematic yet authentic.
“We really dug into the character and the emotional arc,” she recalls. “We built mood boards first to capture the feeling before designing anything physical. Every wallpaper, floral element, and texture had a purpose. The goal is always truth to the narrative.”
Looking ahead, Gupta sees technology expanding what immersive design can achieve. Her studio already uses advanced digital visualisation, AI-assisted ideation, and projection mapping to help clients experience spaces before they’re built.
“Technology is helping us create deeper immersion,” she says. “AR, projection, digital storytelling—they can layer history and emotion onto a physical space. But the goal should always be connection, not spectacle.”
For the next generation of women entering creative entrepreneurship, her advice is grounded and practical.
“Don’t try to fit into a mould,” she says. “Be organised, build systems, stay financially aware, keep learning. And most importantly, be comfortable in your own skin. The greatest success comes when you create your own template.”
In Gupta’s world, design is not decoration—it’s memory-making. And with every project, she continues to prove that the most powerful spaces aren’t just seen, but deeply felt.
