The Deskie: Namrata Kamdar’s intentional workspace, analogue rituals and the tech that fuels her creativity

If you’ve ever wondered what the home office of a beauty founder looks like when it’s designed with as much care as a product launch, meet Namrata Kamdar. The former Dove global brand lead and founder of B Corp-certified beauty brand Plenaire has crafted a workspace that blends clean, minimal design with personal mementos, analogue tools and just enough tech to keep things running smoothly.

Her light-filled home office is a study in intentionality – uncluttered surfaces, organised shelves dotted with art and textiles, and a dedicated corner for swatching products or shooting content. It’s not just about looking good on Zoom (though the chic Artemides lamp helps); it’s a space built to inspire deep thinking, focused creativity, and a dash of everyday joy.

Namrata’s approach to work is refreshingly human: less firefighting, more dreaming, planning and developing. She balances tech essentials like Slack, Monday.com and her Dell Inspiron with tactile favourites – from her lilac Smythson notebook to a pair of running shoes under the desk for quick resets. Her rituals are part productivity hack, part self-care: the Pomodoro method, morning workouts, and intermittent fasting to dodge the afternoon slump.

It’s a workspace that reflects her ethos perfectly – grounded yet elevated, practical yet personal – proving that creativity thrives best in an environment designed to support both focus and flow.

The Deskie with Namrata Kamdar

A great workspace rests on three essential elements…

• Plenty of Natural, overhead light

• Clean, uncluttered surfaces (I’ve discovered I have an inverse relationship between clutter and clarity of thought)

• Neat, organised spaces punctuated with soft touches, art, pottery, textiles.

• A dedicated space to experiment, photograph, shoot content, and swatch products

Luckily, my home office has all of these elements — it’s a space that feels as intentional as it is inspiring.

Essential items on my desk…

• My lilac Smythson A6 notebook

• Camlin soft lead pencils and Staedtler erasers – they look and feel precise

• A tube of Plenaire Skin Frosting (a secret weapon for lips too)

• My trusty HP business calculator, from grad school- circa 2004

• A mirror and Milk makeup Lip + Cheek in Peony

• A great pair of earrings and a shrug to instantly elevate a Zoom look

• A photo of my kids

• A luxe hand cream

• Light, elegant perfume

• An Artemides lamp- beauty lighting is key for calls

• And always – a pair of running shoes under my desk, ready for a quick mental reset

My workspace is…

Clean, edited, and intentionally minimal — which, ironically, is more aspirational than descriptive of my actual workflow. I’d love to say my work style mirrors this, but really, it’s #workgoals.

My ethos is: less firefighting, more thinking — dream, plan, develop, repeat.

My rituals to stay grounded and focussed…

• The Pomodoro method — perfect for deep work in short bursts

• To-do lists — always handwritten or posted

• A 15-minute timer on my iPhone

• Noise-cancelling headphones — essential

• A 2L bottle of water within reach- love Nalgene and BKR

• Intermittent fasting — I’ve practiced it since my son was born. I start eating at 3 PM to avoid the afternoon slump and close my window around 10 PM. I keep crackers and nuts on hand to ease into it.

• I work out in the mornings — movement always unlocks mental clarity and boots creativity for me

Favourite online tools…

• Pinterest (for mood boarding and ideation)

• Monday.com (for planning and team tracking)

• Slack (for instant, flexible communication)

Some personal and symbolic mementos…

• The first receipts from Liberty and Space NK framed, when Plenaire launched

• A vintage menu from The Taj Hotel in Mumbai, where my husband proposed

• Two framed ads from the 70s, a nod to my time on the Dove global master brand

• Our B Corp certification and the beauty awards we’ve collected over the years

Zoom has become our default…

In-person meetings are rare now. So, the space has shifted to reflect that: less physical storage, more digitization, and an emphasis on good lighting and chic camera-ready corners to create content.

When it comes to tech in my workspace…

Even as digital tools for collaboration and meetings become more embedded in our day-to-day, I’ve found myself deliberately pulling back from too much tech in my personal workflow. While Zoom and shared platforms are essential, when it comes to creative thinking, I still lean toward analog tools — handwriting, photography, scrapbooking, and collaging. I’m even considering a Remarkable tablet to bridge that tactile instinct with the digital world.

My dream workspace…

Includes the following rules:

• Minimize tech to avoid distraction

• Prioritize natural light and enough open spaces, breathing room

• Edit out clutter — it blocks mental space

• Invest in comfortable seating

• Create a tech-free zone for deep work and final edits with zero noise and digital distractions.

• Include a collaboration corner — somewhere to test, share, and build ideas

• Add personality with fresh flowers, good pour-over coffee, a Mini Smeg fridge stocked with Tripp in Orange Blossom and chilled Perrier

• And add something unexpected, like a candy cupboard or a snack drawer

Balancing comfort and professionalism…

The definition of “professional” has evolved. Creativity now has room to live outside a traditional office. Hybrid work has redefined what productivity looks like — presence is now purposeful, not performative. So I’ve leaned into a space that feels human, relaxed, balanced but still holds me to high standards and allows others to feel accountable to each other virtually or physically.

 

My top three gadgets…

• My Dell Inspiron

• My Kindle

• My phone

• And technically a fourth: my Beats Studio Pods — non-negotiable for focus

 

My go-to daily softwares are…

• Fyxer.AI – my virtual email assistant !

• Monday.com – for planning and workflow

• Slack – for seamless team communication

• Recommendation: read Smarter by Emily Austen
  

  In Smarter, Emily Austen distills productivity into an art form—less about doing more, and more about doing what matters with poise and precision. Her ten lessons feel like a perfectly edited capsule wardrobe: timeless, functional, and designed to work seamlessly in the real world. A must-read for anyone curating not just their calendar, but their life.

Lifechanging tech…

Email has become so much easier thanks to Fyxer.AI — it automatically drafts responses for me to review and edit, which has saved a huge amount of time and mental energy. It’s like having a virtual assistant who knows your tone and preferences.

The Modems’ Byte-Sized Questions:

 iOS or Android? ios

 Earbuds or over-ear headphones? buds

Text or voice notes? Voice notes, always

Phone Selfie or Proper Digi camera? both!

Dark mode or light mode? LIGHT

filters or no filter? Love a filter, ofc – the more vintage the better

Apple Pay or designer wallet? Wallet – old school style – I have a toffee Chloe one from the sixties – love a bit of Mulberry too.

Netflix marathon or TikTok scroll? Netflix

E-book or Audiobook? Ebook for sure

Spotify playlists or YouTube deep dives? Spotify always wins

Desktop setup or laptop on-the-go? On the go – our designer gets the fancy apple desktop, not me