Feb 22, 2025
Meet Iman: the playful professional with a passion for design. Drawing inspiration from nearly a decade of experience in real estate, she has talent for turning flaws into features. Her custom collaborations have been featured in Home in Canada, HGTV and Avenue Magazine.
Plus, she is perhaps our current favorite wine cellar designer when it comes to imaging the Evolution Wine Wall product range into residential projects.
Scroll down to learn more about where she pulls inspiration from...
VintageView: Tell us how you got to this point in your career.
Iman Lalji: I started my career in Calgary doing pre-construction sales; but I’ve always had a love for interior design since I was a child. I ended up moving to Toronto in 2012 and it was an opportunity to reinvent myself. Toronto is a great city with lots of opportunities and I found myself working late nights on small client design jobs after my sales job. My first [projects] were simple one-room renovations, and now —13 years later— I’ve built this amazing client base with projects that I’m really proud to have had my stamp on.
VV: What (or who) drew you to the design/build sphere?
IL: From an early age I would ask my mom to help me design my room in a “little mermaid” theme from drapes to bedding— it was all matchy-matchy. I think having family members who are in real estate (my dad and brother are realtors) made me appreciate the functionality of spaces. I love creating spaces that inspire and are customized to my clients.
VV: What is your approach to your practice?
IL: My design philosophy focuses on creating spaces that are both functional and beautiful , ensuring that every element feels curated rather than staged. The Evolution Series is a perfect fit for this approach, offering modern wine storage solutions that bring a unique and polished aesthetic to any room.
VV: Where do you see the industry going in the future?
IL: Design will continue to get more intricate and detailed, and most of all will be expected to be 'instagram-able'.
VV: What is the best piece of design advice you’ve received?
IL: If you spend a bit more to do it right you’ll never regret it!
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