Sunita Kohli holds both a Master’s and a BA (Hons.) degree in English Literature. Despite lacking formal design training, she is an autodidact. Notably, she became the first interior designer to receive the Padma Shri in 1992. In 2003, she was the inaugural Indian designer/architect invited to deliver an illustrated lecture at the esteemed National Building Museum in Washington DC. Furthermore, in 2014, she made history as the first woman appointed as the Chairperson of the School of Planning and Architecture in Bhopal, a National Institute of Excellence. Serving on the advisory board at Rishihood University, she plays a pivotal role
Currently serving as the President of K2INDIA, Sunita Kohli is a research-based interior designer, renowned for her leadership in historical interior architectural and architectural restoration. Since 1971, she has also been a manufacturer of fine contemporary and classical furniture.
As an honorary co-expert consultant for the Integrated Development of the Samadhi Complex in New Delhi and the Samadhi to the late former Prime Minister, Shri Rajiv Gandhi in Sriperumbudur, Sunita Kohli contributes to significant projects. She holds membership in the Advisory Committee of Rashtrapati Bhavan, the General Council of the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi, and serves on the Academic Advisory Board of the Sushant School of Art and Architecture, Haryana.
Sunita Kohli has delivered lectures at numerous institutions in the USA and the UK, including Harvard, Emory Universities, the University of Edinburgh, and the Glasgow School of Art. She has presented several papers covering diverse topics such as Design, Architecture, Historical Conservation, Literature, Mughal Jewellery as a Statement of Empire, World Heritage Cultural Sites in India, and Social Entrepreneurship. Currently, she is working on four books, including a Children’s Series on Indian Culture, ‘Tanjore Paintings,’ ‘Awadhi Cuisine from the Jehangirabad Kitchens,’ and a book on ‘World Heritage Cultural Sites in India.’ For ‘The Millennium Book on New Delhi,’ published by Oxford University Press, Sunita Kohli authored the chapter on Lutyens and New Delhi, titled ‘The Creation of a Planned City.’