Chopped Judge Maneet Chauhan and her husband, Vivek, always wanted to design a restaurant around savory Indian street snacks called chaat. “It’s very nostalgic for us,” Vivek explains. “We grew up eating street food between meals and hiding it from our parents!” Since the couple moved to Nashville four years ago, they have seen the city grow into a serious food destination, and they were excited by the idea of sharing this type of Indian food with the locals. When they found a location in Nashville’s Sylvan Heights neighborhood, they knew it was time.

“We pictured flashes of color, bright textiles and dishes beyond tikka masala,” Maneet says. To give the restaurant an authentic Indian look, Maneet and her designer, London Parfitt, commissioned intricately carved wood panels and arches from Nashville-based Elemental Arthouse.

The stained-glass windows look real but the color comes from lighting gels and special paper that Maneet and London sourced from Plaza Art. They spent a whole day gluing it to the glass.

Maneet and Vivek created a collage with Bollywood movie posters on the walls.

“The space was so white, we just wanted to fill it with color,” Maneet says. She and Vivek love the elaborately embroidered parasols used in India, so they ordered dozens to hang from the ceiling as light shades.

To make the entry feel welcoming, Maneet created this fun host desk, built to look like an Indian truck. Drivers in India often decorate their vehicles with colorful trinkets or marigolds.

This wall is decorated with 20,000 bangle bracelets that Maneet had shipped from India.