India, Feb. 28 -- Nina Yashar has been called the queen of design, one of the best talent scouts in the world, and a purveyor of Milanese haute - which, as high taste goes, is as good as it gets. Though a regular exhibitor at the annual Milan Design Week, where the world's richest browse for furniture, Nilufar Gallery (the shop Yashar founded in 1979) and Nilufar Depot (an exhibition space she opened in 2015) are must-see pitstops for anyone visiting the Italian city in April for the fair.

And now, with barely a month to go for what is one of the busiest times for dealers and clients in the international design calendar, Yashar stands under a potted frangipani tree braving the Mumbai mid-morning heat in Lower Parel, cutting a chic figure...