How Gita Ramanan바카라�s Quest To Democratise Design In India Made Home Interiors Hassle-Free

When she was 22, Gita Ramanan stepped into a meeting room where 18 men were seated. 바카라�When is your boss coming?바카라� one of them asked. Having recently been selected from among 150 architects for a competition to design a complex of 800 apartments, she gently broke it to them that she was in charge. Thirteen years later, she still reigns as the boss바카라�at Design Cafe, an interiors firm with more than 700 employees and 5,000 clients that she set up with her partner Shezan Bhojani.

Their startup offers personalised design solutions for homes at affordable prices. At their experience centres in Bangalore and Mumbai, customers can sample prototypes, customise them according to their needs and even experience designs in VR. As the single point of contact for customers, they do away with the hassles of liaising with contractors, sourcing materials and quality control. In an industry notorious for delays and maintenance hassles, they promise a 60-day turnaround time, no cost escalation and warranty for 10 years.

They set shop with a lofty mission: democratising design. Having been in the industry for more than a decade, Gita realised that there was some level of standardisation and factory production for commercial projects, but not for residences. 바카라�You could get 100,000 sq ft done up in 30 days, but 1,000 sq ft couldn바카라�t be completed in even 120 days,바카라� she explains. The prices for customisation of homes were equally flabbergasting: 바카라�I saw all these high-end kitchens that cost Rs 15 lakh and as an architect, I kept wondering, what are they putting in it? Besides, I couldn바카라�t afford the kind of houses I was designing. It was crazy and I thought, God, there바카라�s got to be a better way! I saw in that an opportunity to build a large business.바카라�

She adds that at lower budgets, customers were getting homes that did not serve their needs바카라�Italian kitchens with no provision for stacking kadhais and thalis; cookie-cutter drawers that could not bear the weight of their contents; and lack of space to store household essentials such as brooms, wires and 바카라�other stuff that is stashed behind doors when visitors arrive바카라�. 바카라�If you want to design a guest room, for instance,바카라� she explains, 바카라�you need to know how many visitors will come and how often. I used to design high-end homes with this level of attention to details, but I realised that many could not take advantage of this because it was too pricey,바카라� She concedes, however, that she hasn바카라�t completely achieved affordability yet: 바카라�We don바카라�t have a solution if you want to get your entire home designed for less than Rs 5 lakh.바카라�

But how did she transition from high-end to a Rs 5-lakh home? 바카라�There are so many ways to cut costs if you dig to the bottom of things,바카라� she explains. 바카라�For instance, we discovered that a leading retailer does not manufacture their products, so it바카라�s cheaper to source from the producers directly. We found a brand that uses eucalyptus wood, which is naturally termite- and borer-resistant, thereby leading to savings on protective coatings.바카라�

She also ensures optimal usage of raw materials. 바카라�Everything comes in standard sizes바카라�plywood and laminate are 8x4 ft, glass and marble 10x6 ft. When you design odd sizes, the leftovers go to waste. Contractors will charge you for the entire material, which is often responsible for cost escalation from the design to the execution stage. Our software helps us utilise the scraps for smaller things such as ledges, shelves and coffee tables. I still don바카라�t know why certain Italian kitchens cost Rs 15 lakh, but I do know that I can give you the same finish for Rs 3 lakh, that too with a thali-holder. Your interiors should work for your lifestyle, at your price point,바카라� she declares.

But most importantly, the company has taken over each aspect of the design and execution. Initially, they adopted an 바카라�Ola-Uber model바카라�, where they used the spare capacity of other factories. But that did not give them control over the quality and timelines. So they began procuring their materials, set up a factory and hired installers, carpenters, painters and other staff. 바카라�Everyone went berserk,바카라� laughs Gita, 바카라�but the move paid off.바카라� They now deliver more than 100 projects a month.

Did her venture face any major setbacks? 바카라�It would sound more poetic if I had one of those, right? But no,바카라� she chuckles. Gita then explains how Design Cafe was the culmination of a decade바카라�s experience, mistakes and course corrections. After they were selected to design and execute the apartment complex in 2006, they set up a firm. But the promoters eventually ditched the plan as they could not find enough buyers. 바카라�After that, we worked on salons, schools, offices바카라�anything that came our way,바카라� she recollects. 바카라�But we were trained as architects and although many architects start their own practices, we were never trained in running a business바카라�managing payroll, profit and loss and so on. We wanted to create something of value that would outlast us.바카라�

That prompted her to enroll for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women entrepreneurship programme at Indian School of Business, Hyderabad. 바카라�I learned things which now seem basic바카라�what바카라�s a business plan and how to make one바카라�but out of that experience was born Design Cafe in 2011.바카라� She specifies that the firm was distinct from her latest venture, but she retained the name because their investors preferred it. It focused on residential and hospitality projects바카라�Gold바카라�s Gym and Au Bon Pain were some of their clients.

The ease of designing commercial projects was in stark contrast to the 바카라�broken experience바카라� of the residential sector and caused them immense frustration. In 2013, they launched and simultaneously ran designkhoj.com, an online-first home interiors firm which failed because they 바카라�were trying to do too many things바카라�. Although the earlier Design Cafe was a success, they shut it down to focus on interiors for budget homes. With half a million dollars in angel investment, they launched the portal designcafe.xyz (now designcafe.com) in 2015. Over the years, they set up experience centres in Bangalore and Mumbai; outlets in Pune and Hyderabad are in progress. The firm has received more than $35 million in funding from WestBridge Capital and Fireside Ventures.

In an interview in 2017, Gita had said that of all the challenges she had faced as an entrepreneur, being a woman was not one. When I ask her about that, she clarifies: 바카라�I come from a family where women were educated and worked, so on a daily basis, I don바카라�t think of myself as a female entrepreneur. But as an architect, as soon as you step onto a site, you are the only woman. The masons are men, carpenters are men, electricians are men바카라�there are few women in the real estate industry. In the beginning, whenever I went to a site, there was a quiz¬바카라�men with 20 years of experience would constantly try to assess what I knew. It바카라�s a rite of passage for all female designers. But you don바카라�t have to be rude or obnoxious바카라�you have to show that you know exactly what you are talking about. Initially, I tried a bunch of strategies, but the only thing that worked was being exactly who I was.바카라�

She then opens up about the gendered expectations she has confronted as an entrepreneur: 바카라�Initially, it was hard to convince investors that I was the one heading the firm. So we sent Shezan to do the first set of meetings. Only when they showed interest would I come in the picture. That was the case until last year바카라� I now realise that if you don바카라�t talk about it, the problem gets magnified. Many women cannot progress when they hit a glass ceiling and if sharing my experience helps them, I must do it. It is hard for women in the industry, though things are changing now바카라�we are being taken more seriously as professionals.바카라�

For all her achievements, there바카라�s something Gita still lacks바카라�her parents바카라� approbation. 바카라�I am the black sheep of my community. For a long time, my parents never told anyone I had started a firm because that바카라�s the worst thing to do바카라�you are supposed to work in companies. What they find really cool are my gold medals and degrees from ISB and MIT, but even then they tell me, 바카라�That uncle바카라�s son, after a medal from IIT, he got one from IIM바카라�,바카라� she laughs. 바카라�Even for their house, they took advice only from my sister, who has no design background whatsoever! It keeps you humble.바카라�