Leaders

Dream big, be ambitious and never stop learning,” says Akshata Chitlangia, Director of Kustomake. Kustomake is a brainchild of Akshata, stitched together based on her learnings from international designers across the globe. A True Bangalorean at heart, Akshata studied at Baldwin Girls, went to do pre-university at Jain College before graduating from RV College of Engineering. At 23, she was a part of a Technical team managing an awe-inspiring Luxury Island resort, Cheval Blanc, in Maldives operated by the famous Louis Vuitton LVMH group. As a technical design coordinator, she soon realized that interior design was more than just furniture placement and wall colors. Eventually she utilized the knowledge she gained to help derive stellar designs and founded Kustomake, a Project Management Firm specialized in managing construction projects.

To know more about her and Kustomake, peruse this exclusive interview between Akshata and Women Entrepreneur.

Give us a brief overview of kustomake.

Kustomake was envisioned as a Project Management Firm specialized in managing construction projects. Our first assignment was a river side hotel called Meghauli Serai, now christened as a Taj Safari Hotel at the Chitwan National Park in Nepal.

With a successful start, we ventured into a largely unorganized space and that was the Residential interior market. From preset room-based packages to tailor made solutions, we eased the gap of visualization with varied 3D tools to make the customer understand their home better.

How Dominos had 30 min pizza delivery we started with 30 days home interior delivery!

Foraying into Commercial interiors, we set foot with multiple retail and office interiors to bring affordability in the same segment without compromising on the quality of the product. As we speak, we have delivered more than 5 Lakh sq ft of interiors for a delighted customer base across India.

Tell us about the foundation journey of the company.

The journey for Kustomake began once I returned from Maldives. A few months down the line, I had to get the interiors of my future house done. Armed with the design experience I had, it was obvious that I would design it on my own; oblivious of the challenges that I would encounter! Then came the challenge of the execution, the quality of the delivery and a delayed timeline etc. To my surprise, there were just a few handpicked specialized vendors who could deliver the best buy. A Journey that was supposed to be memorable, landed up being the most stressful at that time, even though I was from the same field. My business partner and I realized that there was a need to make residential interiors memorable and affordable at the same time.

From a shared office with space for just my business partner, me, and a coffee machine, to the current spacious offices for all our employees in Bangalore and Mumbai, we have come a long way.

“How dominos had 30 min pizza delivery we started with 30 days home interior delivery”

What are kustomake’s various areas of specialization?

Our team’s expertise in design, execution and Project Management are across various sectors that includes Commercial, Residential, Retail, Hospitality, Healthcare and lastly, Leisure What sets us apart from the rest is that we bring in refreshing new and unique designs which are pocket friendly and delivered on time. We pride ourselves on the quick turnaround time with interiors completed in a matter of a few weeks.

In your opinion, what are some facets of your personality and leadership style that have helped you propel the company further in its journey?

I believe in empowering others to take responsibilities and helping them deliver. Today, we are who we are for the work our team has delivered for our clients. From extended work hours to overnight submissions, they have done all they can to deliver the best for our clients.

How do you keep yourself aligned with the various trends and technologies developing in the interior design industry?

Amidst the pandemic, social media has kept us updated of the present trends and technology in the interior design business. In addition to this, I make it a point to travel around the world once every year and learn about the culture, material and architecture of various countries and bring snippets of them into my design.

What would be your words of advice for women aspiring to become entrepreneurs and interior designers?

Dream big, be ambitious and never stop learning. You might be challenged and ridiculed along the way sometimes because you are a woman. Many times you will have to work harder in getting your point across to your vendors and sometimes even to your clients. But Don’t let any of that stop you. Today, I am a mother but my ambition has only gotten bigger.

I truly believe Learning cannot stop at any age and that is what keeps you updated.

Akshata Chitlangia, Director

Kustomake is a brainchild of Akshata, stitched together based on her learnings from international designers across the globe.