Leaders

Studio Decorai, a confluence of art and design, began when daughters chose to celebrate their mother’s passion for art by creating lifestyle products and home accessories from her artwork as a means to use art in various ways. It all started when the daughters, Kalyani Mukherjee and Anindita Rai, resolved to spread their love of all things artistic and their mother’s talent throughout the world. From a dinner table discussion to establishing a brand that brings art into everyday life, it all started with a spark of an idea.

In an exclusive interview with Women Entrepreneur Magazine, Kalyani Mukherjee & Anindita Rai, Co-founders of Studio Decorai, enlightened us more about Studio Decorai and their professional traits.

Take us about your preceding experience that you bring to the table. What led to the foundation of Studio Decorai?

Together, we bring close to 4 decades of experience in design, marketing, communications, and training. Before getting to do what we wanted, we served in corporate roles. Kalyani was an educator in the hospitality industry and, before this, led several teams in project management. Anindita brings nearly two decades of experience leading marketing and communication teams focusing on brand building, design, sustainability, and climate change. Individually and as a team, we have always strived to achieve our objectives with keen thought, and a bigger picture in our mind.

While in our corporate roles, our minds clicked, and we knew what we wanted to do. We decided to take a plunge because of our passion. Today, we have a small team of designers and marketers with the same energy and passion for taking Studio Decorai forward.

Studio Decorai purely began as a passion for art. Our mother being the creative force, the artist behind it all, and our drive for bringing it forward to the world. We felt that while Indian handcrafted products were very much in demand, they lacked modern utility.Therefore, we found an opportunity to create high-quality, chic products that would cater to the niche segment in their everyday lives. We have nature all around us, but we often overlook it. And, via art, we are bringing it all together into everyday items centred on flora, fauna, and Indian culture. It can be anything from a handcrafted watch box to a tray or box for knickknacks. It can be your notebooks, a stole, a clutch, or something with an aspect of art in it. The other part of Studio Decorai focuses on a niche segment of services related to sustainability, visual identity, and allied design capabilities.

Tell us about the various roles and responsibilities that you shoulder as the co-founders of Studio Decorai. What are the primary focus areas in your current role?

Anindita takes care of the design, technology, marketing, communications, and our services segment, while I, Kalyani, am responsible for product development, vendor management, and overall operations. We have mainly focused on our customers’ needs and, as aforementioned, how we can incorporate art into daily life. Making customers worldwide aware of how essential elements of your everyday use can also look stylish, classy, and of course, luxurious has been an exciting journey.

"Our primary goal is to incorporate nature and art into everyday life"

Each product at Studio Decorai is uniquely handcrafted by our artisans with great care. We started with a vision of empowering artisans, primarily focusing on single-earning members. Our objective became more fruitful when we identified such people and collaborated with them. They have helped us create a specific segment and value for us, and at the same time, we are doing the same for them.

Besides, we are also emphasising sustainability – all our raw materials are responsibly sourced across India. That is why we state that all our products are proudly Made in India. Everything we do, right down to the last bit of the finished product, is made in India. We seek to focus on natural items. For instance, we use wood and try to use them sustainably so that we ensure that no forest is being cut. The wood and leather used are upcycled, so we also focus on these areas.

What are some significant milestones that you have achieved throughout your professional journey? What has been the driving force behind your success as professionals?

Our leadership style and absolute passion drive our success as professionals. This is something we have wanted to accomplish since we were children. But we did not have the platform or opportunity to get started. We also believed that since we did not come from a business family, we needed the experience and evidence to become entrepreneurs and set up a successful venture. So, with experience and passion, we took small steps, developed, and now aim to go a long way. We come with a concrete vision of our passion and what we wish to do, and that doesn’t change – a clear focus is our key. A professional approach to innovation, instilling equality amongst us and all the artisans and vendors we work with and achieving a competitive edge in the market.

As entrepreneurs, we have felt great satisfaction in creating products our customers love and providing job opportunities to our vendors. Since our products are handcrafted, each item is unique.

We have collaborated on several large custom and corporate orders in recent years. Additionally, our festive gifts and nature-inspired annual calendars are much sought after. Our brand is primarily known for its nature-themed handcrafted home décor, lifestyle products, stationery, original artworks, and visual identity.

What would your advice be to young women who also aspire to become business leaders and entrepreneurs in the future?

Just take the plunge - Take a risk, think big, start small, and be persistent and committed. There can be hundreds of hurdles every single day, yet one must persevere. We started global sales and launched new products just before the pandemic. Still, we persevered, along with a small team of designers and marketers working with the same energy and passion. If we didn’t have the bigger picture in our heads, we would never have taken the most minor steps and given light to Studio Decorai.

Kalyani Mukherjee, Co-Founder, Studio Decorai

Kalyani is driven by an insatiable love for design and detail. Every creation is an expression of love for art and the environment. Her background in art since childhood, her education in business and years working in the corporate world helped her blend art and commerce.

Anindita Rai, Co-Founder, Studio Decorai

With her light-bulb moments, Anindita is constantly innovating and reinforcing sustainability. Nature continually inspires her to create little bits of happiness for all.