This Indian Startup Is Bringing Back The Traditional Artwork In Form Of Furnitures

Haven't you got fascinated with the luxurious dressing, furniture, architecture & interiors that are setup in movies? These larger than life accessories makes it more of a design piece than a regular mirror and the big, soft, velvet sofas and armchairs. Deep inside, we all have wished for a life like that, to get our hands on such furniture and one such business enthusiast and creative thinker who is making these dreams come true is Aishwarya Reddy.

Aishwarya has her unique brand in the name of Kenshua. Kensua is the name of the God that represents the moon in Egyptian mythology. Moon represents silver and immortality in ancient mythology. They chose the Egyptian God as their first collection includes silver furniture and the art of making silver into sheets started in Egypt, and the price of silver was higher than gold and copper. All the pieces were falling in their places, and they named the brand Khenshu. The furniture made by them justifies immortality as their pieces are meant to last a lifetime.

How did she decide to have this startup?
Aishwarya saw the opportunity of the furniture industry in a country that is still undergrowth. She realized that sooner or later this would increase the demand for luxury furniture of Indian origin, and the lack of such brands has helped her create this opportunity. Khenshu targets the crème of society like architects, interior designers, corporates, wedding planners, luxury villas and apartment construction agencies, and prominent families. They wish to target the top 1% of the population and offer them Khenshu’s services.

Khenshu believes in quality over quantity, and with a waiting period of three months, they deliver furniture that gets appreciated by people as well as the market. The quality of material and the detailed designing of the product increases the value of the item over the years. The furniture can be a part of the family, and it can be passed on to generations as an heirloom piece.

Unique design concept
Her furniture reveals a luxury design house that is working closely with various dying art forms and giving them a contemporary twist. Every piece developed by her has a story to tell, and every product is worked on intensively by the product design team. All the items are handcrafted by the traditional Indian artisans present in the Rajasthan unit. The local artisans make the products that help in preserving the art form, create employment, and support the cause of Make in India. She is recreating timeless pieces of art and representing them as furniture and artifacts with a modern twist. Inspired by the Make in India initiative, Khenshu is bringing various Indian art forms on the global market while supporting and providing a platform to the local Karigars. 

“Lately, due to the onset of mass manufacturing, most of these art forms are dying with artisans moving to other industries. Khenshu is trying to bring these art forms back to life, and give it a global appeal with a contemporary twist in design,” Aishwarya explains.

Khenshu produces a range of products ranging from living room furniture, bedroom furniture to mirrors, consoles, photo frames, and décor pieces. The price ranges from anywhere between Rs 5,000 and Rs 20 lakh or uncapped depending on customisation needs. It opened its first flagship store at The Colonnade in the Leela Palace Hotel in Bengaluru.

Future prospects of the business
Khenshu’s design and experience center is also set to open in 2020 if the COVID crisis gets handled. Among other things, Aishwarya first plans to expand the business to Hyderabad in the current fiscal. And then, take it global and expand to New York and Los Angeles. She also plans to grow her team and increase the startup’s operational efficiency, among other things.  Khenshu also plans on expanding into creating super luxury experiences with hotel and restaurant designing.

Such a unique design concept not only enlivens the room space but are also conversation starters. Truly these designs are a pleasure to our eyes & enlighten desires to own one.