Elevating Furniture space: Shivani Anand
From a Chemical Engineering student in the US, to a startup investment analyst at IIM to becoming the Director of a furniture line – Shivani Anand’s journey eventually led her to the city of Nizams, where she is now heading a boutique furniture store.
Coming from a doctor’s family in Baroda, Shivani naturally had the zest to become a doctor. “But, I wanted to experience something new after my schooling. So, to pursue engineering, I got into one of the top five schools at US. After gaining experience as a Chemical Analyst there, I moved down to IIM, Ahmedabad as an Investment Analyst for startups Having Prof Rakesh Basant an Indian economist and professor at IIM as a mentor, taught her the nuances of investment, planning and building a brand.
While in the US, she met her husband, Siddhant Anand, the Director of Khazana Group. Shivani and Siddhant after knowing each other for eight years got married this year and it has been six months that she moved to Hyderabad. Before shifting here, she planned and researched about the furniture industry and its trends in this city. “When you are used to working, it’s difficult to be suddenly doing nothing. So, two weeks post wedding I started working for Khazana Group. My two years of experience at IIM helped me tremendously to implement that knowledge here.”
The recently launched luxury furniture store Elevate X at Banjara Hills showcases boutique brands. Each floor has its own style ranging from rich, classical and lavish looking, to Asian and industrial look. “My father in law had already researched about international brands. We also went to big furniture fairs around the world and checked online to pick up trends. We got in touch with these brands, learnt about the designs as all are not suitable for the Indian market, understood the price range, and what the competitors were into. We wanted to work with boutique brands that are passionate at the same time.”
Hyderabad being the hottest market with new MNC’s coming in and in turn bringing in youngsters, has given a push to the home décor market. Shivani’s advice for home decor shoppers, “Firstly, understand the theme a home needs to be styled in, modern or classical, then the family members living in it; if elders are there then higher seating is recommended, if you have children then white isn’t the choice, and so on…”
On this new journey, Shivani looks up to her elders’ advices and experience. “My father in law has taught me a lot in these ten months. I look up to him for advice, as nothing can beat experience. And, my elders have taught me to not let challenges come in the way and never give up. We had few challenges while coming up with our new store, but if you work on finding a solution then all problems seem to be small,” she adds.
By: Divya Rao