Let Your First Home Reflect Your Unique Style with High Quality Home Décor Products for Small Spaces at Surprisingly Affordable Prices

• Q. Tell us about yourself and your background.
• We both met working in Corporate Communications at what used to be MTV Networks back in the early 2000s. We had a similar aesthetic - even now when we are sourcing we gravitate towards the same things. At that point of course e-commerce was still nascent. Sulaxmi launched a home accessories store called 1 BHK at Kamala Mills and also began to design furniture, while Anjali continued her career in media and marketing.

• Q. What led to the formation of 1 BHK and how did it happen?
• When 1 BHK the store wrapped up, both thought the time was ripe for entering into e-commerce and so www.1bhkInteriors.com was born. The idea was to find things specifically suited for small spaces (although perfectly at home in larger spaces too) at an affordable price range. We also wanted a cleaner, more modern, more international look, considering that is the aesthetic that appeals to us personally and that there was already a surfeit of ethnic design options in the market.

• Q. What is your process and how do you introduce products? (from concept and design to the final product)
• The process is partly designing and partly sourcing. Whatever we sell, it must be something that we would keep in our own homes. We also look at functionality, sustainability and long term use. For example, we first started making everything in iron which is fairly strong and cost-effective. When we went to exhibitions and flea markets and met customers in person, we began to get invaluable feedback on how they wanted to use the products, where they would place them, etc. For our metal products we decided to pivot to brass and aluminium which are more expensive but worth it as they are less corrosive especially in humid conditions.

• Q. What are you trying to achieve?
• We are trying to make beautiful sustainable things, with a lot of thought.

Where Can You Find Them?

• Q. You have tableware, furniture and everything in between. But what would you say are your signature products/items you’d recommend?
• We have a soft spot for hanging planters as those are the items we first began to sell. They are also perfect for smaller spaces. During the lockdown the interest in home gardens really exploded, to our benefit.

• Q. How do you ensure quality?
• We have stringent checks at the manufacturer level, then again at the warehouse and then finally before the items are shipped out. Sometimes we work with marketplaces that do their own quality checks as well so there are minimal customer complaints. Returns are very costly in e-commerce because of the high costs of shipping and return shipping. Plus they can reduce customer trust so a stringent quality check just makes a lot of sense.

• Q. What makes 1 BHK stand out from other brands?
• Many brands feel that there is no market for good quality stylish home accessories among people with smaller spaces. But that is simply not true. Our customers are well-travelled and evolved, mostly urban, and were hard-pressed to find things like they had seen abroad available in India, till now. We also love a multi-functional item, like a planter that can be used in both directions or mixed and matched to make dozens of combinations. For people who don't have the budget or space to accommodate a huge variety of things, multi-functionality makes it easy to change up their space whenever they are in the mood.

• Q. What are some common mistakes people make when accessorising a small living space? Please give us some space saving ideas.
• We went to a builder’s small sample flat recently which was covered head to toe in mirrors and shiny items, probably to make the space look larger. But all the detail only seemed to make it look crowded. Don't follow home décor advice blindly, see how it feels in your own home or consult with a designer that understands your needs and your personality, not someone who imitates a look on Instagram or Pinterest.

• Q. Please can you give some tips on buying home décor as gifts.
• Choose according to the person’s personality, rather than a price range. We have an excellent guide even if you don’t believe in astrology. You will find almost every personality featured.