How an Indian startup is making designing your kitchen suck less

Photo credit: Pixabay.

Building a house in Gurgaon was turning out to be a good, old fashioned mess for Jatin Paul. Finding factory-grade furniture was difficult, particularly for his kitchen and wardrobe.

India is now at a point where there is space for…a made in India product with a certain level of quality.

“Usually, in India, you use carpenters [for interior design] because they are readily available,” the Tufts University graduate explains. Carpenters are popular because they’re cheaper than importing decor from somewhere else, but the work is done in large part by hand, which means that the furnishings may look uneven when finished. Options are limited to the carpenter’s experience. In addition, purchasing the individual’s services doesn’t mean design is included – Jatin says that the customer ends up doing that himself.

In his search for a good kitchen and wardrobe, he met engineer and University of Michigan graduate Avijit Marwah. Avijit connected him with a good factory, and Jatin ended up loving the end product – he mentions people who came over to his house asked him where he’d gotten his decor done.

Jatin figured if he joined forces with Avijit, they could give India the consumer-focused, factory-grade brand it deserved. Jatin’s sister Pallavi, founder of fashion ecommerce site Trovea, joined the group along with Mehaa Seth Marwah, Avijit’s colleague who specializes in public relations and communication. They launched Modspace in June 2015.

Through Modspace’s site, customers can browse modular furniture in different colors, designs, sizes, and finishes. Then, they can request a designer from the startup’s team and a quote. The company supervises the entire renovation process and works with local factories to deliver the furniture.

“India is now at a point where there is space for a modular brand, a made in India product with a certain level of quality,” Jatin tells Tech in Asia.

One shot job

Modspace’s founders: (left to right) Pallavi Paul, Jatin Paul, Mehaa Seth Marwah, and Avijit Marwah.

Jatin got into kitchens and wardrobes specifically because they were difficult to do, and he wanted to be able to incorporate a lot more design options than were currently out there. Both involve integrating a lot of storage space, and giving buyers efficient and attractive options that fit their tastes is a job both challenging and rewarding.

The most difficult part of a job is installation. Even with the measurements of the space taken beforehand, Jatin says the job requires a certain level of precision and finesse that is hard to get right. Since people usually only renovate their kitchens once per property, or once every 10 years or so, Modspace only has one chance to get things right.

Modspace only has one chance to get things right.

That’s not to say the company doesn’t succeed, though. In the past six to seven months, its 25 person team has delivered to 100 homes. An average job, from order to installation, takes about four weeks. Modular furnishings, which are easier to move around, help keep costs down. Jatin says to think of them like Lego blocks.

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