Bay Window launches its first flagship store in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad
- Featured Lifestyle News
Arushi Sakhuja
- 18 minutes read
Arushi Sakhuja
The Indian furniture market is currently booming with consumers becoming more aware of designs given their exposure. But when you step out into the market, one is often confronted with the concept of either very mass-oriented brands or uber-luxury brands. To bridge this gap in the market, Siddhant Anand and Shivani Anand have co-founded a new interior store, Bay Window. After two intense years of R&D, the duo launched the first flagship store in the affluent suburban neighbourhood of Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. The main attraction is the price point without compromising on design and quality, hence categorising the brand as a new accessible-luxury furniture brand.
Speaking about the brand, founder Siddhant Anand said, “We humans essentially live in two worlds; one that is external, where we interact with society, work towards a career, build relationships with colleagues, friends, family. And one that is internal, being content, finding your passion and your peace. Lost in the fast-paced external world, We often neglect the internal. Bay Window is aimed at moving us closer to the perfect balance between the two.”
Brand Philosophy
The brand relies on four pillars, functionality – infusing the ease of a good design in everyday life; convenience – purpose to serve with a reliable experience; balance – merging aesthetic with efficiency; and unconventional designs that are a conversation starter. Defining the brand in one line Siddhant and Shivani say, the brand is an intersection of thought, art and experience.
The four-floor Bay Window store is spread over 30,000 square feet and nestled in the affluent suburban neighbourhood of Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. Upon entering the store the soothing pastel colour palette instantly catches your attention. With European aesthetics that are clean, minimalistic and uncluttered, the made-in-India brand pivots from the stereotypical notion of Indian furniture. Bay Window is backed by the visionary Founders of Elevate X, with three decades of expertise in luxury furniture. Speaking about the evolution of the idea Siddhant shared, “Whenever we would travel we would wonder why there isn’t a good Indian brand that gives India what it wants at price points which lots of people can buy, that’s how Bay Window was born.” He further said Bay Window is more of a lifestyle rather than just an interior store. The brand aims to introduce everything to its portfolio but has initially started out with furniture, lighting and rugs and will soon get into soft furnishing and table decor.
Design Philosophy
With a team of experts dedicated to delivering transformative home decor solutions projecting lifestyle, Bay Window aspires to become a catalyst for innovative and unconventional spaces that goes on to become a conversation starter in your life. “It’s a premium segment, we call ourselves mid-luxury. We are not luxury, we are premium-priced, but luxury and mid-luxury feel,” shared Anand.
Collaborating with international designers across the UK and Europe the brand brings to India a fresh perspective to Indian design. “We collaborate with independent designers who design collections for us, but people who have that aim of making good-looking designer furniture accessible.” Using new materials pairing like leather and fabric for accent chairs, cane and wood on beds, lamps detailed with rope, wooden cabinets with metal handles, marble chairs made with metal and wood and more. Anand said the brand focuses on using a lot of different materials which we spotted in the store. “With Bay Window we are trying to move away from the typical genres of design. We have created a palette which allows people to create their designs.”
Bringing together functionality, design and user experience without compromising on quality lies at the core of the brand. Could this be the brand we find in every Indian home? This thoughtful curation caters to a myriad of tastes and preferences, ensuring a uniquely special something for every individual. Be it bone inlay work or solid wood, the space is material-rich and innovation-heavy. A haven for all. Prices of a three-seater sofa start at INR 50,000 and go up to INR 90,000 whereas coffee is available for as much as INR 15,000. But when one sees the design the price points almost seem unimaginable.
Retailing methods
The brand has an e-commerce platform that will be going live soon, further, they have two store formats – a flagship store and galleries. The gallery stores are smaller formats with just one floor, more like an experience centre, says Siddhant. If you’re looking to spend half a day browsing through home decor, then the flagship store is where you would need to head. When asked if the brand is working on customised designs Siddhant shared, “The way we are able to achieve these price points is through limited batch, volume production. Once our current stock of 50 pieces is sold out, we will make some changes to ensure it’s not a massy brand. But, the moment I get into customizations the price point will be in lakhs because there is a lot of engineering in furniture. We will be getting into customization in the future, limited to possible upholstery. “
Inside the store
The first floor of the store caters to segregated spaces showcasing the creations of international designers. Captivating us with aesthetic goals is the beauty of a tree that lies artistically integrated into the design of the store. Pretty much setting the stage for what to expect from the store. Hues of beige, white, and pastel with pops of colour you can find dining tables, chairs, lamps, coffee tables and consoles. Each product in the store also has a barcode on the pricetags which instantly takes consumers to the brand website (shipping all over the country) and gives the customer information about the kind of material used. If it’s wood what kind of wood – mango wood, Eucalyptus wood and so on – hence making it a transparent space for consumers to know exactly what they are purchasing.
Moving to the second floor, one can expect to find pops of colour and a slightly more Indian touch to modern furniture. From sofas in hues of blue, baby pink and rust leather upholstery to quirky tables with unconventional designs, printed fabrics and a special corner showcasing the beauty of the monochrome design. You can also find contemporary tv cabinets and consoles, along with dining chairs with an Indian touch.
The third floor introduces us to bedroom furniture, extravagant beds made with leather, cane and wood, side tables and floor lamps with unique designs. Finally, the fourth floor is dedicated to dining tables and chairs. This was my favourite part of the store for me, the design has intrinsically interwoven stone sculptures in the store to create a very international and art-gallery feel. Aesthetically placed, it also resonated with the landscape of Jubilee Hills. Looking more like a gallery with beautifully displayed home decor this was a haven.
Overall, the store is at par with international stores in its concept and design. From furniture design to the architecture of the store and the interiors, Bay Window is the answer to many of our needs.
