If Mumbaikars were asked to list their problems, space would probably occupy the topmost slot in most lists. Space crunch is something that a Mumbaikar can never forget, and neither did Nisha and Baban Sabharwal. When their Delhi-based relatives mentioned the concept of a modular kitchen, which they had seen in Italy, the Sabharwals sensed a saleable product. They pounced on the idea at once and Kitchen Art was born. First in Delhi, before it came down to Mumbai."Kitchen Art was a plunge. We were apprehensive about whether the idea would click with the Indian market or not. We thought we would have to bear a loss of a few lakhs," says Baban Sabharwal. But they knew that a compact kitchen would surely be a successful idea in a city where shortage of space is a major problem. Besides, the two had no formal training in interior designing. But the hands they hired for the purpose did wonders for Kitchen Art. Prerana Gupta and Saira Kidwai design for the Sabharwals.
A sleek granite slab sits directly on thekitchen unit with just a 4 mm ply in between the slab and the Kitchen Art unit thus the wall need not be broken to fix the slab. The dal containers sit on neat racks, yet not far away from the cooking range; and what looks like small cabinets actually contain the support system for all the ingredients of a typical Indian kitchen. The cabinets can even open into breakfast and dinning tables.
This four-year-old company with its 45 models of kitchens in various finishes laminate, veneer, wood and high gloss caters to all the requirements of a kitchen. All one really needs to specify is one's need.
"But many a times clients don't know what exactly they want," says Nisha Sabharwal. At Kitchen Art, with the help of a certain specialised software, they are shown computerised layouts of the combination of their kitchen and a Kitchen Art product. The clients can take their pick.
Vastushastra has now opened a new avenue for this husband-and-wife team. The concept has caught on and a lot of people now wanttheir kitchen to adhere to the sutras of the ancient science. "The clients know where they want their haldi to be. In any case our product is designed according to the demands of the clients so it's not a big deal," they say.
Kitchen Art caters to other demands too. Their kitchen plans come with or without kitchen appliances and accessories. The products start at Rs 1,25,000.
But the markets are flooded with a lot of me-too products. So, the Sabharwals are not just happy being good, they have to be different. The major edge that their products have over their ordinarily carpentered counterparts are the edgebound units. Simple carpentry pastes veneer along the length, breadth and height of a wooden sheet. "The edges may open over a period of time. But the edges of our products are bound well," says Nisha.
The Sabharwals, thus, did not leave any opening for callousness. Every attempt to be different and more importantly, the best, was made. The team made sure that their product was fire, water, termiteand rust proof. Can we call it cockroach proof too? Baban Sabharwal smiles and says, "Nothing in the world is cockroach proof."
