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What inspired sisters Sai Darshan and Sai Sangeet Paliwal to start their own company—the Bengaluru-based Design Cellar—in mid-2007, even though both work in different areas? Darshan is a photographer, while Sangeet is an interior designer.

Well, for the Paliwal sisters, the benefits of starting a company together have been huge. Apart from the non-tangible complementary nature of their work, they have made substantial cost-savings.

Additionally, launching Design Cellar through an outsider’s portfolio of resources would have limited their own visibility. “We still have our entire life ahead of us to shine,” says Sangeet, referring to the pitfalls of partnering with an experienced person in the industry.

In fact, what these siblings have going on is a cost-effective solution, as far as advertising, PR and marketing go. “We don’t need to hire any agencies; we do the job for each other—for free,” exclaims Darshan. In Design Cellar, they also have a common forum to display products and meet clients.

“I can design a soft furnishings line using Darshan’s photographs, which can be sold along with her other works printed on a different medium.” These are then marketed as a customized, stylized package to a client. You can make clothes to order but, till date, no one has offered customers tailor-made home furnishings,” explains Sangeet.

Given their design backgrounds, the sisters find it easy to moonlight for one another in case of an absent sibling. “As we have seen each other grow from scratch, we can talk to each other’s clients with ease,” says Sangeet.

Interestingly, the sisters end up working on common projects for some clients, especially architects, fashion designers and fine artists. This, for them, offers another huge benefit of working together from home. And when it comes to the issue of funds, mom and dad are always there to make sure the girls stick to budgets and spend wisely.

So what happens when two different strokes of art and two contrasting personalities work together under one roof? “A flow of creativity, 24/7,” says Darshan. Sure enough, Design Cellar brews a perennial flow of ideas and a free, honest rapport between the sisters. It is a company, but not the usual corporate that deliberates in a board room or seeks to satisfy shareholders.

The sisters work on their own terms, pace and often follow their gut feelings. “Our partnership has been a conscious decision. As we are involved with different kinds of work, there is no competition or power struggle between us,” says Sangeet. Revelry, she asserts, could never turn into rivalry.

“We are inspired by each other’s works. We work together to bring out fresh ideas and concepts while retaining our own unique styles,” says photographer Darshan of her collaboration with her interior designer sister, Sangeet.

Though partnering with an established professional could have brought in much-needed funds and boosted their growth, the sisters believe that it would have hampered their freedom to experiment. “I’d rather compromise on scale than quality,” states Sangeet. Her sister adds, “And somewhere down the line, we would have lost out on creativity.”

“The market is new and unexplored, there is definitely scope for expansion,” says Praveen Kumar, Managing Director, LED Concepts and Design Pvt. Ltd., a venture that deals with visual merchandising, exhibitions and conferences. According to Kumar, as Design Cellar already has big-budget names in its kitty, sustenance and scaling up would not be an issue. “Creativity ultimately comes from within; it cannot be linked to partnering with an outsider or family member,” he adds.

Under Design Cellar the entrepreneurial sisters have created an eclectic collection for style-conscious consumers who believe individualism is paramount. Through their unique approach to art on unexplored media, they offer a variety of niche products for homes—all under one roof. Darshan’s photographs have, in fact, spanned media such as plastic, metal, wood and glass in addition to the usual canvas or paper photographic prints.

Sangeet incorporates graphics and digital prints on merchandise like cushion covers, in addition to her extensive range of surface-developed designs. Elements customarily used for clothes—like threads, buttons and sequences—are used to embellish a variety of products such as soft furnishings for children as well as adults, kitchen accessories and table linen.
Having worked with about 75 clients since the company’s inception—including German brick manufacturer Wienerberger, marble producer Younik and alcohol brand Chivas Regal—Darshan has witnessed a rise in demand for fine art, from both corporates and art lovers.

Design Cellar has another USP: instead of mass reproducing their merchandise, the siblings sell them through limited editions to protect exclusivity. Moreover, they have maintained their individual signature styles.

The photographer, who is moved by earthiness, rural folk, the various nuances children  adopt and nature, is driven by the connections she establishes with a subject. Her works are sold through Design Cellar sub-brand, Saidarshan Photographs.

“I love capturing the essence of life through people in villages who are completely unaware of the camera. I’m inspired by the genuineness of their approach and expressions,” she says.

Younger sister Sangeet, on the other hand, seeks inspiration from music, popular historical figures, celebrities, books, pop-art and other such items. In a span of two years, she has designed about 20-25 collections across her sub-brand, Soda, which comprises five categories: Soda Bar, Soda Fizz, Soda Incarnate, Soda Pop and Soda…licious, each catering to a different age group and set of sensibilities.

“The main purpose of Soda is to meet the everyday needs of clients through design, quality and price,” says Sangeet. Through Soda, she offers customers the liberty to pick up different pieces within a collection to blend into or enhance an existing interior space.

Tags:
design, Design Cellar, interior designer, Paliwal, photographer, Sai Darshan, Sai Sangeet, sisters