A decorative edge

MY BIG IDEA

Poonam Barman had never really imagined herself as a businesswoman. She was from a conservative family, married early and was all set for a life of comfortable domesticity.

But she started out in a small way making designs for home products and before she knew it she had a small store in Delhi's Shahpur Jat. As word of mouth helped the business grow, Barman soon began providing accessories to hotels and other lifestyle stores.

She shifted to the more upmarket Greater Kailash earlier this year and renamed her store Xtuti. Today she has a turnover of around Rs 80 lakh and wants to continue expanding her product portfolio and bringing a personalised touch to home decor.

I AM originally from Bareilly, where my father worked as a jeweller. I did my schooling at St Mary's, Nainital and then married at a very young age and came to Delhi with my husband. This was in 1986.

For a few years I was content with helping my husband out in his work and killing time. Doing something on my own didn't figure in my plans at that stage. Partly, this was a result of coming from a conservative family, where women didn't work. But things started to happen gradually.

I had an artistic streak which I think I inherited from my father "" in addition to his work as a jeweller, he used to help with the restoration of temples in Bareilly. Sitting at home, I started designing basic elements of home decor "" mainly furniture pieces and curtains to start with.

It was little more than a hobby at first, but around this time my sister was doing up her house and she asked me for decor suggestions. One thing led to another and with some encouragement I set up a small shop in south Delhi's Shahpur Jat seven years ago. It was originally called Essell Creations; I renamed it Xtuti earlier this year, after my daughter Stuti.

Since I couldn't have a shop with only sofas and basic furniture on display, I started designing other little knick-knacks to add value. Slowly, I started working on wooden and stainless steel items, vases, platters and bathroom accessories.

Around this time, a friend of mine who was with the Park Hotel suggested I do some accessories for them. It was the beginning of a fruitful association with many leading hotels, including the Radisson and Taj, for which I have created many design elements over the years. Today hotels account for around 60 per cent of my business.

A few months ago we started making face masks in wrought-iron. I got the idea when I went to the US with a friend and saw a range of masks in a home-store "" I sensed the concept would be a hit in India too.

Another line we have recently started is stoneware products. These days, people who are setting up a home are far more more knowledgable about the options available, and there's also an inclination to experiment. So we have to be on our toes all the time, and keep innovating.

We have now got into the wholesale trade as well "" I have started supplying products and designs to a couple of lifestyle stores.

My biggest strength, I think, is that I read my customers' needs very well and come up with the right decor suggestions based on their individual tastes. I see clients only by appointment, so I can give them time and cater to their needs properly.

That's one of the reasons I want to retain hands-on control over my business. I've received offers to open shops in partnership in Kanpur and Mumbai but I'm not very keen to move out of the NCR at this point, because the personalised touch will be lost somewhere down the line. However, I do plan to open an Xtuti outlet in Noida soon.