Great legs, straight backs and smooth curves, a chair for everyone – Aradhana Anand does just that at limón
She has always loved dressing a home. Having happily advised many friends on how to add that bit of ethnic charm, pattern, or colour to the generic looking expat apartment, Aradhana Anand kept ahead of design trends and probed her own aesthetic leanings while conceiving limón in the summer of 2015.
Aradhana, Founder of limón, after nine long years in the maritime industry as an oil freight trader and life in Dubai and Singapore, decided to exit the corporate space to finally make a profession of her passion.
If you are still wondering what limón is all about – its debut collection focusses on the chair, with styles personifying what Aradhana does best, cleverly marrying diverse elements to put together a coherent, glorious piece of furniture.
Aradhana’s journey of the Middle East
Aradhana sailed with her father till she was three years old. She grew up in the Middle East till the age of 10 and from then till high school, she studied in Delhi. They had to come back due to the Gulf War.
It was then that she pursued her bachelor’s degree in computer science and businesss studies from the Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, UK. A stint as an analyst in Standard Chartered Bank happened to her between 2001 and 2004. It was only in late 2013 that she moved back to India from Singapore. Aradhana hopes to register the company and start retailing in Singapore in 2016.
Why chairs?
Aradhana says that she found the furniture space lacking in quality, well finished products that did not cost an arm and a leg.
“I indeed thought there was a huge space in this sector and something needed to be built to be accommodated into it. With my venture being two odd weeks, the response has been nothing short of good,” says Aradhana. She built everything from scratch, developed everything in-house and she says she knows what goes into making a chair, be it in terms of comfort or durability.
Becoming an entrepreneur
Aradhana’s experience as an entrepreneur has been hectic. With no weekends, holidays and switching off, to speak while one is trying to set something is a strict no-no when one is on the way to entrepreneurship.
Aradhana is all set to expand her collection by designing the second line of chairs. “I am introducing credenzas and ottomans soon and also renovating the studio space,” she says.
Though she laments that she is left with very less time which she can call her own, Aradhana is happy that her business is growing at a pace that she would ideally like it to grow. She recently finished an exhibition in Delhi too, which showcased her products.
With a soaring demand in the niche sector that she is working in, Aradhana is happy and certain that her business is all set to grow. The entrepreneur credits this to a seamless balance of colour and texture.
