The Makings of a Lady Boss

---

Nayantara Kochhar - in the early days at our sunny office in Bangalore.

Those who have a passion for antique furniture will tell you how it makes them feel connected in some way to their past. Like the time you raced with your father to be the first one to ‘claim’ Dadu’s easy chair for the day in your grandparents’ home! Or your thrill at discovering an old Kerala day bed while roaming about in Jew Town; finding that long wooden bench you sat on at the railway station as a child or buying an easy chair at the Sunday auction at Russell Exchange in Calcutta (yes, we still call it that) — these are discoveries that make you happy from inside.

While you feel nostalgic about a time gone by, about people you’ve come to associate with those items, you have this sudden realisation deep within that it is so hard to find furniture like that nowadays. Everything is so posh, modern and everyone races to get the best deal on the latest trend. But you know that maybe you’re different from that lot. Maybe your ideal home would be a modern home, but with a reminder of your past and where you come from. Your own space. Your home tells your story. And that’s how Auraz Design came into being.

It was my newly discovered love for designing ‘spaces’ in my home after moving to Bangalore three years ago, that the idea of Auraz started to take shape. How lovely it would be if your home reminded you of people, places and your family home? How much better it would be if you didn’t have to spend too much time or effort on scouting for antique pieces, planning your trips for antique hunting, and then solving the monumental dilemma — how will it look in my home?

Challenge accepted! Home décor trends have come a long way since 1950, but antiques have an indisputable charm. We know that in 2016, you want your home to be a bit of both worlds. Just like you! What’s wrong with wanting a bit of the old charm with a modern vibe? At Auraz, we are constantly sourcing for the next unique antique piece and designing modern spaces that will straddle the two worlds.

Along the way since we launched Auraz in December 2015, many people have asked us many different questions. Ranging from why antiques to why not reproductions (we hate fakes), one of the more interesting questions I have been asked was about how it feels to be a lady boss? Hmmmm something I can now turn to my mother and ask as well! It is only after close to a year that our entire team now has an equal mix of men and women !A few days ago, while scouting resumes on Angellist I came across a profile wherein this young lady wrote a special note saying the reason she desperately wanted to apply for one our full time roles was simple: “I love antiques and lady bosses”!

Things have definitely come a long way since 1950 — both for furniture design and how women are slowly but surely reclaiming their work place.

Nayantara Kochhar

Founder, Auraz Design