Renowned chefs Rakhee Vaswani and Varun Inamdar along with leading interior designer Saniya Kantawala discuss the emergence of Kitchen as a socializing zone in India
MUMBAI, Dec. 10, 2019 — Godrej Interio, India’s leading furniture brand in-home and institutional segments, today launched its first ‘kitchen experience centre’ in Mumbai in the presence of Nyrika Holkar (Executive Director, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd.), Anil Mathur (Chief Operating Officer, Godrej Interio), along with culinary experts Chef Rakhee Vaswani and Chef Varun Inamdar as well as interior design expert, Saniya Kantawala (Saniya Kantawala Design).
The first-of-its-kind hub highlights Godrej Interio’s design philosophy which is based on user-centric approach. Consumers and interior designers can experience the best of products and services by Godrej Interio to co-create a customized and personalized kitchen design from a myriad range of options.
The launch also witnessed an engaging discussion on ‘The Emergence of Kitchen as a socializing place.’ While Chef Rakhee Vaswani and Chef Varun Inamdar elaborated on their experience of working in ergonomically and aesthetically designed kitchens, Saniya Kantawala shared insights on creating an effective social kitchen. The panelists also highlighted how Indian cuisines are vastly different from other geographies, and hence the kitchen design must adapt and accommodate to the needs of consumers of the region.
Based on the changing consumer needs and workstyles, Kitchen provides a space that not only gives a productive, enjoyable cooking experience but also offers the opportunity to socialize with loved ones during and after cooking.
On the launch, Nyrika Holkar, Executive Director, Godrej & Boyce said, “At Godrej, our mission has always been about enriching the quality of living every day everywhere. The Indian modular kitchen segment is fast growing and holds immense potential. With shrinking spaces and paucity of quality time with loved ones and families, kitchen has emerged as a social space where friends and family can cook, chat and eat together. We have listened closely to our customers and believe there is a significant opportunity for Godrej Interio to provide greater value by offering a comprehensive solution for the Indian kitchen space in homes. For 120 years we have been at the forefront of the home interior and durables markets in India and we shall continue to serve the consumers and give them a remarkable experience.”
Stressing upon the commitment to provide an unparalleled level of service and experience to consumers, Anil Mathur, Chief Operating Officer, Godrej Interio, said, ” Godrej Interio kitchens are designed as per the anthropometric data of Indian users, keeping in mind the ergonomics and indian as well as western style of cooking. With our in-house Design and Manufacturing facility we offer consumers wide variety of designs, accessories, material & finishes to choose from. All this with a warranty of 15 years offers style with convenience, which makes cooking experience hassle-free and fun. Currently, the modular kitchen market is quite nascent but is expected to grow at fast pace. We have aggressive growth plans in this segment with CAGR of 30% in 19-20.”
The discussion was an extension of Godrej Interio’s recently launched campaign – Make Space For Life which aims to highlight that in pursuit of professional excellence people feel they are compromising significantly on creating strong family ties, spending quality time with friends, and celebrating important life milestones.
As a part of the campaign, a national survey with over 1,300 Indians living across 13 cities highlighted practicality trumps passion for a majority of Indians. Moreover, more than 68% of the respondents feel that they miss out on living life on their terms in trying to maintain a work-life balance. Also, a staggering 56.7% of the respondents rate their work-life balance as terrible.
