Gita Ramanan
Co-Founder & CEO
As urban homes become more compact and homeowners grow more discerning, India’s home interiors industry is undergoing a significant transformation. Today’s consumers are no longer looking only for aesthetically pleasing spaces; they want homes that are functional, personalised, and designed around the way they live. Yet, the journey to creating such a home is often far from seamless.
Homeowners are frequently overwhelmed by endless design choices, unclear guidance, inconsistent execution, and a lack of confidence that the final outcome will match what was promised at the design stage.
DesignCafe was built to address precisely these challenges. By offering end-to-end interior solutions rooted in design, technology, and operational efficiency, the company has positioned itself as a brand focused on delivering personalised homes at scale. Its approach combines design expertise with a technology-enabled process to create interiors that are tailored to individual lifestyles while maintaining consistency in execution.
Design-Led, End-to-End Interior Solutions
DesignCafe has established itself as a turnkey, design-first home interiors brand that goes beyond selling standalone modular products. Rather than treating kitchens, wardrobes, and storage units as isolated offerings, the company approaches them as part of a larger, interconnected interior ecosystem.
Its core proposition lies in delivering complete home interior solutions, from design consultation and visualisation to manufacturing and installation. This integrated model allows homeowners to experience a more streamlined process, with every stage aligned to a singular design vision.
At the heart of this model is personalisation. Each project is shaped around the homeowner’s lifestyle, habits, and preferences, rather than being limited to standardised catalogue-based solutions. The emphasis is on crafting living spaces that feel individual, practical, and cohesive.
A key differentiator for the company is the way it blends design thinking with technology-led delivery. The company uses tools such as 3D visualisations, VR-enabled walkthroughs, and AI-assisted processes to help homeowners better understand their spaces before execution begins.
This not only simplifies complex design decisions, but also gives clients greater confidence in the outcome. By allowing them to visualise how different elements will come together in their homes, the process becomes more transparent, immersive, and reassuring.
Equally important is the company’s vertically integrated operating model. With design, manufacturing, and installation working in tandem, the company is able to maintain tighter control over quality, reduce coordination gaps, and deliver outcomes that stay true to approved designs.
From Serendipitous Beginnings to a Scaled Design Brand
The origins of DesignCafe lie not in a conventional business plan, but in an organic entrepreneurial journey. Co-founders Gita Ramanan and Shezaan Bhojani began collaborating on small projects during their college years, gradually discovering a shared passion for creating personalised spaces.
What began as an informal pursuit soon evolved into something more serious. After winning an architecture competition, the duo went on to establish a full-time architectural practice shortly after graduation.
Between 2006 and 2015, they built a successful design firm and completed over 300 projects across India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. But during this period, they also began to notice a larger shift underway in the Indian housing market.
Urban homes were shrinking, lifestyles were changing, and there was a growing need for interiors that were tailored to the realities of modern living rather than based on generic design templates.
Recognising this gap, the founders made a bold decision: they shut down their existing practice and launched DesignCafe in 2015-16 with a new vision: to make personalised, design-led home interiors accessible to a much wider base of Indian homeowners without compromising on creativity or customisation.
Building for the Future of Indian Homes
Since its inception, DesignCafe’s growth journey has been anchored in a clear design-first philosophy. The company has steadily expanded its footprint across India while retaining its focus on personalised interiors and process-driven delivery.
Today, the company operates 22 experience centers across 15 cities and continues to scale its presence in key urban markets. Its expansion roadmap includes deeper penetration into existing cities as well as entry into more of India’s top residential markets over the coming years.
The larger ambition remains unchanged: to democratise premium, customised home interiors for Indian homeowners and make thoughtfully designed living spaces more widely accessible.
Our goal has always been to bring personalised, designer-quality interiors to a much larger group of Indian homeowners. When design is combined with technology and efficient processes, it becomes possible to deliver unique homes at scale
In a category where trust, clarity, and execution are often pain points, DesignCafe is working to redefine the home interiors experience, making it more personalised, more predictable, and more future-ready.
Personal Recognition:
Best Businesswoman of the Year, Home Interiors — ASSOCHAM
Business World 40 Under 40, Young Achievers
Selected for the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Entrepreneur Program
TEDx Speaker, Mount Carmel College, Bangalore
DesignCafe Awards:
Best Home Interior Design Company — IndiaProperty CommonFloor Realty Awards 2020
Most Innovative Home Interior Solutions — Times Business Awards 2019
Most Innovative Interior Design Firm — Times Business Awards 2018
Most Innovative Startup — Entrepreneur India 2018
Top Home Improvement Tech Startups — Tracxn Emerging Awards
Company Milestones:
2016: Founded in Bangalore with two people and one office
Pioneered the experience centre format in the organised home interiors category
15,000+ homes designed across India
Featured in 30+ design publications globally
Raised successive rounds of funding from Fireside Ventures, WestBridge Capital and Sixth Sense Ventures
First company in the organised home interiors category to achieve operational profitability
Scaled to 22 experience centres across 15 cities with a team of 1,000+
Late 2024: Merged with HomeLane to build a future-forward enterprise with a path to public markets
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