Karan Ramchandani
Since 1998, Grandeur Interiors Pvt. Ltd. is known for its rich and varied range of modular kitchens, appliances, and furniture from premium European brands. The company with its three showrooms – one each in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru – is continuously catering to the needs for interiors across the northern, western, and southern regions. For its discerning clientele, Grandeur offers exclusive Italian & German modular kitchens that are functional, aesthetically appealing, and fully customizable. And to complement these, there is a gamut of built-in appliances from leading global brands. Grandeur also collaborates with some of Italy's finest furniture brands to market world-class wardrobes, innovative wall compositions, exceptional living, dining, and bedroom solutions.

"Our homes are an expression of who we are. At Grandeur, we redesign our customers' lifestyle to create the personalized space that truly reflects their style," says Mr. Karan Ramchandani, the company's Director while interacting with Syed E. Hasan. He insists that Grandeur's foundation lies in its impeccable service provided by a team of professionals who cater to all the requirements right from design to installation.

Grandeur Interiors

How has Grandeur evolved over the years?
Grandeur has successfully created a niche for itself amongst reputed architects, interior designers, developers, as well as enlightened end-customers. At Grandeur, we like to be ahead of the curve when it comes to the latest trends in the industry. We endeavour to be the partner of choice in designing the perfect space for our customers. Till date, we have done over 6,000 projects across the product categories. Recently, we have delivered an order of 700 kitchens, before time, to one of our clients, Kalpataru.

For us, last few years have been productive from the point of view of overseas markets, wherein Grandeur has got good recognition for its interior solutions. Till date, we have done quite a few projects outside India including UK (London), Kenya, Dubai, and US (Washington), where our brands like Del Tongo and Ballerina are well received.

What new have been added in the Grandeur's portfolio lately?
Del Tongo classical kitchen Lari, and the wardrobes collection from Pianca are the latest. Last year, we also introduced Ballerina Küchen, the high-end German kitchens brand. Ballerina products are manufactured in a fully automated facility, drastically reducing errors and defects in their collections. Ballerina offers 100% customization, which is far greater than other brands.

With exclusive rights to the high-quality brand, Grandeur hopes to offer its clientele a wider range of options when designing their kitchens. The German kitchen manufacturer has gained a reputation around the world for providing products that rank high in design and quality. They are particularly known for their innovative finishes like laser bound high pressure laminates, digitally printed glass and melamine.

Grandeur Modular Kitchens

What are the USPs at Grandeur?
We have two USPs. First, the brands, we deal in, customize their offerings typically for Indians. For instance, we supply kitchens wherein plinth and worktop optionally come in metal (aluminium) to withstand typical Indian usage. Due to the high use of oil and spices, a lot of oil splutters and fumes are generated because of which surrounding areas get messy. And to clean them up, we use excessive water, which the aluminium plinths can easily withstand.

Second, we not only do kitchens, but also have solutions for almost all the interior needs including wardrobes, furniture for living room & bedroom, dining tables, etc. Grandeur, in that sense, is a one-stop-shop for most interior needs. All these products are procured from the world's renowned brands to match the level desired by India's top-notch clientele. These products are fully customizable with respect to sizes, finishes, colours, and materials depending on the individual's specific requirements. This differentiates us from our competitors, who are serving mostly from the separate specialised counters for kitchens and furniture. We are 18 years old in India; we understand what our customers want.

There is a dearth of skilled labours, and the success of an industry like modular kitchens largely depends on correct installations. How do you take this forward?
Skilled labour is the core of this business. We have specific installation team at each of our showrooms, where our partners, on their respective manufacturing sites, train one of the team members. For this, either we take our people to Italy/Germany or the manufacturing companies send their master trainers to India. This helps us keep our people updated on any new technology for delivering optimum solutions with extreme precision. This level of training is needed as and when our partners come up with something new and innovative. However, training at Grandeur is an on-going process to equip our people in tune with the advancement in kitchen technology.

Modular Kitchens

How important is the role of specifiers?
Interior designers and architects are very important for this segment where space and budget are the decisive factors. They are the people who work within these limitations with capability of delivering designs as per the customers' specific requirements. We are in constant touch with them so as to keep them updated about the latest that we come up with. For this, we keep participating in specific high-end shows like India Design Week where we discuss the concerns of specifiers. Taking part in this kind of event is important to bridge the knowledge gaps in relation to the extensive nature of products and their availability in India.

In the last such meet, we had a two hour-long session wherein team members of Grandeur addressed many common 'myths' and questions by architects regarding imported modular kitchens. Besides, we also met the real estate developers, who emphasised on high-quality imported kitchens at competitive prices, while interior designers expressed their desire for more customisability.

Modular Kitchens Market in India

You have spent close to two decades. What is your perception about the current state of modular kitchens' market in India?
As of now, the modular kitchen market in India is not even close to where it could be. It is at a nascent stage, where modular kitchens are still considered as products for the premium sector. People are constantly comparing them to carpenter-made kitchens. They don't understand that in the end, modular kitchens, which seem 2 or 3 times more expensive than the carpenter kitchens, are actually more economical over the long-term period. Actually, in the case of a carpenter-made kitchen, customers pay in phases for various components like material, finishes, hardware, labour, etc.; whereas for a branded European kitchen, they need to pay the entire amount upfront. This makes the latter seem a little expensive. Also, the average life of a branded kitchen is 13-15 years, whereas a carpenter-made kitchen lasts only for 7-8 years. So, for the market to evolve to the next level, Indian customers have to understand the importance of branded modular kitchens. Even builders are offering this mainly in their high-end residential projects.

You mentioned about some myths. What are those?
The most common myth is that the solid wood/plywood is always the best material for kitchens. But this is not necessarily the case. MDF (medium density fibreboard) is a high grade, composite material that performs better than solid wood in many areas. Made from recycled wood fibres and resin, MDF is machine dried and pressed under high pressure to produce dense, stable sheets. It is then edged with PUR glue that makes these panels water resistant. It allows for easier moulding for developing new designs. Unlike solid wood, there is no visible grain on the surface of an MDF panel. Therefore, the common problem of wood grain and knots bleeding through paint or stain is not a factor when MDF is used.