Naveen Kanodia’s customised wrought iron furniture has been a big success

Tucked away in an unobtrusive lane off the EM Bypass in the midst of marble manufacturing sites is S. T. Unicom — a wrought iron furniture studio. “We offer the best stuff in eastern India,” claims Naveen Kanodia, the proprietor of the company. In 1992, he started to produce wrought iron furniture for the international market. Then he went on to tap the domestic market. Awarded the third prize for the Best Product stall in the Interiors 2000 fair organised by ABID at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, Naveen is more than happy with the response. “Wrought iron is a rage these days,’ he says.

No wonder. Programmes on Alpha Bangla TV and the daily TV news bulletin Khash Khobor recently used their furniture to do up sets. “Our products have been used in Hindi films too.” says Naveen. But it would be wrong to suppose that the company caters to only the high-end of the social scale. It’s also affordable for someone with a tight budget.

“Wrought iron furniture are not only fashionable but maintenance-free. They can be easily shifted and are rust proof,” Naveen says. Naveen, his wife Manjri (erstwhile fashion designer for the Mumbai film industry) and younger brother Praveen design the furniture. Whatever is on offer at the studio is manufactured in their four factories in Kolkata. Starting from innovative colorful shades for wrought iron lamp bases to stands for the speakers of a music system, the studio has every perceptible item that makes up home decor. The minimum price for a sofa-set is Rs 13,000, a dining table set is Rs 11,000 and a framed mirror is Rs 3,300. “We can improvise the designs in an even lower price range according to the client’s budget and requirements,” he says. Hence, the emphasis is on the client-designer interaction. “We are not a showroom with salesmen telling you what to buy. We listen to the client and go about designing the product,” says Praveen Kanodia. In the pipeline is a home decor store. “The store will have every possible item that can make your interior attractive,” says Naveen. You can expect the shop in a couple of months.

Published in:                                              29 March 2001