SoBo resident Priyanka Padode takes home décor to a whole new level with her venture DezignGenie
For a long time, home décor had been such a personal subject that a family would sit together and decide what colour and elements they wanted to see in their house. Much later, the interior designer stepped in and gave his/her professional advice about how a house should be designed keeping various factors like space and light in mind.
Enter the new-age DezignGenie and you’re seeing a new trend developing in urban India. Brainchild of 25-year-old SoBo resident Priyanka Padode, DezignGenie is a curated online platform of design ideas, inspiration, completed projects and home decor trends. She elaborates, “The platform educates you with everything you need to know about home décor, connects you with the right professionals, gives you all the product and trend information you need, helps you purchase using various mechanisms, thereby making an informed decision.”
What started it all?
With the first version launched in September 2014, and post some trial and error, the site is now revamped. Padode, who’s also a food and fitness enthusiast, says that the idea was inspired by her father. The ultimate aim was to take the in-depth knowledge, network of architects and interior designers (carrying the DezignGenie seal of approval) and a keen understanding of the space and modify it all to suit the B2C format.
Think of it as a mood board or Pinterest that’s loaded with real-time information and sound advice. Padode states emphatically that she’s not a seller of products, which incidentally makes her stand apart from the usual suspects—the home décor players in the market. “I want DezignGenie to be the first point of reference for anyone looking to do up their home (whether first time or not),” she says.
How will it benefit users?
Apart from serving as an inspiration platform and a go-to service for all things design, DezignGenie will also include user reviews. “We intend to turn on user reviews on products and services used. We also plan to introduce an Ideabooks platform where people can save their ideas on boards and then share them with their family or friends via the boards,” explains Padode. With so much knowledge on hand, where does the interior designer go, we ask Padode. She responds, “While providing users with inspiring designers, we also want them to be able to hire those designers and create real value for the professional as well in the form of leads. It definitely helps the user get a better sense of what kind of designer he/she wants and how necessary it is. Sometimes you just need smaller fixes) so maybe it can be done yourself,” she says.
Jyoti Shah, a working professional, seems impressed when she says, “Being a person who loves to decorate my house, I find that DezignGenie gives you various options on how to go about it.” Interior designer Kavita Shah chimes in, “I got my big break thanks to their (DezignGenie’s) efforts. My project was recently featured in Ideal Home and Garden and was beautifully curated by them.”
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 "Priyanka Padode, founder, DezignGenie")
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