Indians are becoming obsessed with their living rooms looking expensive: Rohina Anand Khira

Home Decor industry, over the past decade, has woven inordinate success stories and the market has grown by leaps and bounds.

Consumption for home decor is not limited only to the affluent, but even the aspirational customers. (Image: Getty)

As they say, 'home is where the heart is' and how would decorating hearts and doing business will sound like? Home Decor industry, over the past decade, has woven inordinate success stories and the market has grown by leaps and bounds. As the emergence of luxury home stores/designer boutiques etc. have taken over the country, it now seems like consumption for home decor is not limited only to the affluent, but even the aspirational customers. Not only has this growth encouraged textiles and apparel players to diversify into home textiles, but the industry has also given some immensely successful and creative home decor designers/ experts whose expertise in handmade arts gives nothing but a masterpiece which you have always dreamed of. One such design genius and a path breaking textile designer is Rohina Anand Khira who has always managed to create a storm in the Home Decor industry with trend setting home linen. Rohina started off with her design career ten years ago when she took over the reigns of the brand Ajay Anand Living and rebranded it as AA Living. By the end of her first year as director, Rohina had transformed her family’s export factory showroom into a high-end boutique brand by shifting the focus to exclusive décor design, branding and visual merchandising. Rohina won the Asian Paints Indian Decor Influencer Awards (IDIA) in 2016 and ‘Social Media Wonder Women’ in 2017 and was also awarded the Elite “Woman of the Year 2019” as one of the 35 most respected and influential women achievers and entrepreneurs. A social media influencer and trendsetter in the design industry, her profiles are full of latest design trends, interior spaces, exotic locations, local foods and inspirational quotes. When she took to social media to showcase her latest designs of her muse Frida Kahlo and her interpretation of her portrait on a cushion – little did she know she was setting in motion the next big trend in the interiors space! Ever since this cushion started selling at her store AA Living (Mumbai) and the brand’s online store, it has gone viral and loved by celebrities and influencers across India. Design aficionados have finally opened their minds to the idea of bohemian living spaces. Talking about her interpretation on Frida Kahlo, Rohina said, “Frida comes with her own personality – which includes weathered fabrics, tassels, fringe, and lots of crochet. India has been so obsessed with their living rooms looking expensive with heavy reflective fabrics, and embellished cushions. I was just relieved when people took to this new casual-living trend.” Talking about her design sensibilities, Rohina said, “I feel like I am always putting my version of a ‘trend’ into my collections at my store AA Living. Although Frida Kahlo has been a popular artist since decades – I felt like her voice and vibe needed to be encapsulated into a living space. Add a crochet wall hanging, fairy lights, some vintage textiles and you have yourself a room that oozes personality! Recycled sustainability is also something that I personally support and encourage – hence my love for weathered and antique textiles.”