DI catches up with Vijay Anand, Chairman, Vijay Anand and Associates, a leading design firm based in New Delhi. Their retail initiative, Living Spaces has a showroom on MG Road that is sure to solve all your furnishing needs. The company boasts of over 50 years of experience in the field of furniture making. They have furnished more than 75 properties of leading hotel brands & created several beautiful bespoke homes.
Within minutes of talking with Vijay, it is joyful to hear of a life well lived with the pursuit of creative passions right from an early age. At tender 13 he left his parents’ home in Delhi and went to Mumbai to enroll at the J.J. School of Art and at 16 joined J J School of Architecture. By 21, he was already working as an architect and earning a living.
He was fortunate, as well and talented, to have had the patronage of several well-known names in the profession such as Piloo Mody, to work with him, and to have them guide him at the start of his career; now grown into a reputable and thriving business of residential design projects and hotel interiors.
With a humble beginning of 25,000 rupees in his pocket, he set out to establish Vijay Anand and Associates in 1972 in Delhi. His first projects were three Hilton Hotels in India. They got the design team, himself included, to travel around the world, to destinations such as Washington, Los Angeles, California, Hawaii, Japan, Philippines, Hong Kong. The idea was to experience the brand ethos of style and architecture and to imbibe it here in India as well. Unfortunately, though the project got shelved and Vijay was left with a full set up factory and no work. He goes to add that “in Hong Kong, I met Dale Keller, a famous interior designer. He was, at that time, designing the Akbar Hotel in Delhi. Dale set up a meeting for me at Akbar Hotel here. The lady in charge told me to make three samples as per their already approved designs. As luck would have it, while the Head Designer rejected everything else he saw, the only three pieces approved were mine”. And so began his journey. It was a small industry and word grew fast. He next moved onto a project with the Oberoi in Mumbai and then started to work with the Taj Group of Hotels.
Today, too, they have an impressive number of hotel brands that they work with; Taj, Marriott, Radisson, The Leela and ITC. While the design mostly comes from foreign consultants and designers from Bangkok and Singapore, Vijay Anand and Associates are commissioned to carry out the production and installation of the projects. Today, he has two factories, one is Okhla and the other on Sohna Road in New Delhi.
With his son, Ashish by his side, also a professional architect, the business has expanded to cater to consumers with a showroom in Mehrauli, by the name, Living Spaces. Their residential projects and retail, allow them more scope for creativity with designs and innovative use of materials and textures.
“The one high is when the work is going on, I take a visit at the site, so I know whether we are going in the right direction or not. And when the job is over, and then the client invites us and I see the complete look and décor, I am thrilled that we have done a good job”, says Vijay.
The pieces at the store are easy on the eye and on the pocket. The sensibility is classic that you won’t tire off and quality that will last. It was refreshing to walk into a space and appreciate every piece on display. The furniture is designed by their inhouse team and produced at their own factories. A new collection comes after every three months.
On MG Road, anyone familiar with this market, knows the competition is killing. There are multiple massive furniture design stores with all sorts of offerings. So, what sets Living Spaces apart?
“They all outsource the furniture. They don’t make it themselves; most don’t have their own factories. So, we produce ourselves, so we know the quality. Our second distinguishing factor is the pricing. We also emphasize on the comfort level of the furniture, and then the after sales services. Which is very important. Now other stores import furniture from let’s say China. They don’t know how to maintain it. If anything goes wrong, they say, we can’t do anything about it”.
Personally, for Vijay, art has been a passion. You cannot miss seeing his work on sale, displayed throughout the showroom as well. Today, he finds himself engaging with new materials to create different textures in his artwork. His next art exhibition is scheduled for September.
As of this year, Vijay is also a published author. His book “Unexpected Journey: A Tale of Love and Relocation” has been very well received and is available online. He is now working on his next book. A passionate cook, he enjoys time in the kitchen. So where does he find the time and the inspiration for his numerous pursuits?
“I had no ambition. If you have ambition, then if you don’t achieve it, then you go into depression. And I have no ego whatsoever. The only thing is whatever I do in the day, I should be happy as to what I have done. Whatever little achievement it is. Whether it is talking to you or writing a book or receiving a call for appreciation of the book. And people appreciating my paintings. It gives me a high for a little while. It doesn’t carry on. So, I stay grounded all the time.”
So, what else is he doing right now that is engaging his time? On the work front, he is busy with Planet Hollywood in South Goa and The Leela Chanakya Puri renovations and a few others. And of course, his second book is in the making.
A truly inspiring story of living your passions and staying committed to your work ethos.
