The idea that a home can be transformed with just the right colour palette or furnishing has always been synonymous with Asian Paints' brand identity. After all, har ghar kuch kehta hai (every home says something). With an ethos that has always celebrated the home, not just through its wide range of paints and coatings but a constant spirit of innovation through initiatives such as Colour Ideas, Colour Next and the Asian Paints Beautiful Homes Stores, India’s leading and Asia’s second largest paint company is a true pioneer when it comes to home decor and interior design. No home could seem complete without a touch of Asian Paints magic, with the brand having become a leading player in the integrated décor space in India. With a range of offerings from modular kitchens and wardrobes to bath fittings, decorative lighting, uPVC windows and doors to wall coverings, furniture designs, rugs and much more, the concern is always beautiful design, a love of detail and crafting modern-day living spaces with a touch of the luxe. It’s this attitude of the new, the luxe, the experiential and championing ‘brand India’—as Mr Amit Syngle, the Managing Director and CEO of Asian Paints Ltd. sees it—that led to the opening of the brand’s second Beautiful Homes Studio in a city that has often been called the gateway to the northeast, Guwahati.

I was invited to the opening of this new luxury decor and retail space, which Asian Paints reiterates aims to “serve as the gateway to the northeast India market and transform the decor landscape in this region.” Dotted with lush green hills on the horizon, Guwahati has always been a warm and welcoming place that over a decade has undergone massive transformations. And one can only imagine that the introduction of Asian Paint’s venture in the city will only add to the effervescence in the air.

According to Mr Syngle, the choice of Guwahati as the location for the brand’s second physical studio was all about surprise and staying ahead of the curve. As he elaborated on the launch day, “The selection of Guwahati as the second location for Beautiful Homes Studio is both strategic and significant. [The city] is undergoing rapid development, increasingly aligning with global standards, [while] experiencing a cultural and economic transformation, with a growing appreciation for high-quality, stylish home décor. By establishing a presence in this key city, we aim to connect with a broader audience and accommodate the evolving tastes and preferences of not only the residents in this region but also those throughout northeast India.” Unlike their first studio in Chennai, the space in Guwahati immediately feels like a large villa that is filled with natural light.

As one enters, they are greeted by a double-height atrium, adorned with a bamboo sculpture inspired by the local craftsmanship of Assam. One immediately gets a sense of the place because of its open layout which allows visitors to take everything as soon as they walk through the glass doors. As Asian Paints states, the studio which spans 16,000 square feet across two floors is ‘a unique blend of luxury and functionality.’ With a staggering range of products from furniture to artefacts to bedding to rugs to wallpapers to lighting designs and even decorative blinds, it aims to be the region's leading destination for luxury home decor.

The idea of creating studios that stakeholders can visit has always been to enhance the personalised experience for the customer. “It embodies our commitment to innovation, quality, and customer satisfaction,” Mr Syngle comments. Likewise, during the studio walkthrough, I could not help but feel this intimacy even though none of the spaces were truly enclosed. From the living and dining room set-ups on the ground floor to the bedrooms on the first floor, each one feels like a comfortable sanctuary to escape into, with luxury furnishings, of course. The studio offers over 2700 products, all curated to a diverse range of tastes. Bespoke offerings by Indian designers and brands such as Sabyasachi, Sarita Handa and Jaipur Rugs among others add to the luxe factor of the store.

One particular space within the studio is adorned with Nilaya X Sabyasachi wallpaper that exudes a sense of understated luxury and aspiration that the whole endeavour hopes to inculcate in its visitors. As with the other studio and the Indian decor brand’s commitment to an innovative store experience, the layout ensures that the spaces feel harmonious despite the wide range of products they offer and also allows visitors to engage and immerse themselves into a purported future for their home.

Speaking about how this store will enable the brand to engage designers in the region, Mr Syngle commented, “We have always tried to work with the design community, for instance with Colour Next, which is about colour and material intelligence. What we’ve tried to do here through our curation exercise is to look at bringing in newer materials and techniques. With the Beautiful Homes studios, the physicality of the space and our curation bring designers spaces that enhance their design sense. It gives them a new lease of life in terms of being able to experiment with something unique.”

If the space and its curation are what sets the studio apart, another way to engage with the visitor is through the integration of technology in the store’s retail design, creating an experience for the aspiring buyer to be able to envision and transform their home. Through the use of tablets and QR codes, customers can visualise products that are currently not on display. With the promise of personal experience and an expansive catalogue that will cater to any homeowner, the new Beautiful Homes Studio, Atrio, located on the National Highway leading to the main city, will hopefully become a hub for new possibilities. Located at the growing fringes of the city, it will hopefully shape the transformation of an already changing city into something more beautiful, and welcoming.