Tag: Home furnishings

India’s home décor industry is growing fast and is expected to increase by 8.67% between 2025 and 2029, reaching a value of $2.97 billion by 2029. In this growing market, a name that is standing out and making a mark for itself is Urban Space. Urban Space is a home decor brand that provides premium home furnishing products at affordable prices. The brand combines traditional craftsmanship with modern designs and materials to create unique and stylish furnishings. With a focus on innovation and customer satisfaction, Urban Space is all set to make an impact in the home decor market.

In this article, learn more about Urban Space, its founders, its business model, the challenges it faced, how its appearance on Shark Tank India helped boost its visibility and success, and more.

Urban Space – Company Highlights

Urban Space – About
Urban Space – Industry
Urban Space – Founders
Urban Space – Startup Story
Urban Space – Mission and Vision
Urban Space – Products/Services
Urban Space – Business and Revenue Model
Urban Space – Launching Company Strategies
Urban Space – Customer Growth and Retention Strategies
Urban Space – Challenges Faced
Urban Space – Marketing Campaigns
Urban Space – Awards and Achievements
Urban Space – Competitors
Urban Space – Future Plans

Urban Space – About

Urban Space is a home décor brand from Ahmedabad, India’s textile hub. The brand offers a wide range of products, including curtains, bed linen, dohar blankets, bed covers, mats, rugs, and table linen, all available for convenient online shopping.

With in-house design, manufacturing, and packaging facilities, Urban Space provides tailored solutions to meet various needs in fabric, colour, design, and pricing. The brand focuses on delivering high-quality, unique pieces to refresh and inspire living spaces, making them instantly appealing.

Urban Space is committed to enhancing customer experience and creating better homes by offering premium home furnishing products at affordable prices.

Urban Space – Industry

Urban Space, a D2C brand in the home decor industry, operates within a rapidly expanding market in India. The home décor market in India is expected to grow by 8.67% between 2025 and 2029, resulting in a market volume of $2.97 billion in 2029.

Urban Space primarily targets the mass-premium segment, offering quality, affordability, and contemporary designs to middle- and upper-middle-class consumers. The brand focuses on providing stylish, premium products at accessible price points, catering to a customer base that includes young professionals, newlyweds, and families aiming to enhance their living spaces. The mass-premium segment, particularly strong in urban areas and Tier 2/Tier 3 cities, boasts an estimated market size of 200-250 million potential customers.

As a competitor in the fast-growing online market, Urban Space actively engages with major e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart, as well as Q-commerce platforms like Blinkit and Zepto. Although exact market share figures are not publicly available, the brand estimates its share in the online home furnishing sector to be around 1-2% in its initial 3-4 years of operations. This figure is expected to increase significantly as the brand scales operations, enhances brand awareness, and diversifies its product offerings.

Industry Outlook for the Next 5 Years

The home furnishing industry in India is poised for strong growth over the next five years. The following trends are expected to drive this growth:

1. Increased Digital Penetration and E-commerce Growth: The shift towards online shopping, driven by increased internet penetration, is set to continue. As a D2C brand, Urban Space is well-positioned to benefit from this trend, especially with the rise of quick commerce platforms.
2. Growing Focus on Quality and Sustainability: Consumers are becoming more conscious of quality and sustainability. There is a growing demand for eco-friendly products made with sustainable materials, which is a trend the brand aims to capitalise on by offering products that are both stylish and environmentally friendly.
3. Increased Disposable Income in Urban and Semi-Urban Areas: With rising disposable income, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, there will be greater demand for premium yet affordable home furnishing products.
4. Personalised and Customisable Home Furnishing: The demand for personalised and customisable home decor items is expected to rise. Consumers are increasingly looking for products that reflect their unique style.

In the next five years, the industry is expected to grow at a rate of 10-12% CAGR, and Urban Space is expected to capture a larger share of the D2C home furnishings market.

Urban Space’s Vision for the Next 5-10 Years

Urban Space aims to establish itself as a market leader in the Indian home furnishing sector, particularly in the online and D2C segments. The brand’s strategic goals include:

• Brand Expansion: Expanding its presence in online and offline channels, offering more localised designs, and enhancing its product portfolio to include a wider range of premium home furnishings.
• Product Diversification: Introducing new categories like rugs, lighting, and home accessories, which will allow Urban Space to become a one-stop shop for all home furnishing needs.
• Sustainability Initiatives: Launching eco-friendly collections and building a strong reputation as a sustainable brand. This will resonate with the growing segment of eco-conscious consumers.
• Global Expansion: While Urban Space will continue to strengthen its position in the Indian market, it will also see an opportunity to expand to international markets.
• Technological Integration: Leveraging AI and data analytics for personalised shopping experiences, improving customer service, and enhancing supply chain efficiency. Urban Space will likely integrate augmented reality (AR) features in its shopping experience to help customers visualise home furnishings in their spaces.

Urban Space – Founders

Rohit Agarwal and Radhika Koolwal are the co-founders of Urban Space. They are married and work together to run the business, using their combined skills and vision to grow the brand in the home décor industry.

Rohit Agarwal

Rohit completed his Engineering in Mechanical and then pursued an MBA from MDI Gurgaon. He worked with Nokia for a couple of years before joining the family fabric manufacturing business.

Radhika Koolwal

Radhika completed her Engineering in Computer Science, worked with Infosys for a couple of years, and then did her MBA from IMI Delhi. She worked in a real estate firm in Dubai for some time before moving to Ahmedabad in 2016 for marriage.

Rohit handles manufacturing and supply for the brand, while Radhika is responsible for sales and marketing. Both founders jointly manage social and product development.

Urban Space’s Hiring Philosophy:

Given the fast-paced nature of Urban Space, the founders’ hiring philosophy revolves around finding people who can thrive in a dynamic, innovative, and collaborative environment. They look for individuals who are not only qualified but also align with the brand’s values of creativity, agility, and customer-first thinking.

Here are some qualities the founders of Urban Space look for in an individual:

• Growth-Orientated Individuals
• Entrepreneurial Spirit
• Diversity of Thought and Experience
• Technical Expertise and Creativity
• Problem-Solving Ability
• Alignment with Company Values
• Adaptability and Team Spirit
• Digital & E-Commerce Expertise

Urban Space – Startup Story

The inspiration behind starting Urban Space stemmed from years of experience in manufacturing and creating products for other brands. While working behind the scenes, the founders recognised a gap in the market for high-quality yet affordable home décor products that could bring beauty and comfort to every home.

This vision of democratising home décor and making it accessible to everyone sparked the idea for their own brand. Drawing upon their background in manufacturing and sales, they gained deep insights into customer preferences, market demands, and industry trends. They carefully analysed consumer needs—what people sought in home décor, what they valued most, and where they felt underserved.

To validate the concept, they studied competitors, engaged directly with potential customers, and gathered feedback from their networks. Observing a clear demand for affordable, high-quality home décor reinforced their confidence in the brand’s potential.

The journey began with translating their vision into actionable goals. Ideas were brainstormed for products that were both stylish and functional, catering to a wide range of tastes and needs. The design and prototyping processes were meticulous, leveraging their expertise in manufacturing to ensure a focus on quality and affordability. Each product underwent multiple iterations to meet their exacting standards and deliver value to customers. Attention was paid to every detail—materials, finishes, and usability—so that the products could effortlessly enhance homes.

The initial idea was shared with close friends, family, and trusted colleagues in the manufacturing and sales industries. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with many resonating with the concept of making high-quality home décor accessible. Their feedback and insights played a crucial role in refining the vision.

The encouragement received, combined with constructive feedback, strengthened their determination to move forward. The belief in their expertise and mission reassured them that they were on the right path and that the brand had significant potential.

Urban Space – Mission and Vision

Urban Space’s long-term vision is to become the go-to destination for everything related to home décor, encompassing all aspects of creating and styling a home. The brand aspires to be synonymous with beauty, quality, and accessibility within the home décor industry.

In the short term, the company is focused on expanding its product range, refining its offerings, and reaching more homes to establish itself as a trusted name in affordable, high-quality home décor. Urban Space remains committed to building strong customer relationships by consistently delivering products that align with their needs and style preferences.

The core belief driving Urban Space is simple yet profound: “Everyone deserves a beautiful home.” The company upholds the idea that a well-decorated home is not merely a luxury but a source of happiness, comfort, and pride. Its goal is to make home décor accessible to all, ensuring that everyone, regardless of budget, can create a space that reflects their personality and provides a sanctuary of comfort and style.

Urban Space – Products/Services

Urban Space is an e-commerce brand specialising in home décor, with a primary focus on soft furnishings. Its product range includes bed linen, curtains, table linen, rugs, and even ceramics. The company’s platform is simple and intuitive, enabling customers to explore and shop for high-quality, stylish, and affordable home décor products from the comfort of their homes.

Urban Space’s USP lies in its in-house manufacturing. By controlling the production process, it ensures top-notch quality while keeping costs low. This allows Urban Space to deliver products that reflect the elegance of luxury décor but remain accessible to a broader audience.

The brand’s innovation lies in its ability to merge traditional craftsmanship with modern designs and materials. This balance allows it to offer unique, trend-forward products that meet both aesthetic and practical needs. Urban Space leverages advanced manufacturing technology in its facilities to ensure precision, efficiency, and consistency in product quality.

On the e-commerce side, it uses a robust platform optimised for seamless navigation, secure payments, and a user-friendly shopping experience. Data analytics also play a key role in understanding customer preferences, optimising inventory, and personalising its offerings.

Urban Space has stayed true to its focus on home décor since its inception and has not pivoted. However, the brand is constantly evolving and expanding its product range. What started as a brand focusing solely on soft furnishings has grown to include ceramics, crockery, and even handbags, as it aims to cater to every aspect of home décor.

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Urban Space – Business and Revenue Model

Urban Space follows a Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) model, which means that it sells directly to consumers through its website and various online marketplaces, bypassing traditional retail channels. This allows the brand to have better control over pricing, customer experience, and brand positioning. Here are the key elements of Urban Space’s business model:

• E-commerce Sales: Urban Space sells on prominent platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, and other specialised home décor portals.
• Q-Commerce: Urban Space also sells through hyper-local delivery platforms such as Blinkit and Zepto, which cater to quick deliveries in urban areas.
• Brand Website: Urban Space’s own website also serves as a critical channel, offering exclusive collections and a direct relationship with customers, where they can access special offers, promotions, and loyalty programs.

Urban Space’s revenue model is a product-based sales model, where it generates income by selling individual products or bundles of home furnishings directly to customers.

Product Sales

Revenue is primarily driven by the sale of bed linen, curtains, blankets, and table linens. The brand maintains a large catalogue of products across different designs and price points to cater to a wide customer base within the mass-premium segment.

Product Pricing

The pricing of Urban Space’s products is designed to be affordable yet premium. Its pricing strategy aligns with the mass-premium market, ensuring that the products are accessible to a broad audience while maintaining a premium feel.

• Bedsheets: INR 699 – INR 1699 (depending on material, design, and size)
• Curtains: INR 999 – INR 1999 (based on fabric, design, and customisation options)
• Blankets: INR 999 – INR 2,499 (depending on material and size)
• Table Linen: INR 499 – INR 2,499 (for a set of placemats, table runners, etc.)

The pricing is competitive, with a focus on offering high-quality products at affordable prices compared to other premium brands in the market.

Urban Space operates at a gross profit margin of 15% at the brand level.

Commission structure

E-commerce companies charge from 20-35% commission based on their product category. After this, the brand incurs logistics costs and marketing costs too.

Urban Space – Launching Company Strategies

Listing on e-commerce platforms was one of the brand’s early strategies, enabling it to reach a wider audience and establish a strong online presence.

Urban Space’s products were listed on prominent e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart during the launch phase. These platforms have a massive built-in customer base, and the brand capitalised on this by running sponsored ads and discount offers for first-time buyers.

Offering time-limited discounts and launch offers on these platforms helped the brand increase visibility and attract early buyers.

Results: These platforms allowed Urban Space to quickly build trust with users and bring in the first 100 customers who were willing to try products from a new, emerging brand with competitive pricing and quality.

Urban Space’s price offering vs. the quality offering was an attractive buy for the consumer, and it translated into an instant pick-up in sales. The positive feedback and reviews bolstered the founders’ belief in the brand.

Urban Space – Customer Growth and Retention Strategies

Going from acquiring the first 100 users to scaling to 10,000 users is indeed a much larger challenge, requiring a more refined strategy, increased investment in marketing, and often experimentation with different growth tactics. At this stage, it’s crucial to focus on not just attracting more users but also building a strong community, leveraging data-driven insights, and amplifying brand presence through various channels. Here’s how Urban Space achieved this exponential growth:

1. Leveraging Performance Marketing (Paid Ads)

As Urban Space scaled, paid advertising strategy became a key driver of growth. The brand allocated a larger portion of the budget to performance-based channels, focusing on maximising the return on ad spend (ROAS).

Marketing Budget Allocation:

• Urban Space allocates 5% of its monthly revenue towards performance marketing, taking pride in achieving some of the industry’s best ROAS, which highlights the brand’s strong in-house marketing capabilities.
• As positive results and ROAS improvements were observed, the marketing budget increased to 10-15% of revenue, particularly during key sales periods such as festive sales (Diwali, New Year) and Amazon Prime Day.

2. Influencer Marketing and Partnerships

• Influencer Marketing: After acquiring its initial user base, Urban Space leveraged influencer marketing to build credibility and scale rapidly. The strategy evolved from working with micro-influencers to implementing a more diversified influencer approach.
• Q-Commerce Partnerships (Blinkit, Zepto): Urban Space expanded its reach by partnering with quick-commerce platforms like Blinkit and Zepto. This allowed customers to order home essentials, including home linens and décor, with hyper-fast delivery. These partnerships enabled the brand to tap into the hyper-local market and cater to customers seeking quick access to home essentials.

Urban Space gained significant visibility and trust after being featured on Shark Tank India in February 2024. The feature gave a face to the brand and led to a 100x spike in searches on the day the episode aired. Following this milestone, the brand experienced substantial growth in its journey.

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Urban Space – Challenges Faced

One of the biggest challenges Urban Space faced was transitioning from a B2B (business-to-business) model to a B2C (business-to-consumer) model. This shift required rethinking every aspect of operations, from manufacturing and inventory management to customer acquisition and order fulfilment.

• Stocking and Inventory Management: In the B2B model, production was demand-driven, with bulk orders. However, for B2C, it became essential to anticipate customer preferences, manage a wide range of SKUs, and ensure sufficient stock to avoid delays. Urban Space implemented data-driven forecasting systems to analyse demand trends and optimise inventory levels.
• Customer Acquisition: Unlike B2B, which relies on industry networks to build relationships, B2C requires creating direct connections with individual consumers. Urban Space invested in developing a strong online presence, leveraging social media marketing, and collaborating with influencers to reach its target audience. Campaigns focusing on the brand’s “luxury meets affordability” USP played a crucial role in building customer trust.
• Order Fulfilment: The shift from bulk shipments to managing thousands of smaller orders was a major operational change. Urban Space streamlined logistics by partnering with reliable delivery providers and establishing efficient order management systems to ensure fast and accurate deliveries.
• Maintaining Quality: The transition to B2C increased scrutiny of product quality. To ensure consistency, Urban Space doubled down on quality control processes at every stage, from manufacturing to packaging, to meet and exceed customer expectations.

Urban Space – Marketing Campaigns

Urban Space was featured on Shark Tank India in February 2024, which provided the brand with significant visibility and credibility. This feature gave a face to the brand and instilled trust in its quality. On the day the episode aired, there was a 100x surge in searches, and the brand has continued to experience remarkable growth since then.

Additionally, Urban Space has been featured in various web series and movie collaborations, further enhancing its brand recognition and visibility.

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Urban Space – Awards and Achievements

Urban Space has been awarded Myntra’s Best Brand in Home & Living 2024.

Urban Space – Competitors

Urban Space’s competitors span across several segments, ranging from mass-market players like Bombay Dyeing and Trident Group to more premium brands like Fabindia and Home Centre. 

Urban Space’s focus on quality, design, and affordability positions it well against these competitors, especially in the growing online-first home furnishing market. Expanding product lines, focusing on sustainability, and building a stronger digital presence will be key to differentiating itself and competing effectively in this dynamic space.

Urban Space – Future Plans

Urban Space’s key future plans include:

• Entering the Offline Market by Starting Exclusive Brand Outlets— 95% of the market is still offline, and it is important for the brand to be present in all selling mediums. Customers get a touch and feel of the product, and the brand gets more authenticity.
• Expanding its product range and foraying into home decor with sustainable and customisable options.
• Enhancing digital and e-commerce capabilities through AR features and loyalty programs
• Geographic expansion into Tier 2/3 cities, regional warehouses, and international markets.

FAQs

What is Urban Space?

Urban Space is a home décor brand from Ahmedabad, India’s textile hub. The brand offers a wide range of products, including curtains, bed linen, dohar blankets, bed covers, mats, rugs, and table linen, all available for convenient online shopping.

Who are the founders of Urban Space?

Rohit Agarwal and Radhika Koolwal are the co-founders of Urban Space.

When was Urban Space founded?

Urban Space was founded in 2018.

Did Urban Space appear on Shark Tank India?

Yes, Urban Space was featured on Shark Tank India in 2024. On the day the episode aired, there was a 100x surge in searches, and the brand has continued to experience remarkable growth since then.