PACESETTER Sunehra Koshy
Crafting gives her a high
Sunehra quit her banking job to set up her own venture. She creates paper-crafted handmade gifts for people who want to present special gifts for special people in their lives
Vibha Sharma

After earning a bachelors' degree in commerce and an MBA in finance, Sunehra Koshy worked in HSBC for six years in operations’ management area. She took a break from work when her first child was born. She tried her hand at content writing while staying at home but that did not give her much satisfaction and so she discontinued it within a couple of years. Her second child brought a new determination in Sunehra that she would work only in the areas that would interest her.

She found a craft supplies store ItsyBitsy in Bangalore and noticed that they needed someone to keep their blog and Facebook pages up to date. She approached them and got the role of content writing. She wrote about various art and craft projects made by ItsyBitsy staff so that readers would get inspired to shop for their craft supplies. She soon realised that the staff were too tied up to create craft projects for the blog and the blog would remain unpublished for days. Sunehra took the initiative to create her own projects for the Itsybitsy blog and her clients liked them immensely.

Pretty soon her role changed. She was now creating for the blog and not just writing on projects. Sunehra says, "Initially my projects were quite pathetic, but over time they got better and better until I started getting inquiries from buyers to purchase them." She held a couple of exhibitions of her projects and everything would get sold out. She gained confidence in her work and in April this year, she decided to take it to the next level by launching her own "Crack of Dawn Crafts".

The first thing she did was to create a website. She already had thousands of photographs of her work and the website was a way to display them as well as to legitimise her offering. She used indiagetonline.com which offers free website for a year for new entrepreneurs. She used one of their templates and designed the entire website for herself. Creating a Facebook page was the next logical step and she started sharing her projects from there. She designates a certain budget for Facebook advertising and regularly advertises her work. She hired a couple of girls to help her on a daily basis. She found suppliers of various materials, including packaging and shipping material close to her house.

She wants to make large events like weddings, birthdays and baby celebrations truly memorable with her extremely original and perfectly customised invitations, giveaway packets and so on. She also creates beautiful paper crafter handmade gifts for people who want to present special gifts for the special people in their lives. So she makes cards, albums, scrapbooks, gift boxes, party d`E9cor, wall art and much more.

Though "Crack of Dawn Crafts" is still in its infancy, but her turnover is growing. She does not want her venture to remain a small-time home business and is prepared to invest in its progress. She hopes to be the leading choice for wedding and party planners all over India for invitations, gift hampers, giveaway favours and party d`E9cor. She says, "I am constantly designing new things. My wedding cake gift set is one of a kind creation and so is my 3D number photo mural." With family support, Sunehra is able to give wings to her dreams and aspirations to keep soaring higher.

CENTRESPREAD
Work desk gets a makeover
The desktop is smartening up. Look around, and you will see changes sweeping many posh offices. Accessories on the desk are no longer bland and pragmatic, rather have an element of fun and creativity
Divisha Saran

According to an old Chinese adage, a person’s desktop speaks volumes of his or her personality. A neatly stacked up desk shows that the owner is organised and efficient while a cluttered one denotes disorder and confusion which could reflect in work ethics as well. Though still in its nascent stage, desk psychology in some leading organisations is now part of corporate strategy and in a small way contributes to an employee’s progress. When a boss reprimands a worker for a messy desk, it shows the premium being put on orderliness in modern offices.

Trophy desks

Corporate psychologists who study the workspace say that desks can denote the position of an employee. Some bosses, for example, may have a ‘trophy’ desk that can include pictures of them receiving awards, their travels to foreign locales and the latest edition of cerebral journals like the Economist or the Harvard Business Review. Desk accessories may include stuff like iPads, sophisticated mobiles, digital calendars all of which indicate these are ready for the varied challenges of their job.

Lower down, employees can make do with a neat and functional desktop, which is purposeful and practical, promoting efficiency and a sense of urgency. A computer or a laptop, a penstand, notebook, table lamp and knick-knacks like a paperweight, stapler and calculator should suffice as these demonstrate a business-like attitude to work.

Interior designers say that the working area should be neat and well-organised. It should not be overloaded with stuff one may seldom use and it should certainly not have frivolous one-line stickers or fanciful accessories strewn around. Such chaos and clutter will instantly send out a wrong message of a person having a non-serious attitude to work with little or no thought for tidiness and orderliness.

Luxurious spin

So it is vital that a desk sends out the right message. These days upmarket stationery shops offer an array of accessories that not only make the desk look smart and organised but also purposeful and focussed. Many companies are also giving a luxurious spin to ordinary office implements transforming them into objects of desire and suddenly brighten up a staid workplace.

Some staplers come in the shape of alligators and other jungle animals, tape dispensers are held up by porcelain human figures, penstands are no longer just holders that look like coffee mugs without handles but are transformed into a clenched human fist which holds pens and pencils. Then, there are pencil sharpeners designed like box cameras and monitors that stare at you from smart wall mounts.

The work desk is smartening up. Look around, and you will see changes happening in many posh offices. The desk is wearing a stylish look and accessories are not just bland and pragmatic but have an element of fun and creativity.

Leading stationery companies like Staples, Levenger and Staedtler are changing the concept of common everyday office fixtures and turning these into imaginative pieces. From a paper cutter with a gold-plated handle shaped like a sword, to a porcelain pen holder studded with Swarovski.

Even leading luxury goods companies have jumped in the desk accessories space. French brand Lalique has come out with a line of crystal paperweights, each costing more than a lakh. American fashion house Ralph Lauren has launched a special desktop blotter crafted from calf hair and black leather costing around Rs 48,000.

Whopping costs

Interior designing company L’Objet’s office dustbin is made from Limoges porcelain and 24-carat gold and costs a whopping Rs. 50,000. British furniture major Linley’s desktop walnut pencil pot will cost you around Rs 20,000 and French home and office accessories manufacturer Christofle’s 7-inch by 5-inch silver envelope tray for the office desk will set you back by around Rs 26,000.

Italian luxury goods company Paolo Guzzetta Firenze has introduced a premiere desk set collection made of full grain calf leather and ornamented with palladium. It comprises 12 exclusive pieces, including a desk pad, letter tray, double-sided picture frame, scissor and letter opener, desk clock, letter holder, tape dispenser, stapler, pencil cup, magnetic clip holder, post-it holder and business card holder costing (believe it or not) between Rs 3.54 lakh and Rs 5.7 lakh a set.

"Desk accessories are setting new trends," says Delhi-based office designer Gary Anand. "There's a growing trend to upgrade from a boring and monotonous work station to a fun and funky one. Whether it is the mouse pad, business card holder or a letter tray, every object is getting a creative makeover thanks to leading designer houses coming into the fray. They are taking boredom out of the office by introducing an element of luxury and sophistication."

Drinklip cup holder The Drinklip cup holder is a great space saver. Just fix it at one side of the table or desk for it to hold a range of cups or beverage cans of different shapes and sizes. It also doubles up as a multipurpose clip. It can support up to half a kilo of weight and cups or cans with a diameter up to 6.5 cm. Price: Rs 600 for a set of four

USB Tulip Hub Turn your desk into a blooming garden with this tulip USB hub that has four high-speed ports. Each port is shaped like a colourful red flower. Compatible with USB plugs for Mac and Windows systems the hub allows simultaneous operation of up to four separate devices attached to a single USB port. Price: Rs 2,700

Lego calculator Relive your childhood memories and sum up your Lego-inspired experiences with the iBrick Creative Calculator. It will infuse fun into boring calculations. It adds, subtracts, multiplies, divides and also has all kinds of memory functions. This imaginative calculator will make you feel like a kid again. Price: Rs 1,500

Mobile Phone Stand The creative mobile phone desktop stand is made of plastic and soft rubber and can be used to support not just a variety of cellphones but also iPods and other handheld music players. It provides protection from scratches and scrapes and keeps the charger cable neat and tidy. Above all, it is a great desk decoration. Price: Rs 900

Transcendent keyboard Believe it or not but every key on this keyboard is a 72 x 72 pixel screen that displays any image or icon for personalising shortcuts and keyboard commands. An LCD inside the keyboard converts all 77 keys into ½-inch x ½-inch displays and helps you assign an image of choice and connect to your email account. Price: Rs 1.2 lakh

Shuffle calendar Forget traditional wall calendars. These take up way too much space. Instead, decorate your desk with this modern shuffle calendar that literally never goes out of style and never expires. Sleek and stylish, the interactive plywood panels are arranged and rearranged to keep you up to date year after year. Price: Rs 1,500

Moustache paper clips Moustaches are no longer just grown on faces. These come in the shape of bottle-openers, key chains, necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, hair clips, cufflinks, footwear, bags, clocks and paper clips. These moustache-shaped paper clips will add a sophisticated touch to any book, page or magazine. Price: Rs 400 for a box of 100

Camera pencil sharpener Unlike traditional pencil sharpeners, this camera-shaped version sold on Snapdeal is a workspace essential you can display on your desk with pride. Insert pencil at the top, turn the handle in back and collect shavings in the lower pull-out tray. It comes with a special adjustable sharpness knob. Price: Rs 2,125

Rubber band holder Fun and funky, this rubber band holder called Rafael is uniquely designed to be the cutest desktop accessory. This adorable rubber band holder is also a novel gift idea. Simply wrap each band around Rafael’s head and in no time he’ll become a multi-colour marvel and a conversation starter. Price: Rs 900

Hand Pen Holder The hand pen holder is a very useful heavyweight pen holder that’s perfect for everything from desktop supplies to knick-knacks. It has a magnetic wrist that can hold paper clips and other metallic bits and pieces. Created from a plastic and cement, it can also be used as an ideal paper weight weighing more than a kilo. Price: Rs 1,200

Sticky notes No matter how much you trust your memory, ensure that even the smallest stuff gets noticed with this keep-it-simple Sticky Notes Organiser. The sticky notes can say everything you forgot to say. It also makes a great gift. Price: Rs 250

Butt Station Desk Accessory Holder Amuse office colleagues with this playful desk organiser on sale at Amazon. The Butt Station desk accessory holder has a person perched on a toilet seat, holding a roll of tape with a tape cutter on his toes. It has a pencil in its mouth and there is more space at its back to hold more pens or a small notepad or business cards. Price: Rs 1,200

Desktop monitor mount Sleek and streamlined, the desktop monitor mount frees up space and allows positioning of your display for greater productivity. It provides a range of up, down, forward and back movements. It routes monitor cable under the arm and increases viewing comfort. It helps reduce eye, back and neck strain. Price: Rs 10,200

Otter-shaped tape dispenser Your colleagues will stop to swoon over this oh-so adorable Otter-shaped tape dispenser. Lying back as if floating on water, this brown ceramic sea otter holds the adhesive roll between its clawed paws while the metal tape-cutter sits at the end of its long muscular tail. Office supplies don’t get any cuter. Price: Rs 900

Lab-solutely organised desk supply set Re-purpose your desk with this Lab-solutely organised desk set. It is a fun and different way to organise and store your tiny office items. In a vintage-inspired metal stand, powder-coated in white with a padded base, the ‘study’ set comprising three glass vials, which can be used to store paperclips and pushpins. Price: Rs 1,500

Jungle animals stapler This cute alligator- shaped stapler from Australia-based stationery and related accessories giant Smiggle will instantly brighten up your desk space. The smooth stapler will chomp your papers together with a flourish. It has a heavy base so it sits firmly on your desk. Price: Rs 900

Grovemade desk collection Most of us have monitors, keyboards, pens, and lamps on our desk. But unless purchased all at once, these all look disparate. Remedy this with the Grovemade Desk Collection, which includes a monitor stand, keyboard tray, mouse pad, ruler, pen holder, planter and lamp available in walnut or maplewood. Price: Rs 4,800