Hindustan Times

Rental Home Decor – Bend it to Rent it

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Home décor has got exciting with an array of rental options for your home interiors that ensure there is never a dull moment in your home.

How many times have you bought a piece of furniture or a home accessory and regretted as it did not fit in well in your home? Chances are this has happened several times. The catch when you buy is of course that you cannot return it and more often than not you are stuck with what you do not like. Today however all this has changed with rental companies that offer everything from furniture to art to accessories at a fraction of the cost – and yes you return what you don’t like.

Choices Galore

Today the market has several myriad choices of specialized rental companies that offer furniture, home appliances and art on rent. With families becoming nuclear, home spaces shrinking and convenience becoming common place, young working professionals prefer to rent home accessories and furniture. “Renting solves a lot of problems for the people with transferable jobs, like earlier they either had to sell their products each time they have to shift or would have to spend additional amount for relocation. Renting solves such blues as the offers also come with free delivery, setup and installation, enabling end-to-end solution for the customers.  The rise of start-up and co-working culture has also seen these new age office owners choosing to rent furniture instead of owning them,” avers Sidhant Lamba, Founder, Fabrento. With modern and contemporary designs being available, there are several options to choose from as well. Presently, there are a number of players in the furniture and consumer appliances segment that are offering lifestyle products on a subscription based model. “Consumers can choose from varied categories basis their requirements. With a minimum rental period of three months, the consumers can extend the rental period or cancel the subscription at any point of time as per their convenience or can simply opt for rent to buy option after a certain lock in period that varies company to company. The process of renting is hassle free and convenient. The consumer has to simply visit the website, choose the product(s) and complete a simple verification process and the products will be delivered within 72 hours of placing the order,” says Neerav Jain, Founder and CEO, Cityfurnish Private Ltd.

Fabien Sofa Bed Courtesy: Fabrento
Fabien Sofa Bed Courtesy: Fabrento

Value Adds

The best part about using rental services is the fact that these companies have professional designers and consultants on board to advice you on what you can choose based on the requirements of your home. Akshay Bhatia, Founder and CEO of Mutterfly avers, “rentals are a service based industry and while our website shows the products with customer reviews and product images, we have a strong customer support team to help with suggestions and help consumers plan better. To start with we look to understand the occasion or the need of the customer. This helps us recommend the products that will be best suited and we also describe the impact this will have by sharing our past customer stories.”

Puzzly Sofa Set Courtesy: Fabrento
Puzzly Sofa Set Courtesy: Fabrento

Trend Check

In furniture, queen sized bed is the most rented item followed by sofa sets and dining sets. Among consumer electronics, refrigerator and washing machine are the most rented items apart from LED televisions and microwaves. With more focus now being on maintaining the freshness and dynamism of a space, consumers are gradually realising that rentals might just be the most sensible way forward. Aagam Mehta, Co-founder, Floating Canvas Company says, “for a lot of people, experience now trumps ownership. When it comes to elements like art for example, it is a matter of evolving tastes and preferences. One might make a significant investment to buy one artwork while someone can take that same money and subscribe to our service for years, thus getting to experience different artworks at will over that time period.” A recent PWC study suggests that the shared economy in India is valued at $1.5bn with future projections of $10bn by 2030. And if you are the kind that likes to change the look and feel of your home more often than not, you are in for a treat – just rent it.

Nico Outdoor Folding Chair Stool Rent Set  Courtesy: Fabrento
Nico Outdoor Folding Chair Stool Rent Set Courtesy: Fabrento

Monthly rental costs (approximate values)

  • Furniture:  Rs. 700 – Rs. 5000
  • Home appliances:  Rs. 600 – Rs. 1500
  • Art and accessories: Rs. 200 – Rs. 1000

This story appeared in HT Estates, Mumbai dated 25th August 2018 here:

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