Honestly luxurious: Luxury Italian furniture store Empire Homes takes off in Banjara Hills

Bringing Italian luxury furniture brand Empire Homes to Hyderabad, Kabiir and his mother Nisha Mangghnani speak to CE on the sidelines of their launch party in Banjara Hills
Italian furniture store Empire Homes in Banjara Hills.
Italian furniture store Empire Homes in Banjara Hills.

HYDERABAD: The warm evening air on Sunday smelled of exquisite perfumes. Soulful jazz by George Hull on the saxophone, backed by Keith Rosario on the vocals, set the mood for the launch of luxury Italian furniture store Empire Homes in Banjara Hills.

As the who’s who of Hyderabad walked in for an evening full of great food, conversation and appreciation for fine living, hosts Kabiir Mangghnani and his mother Nisha welcomed them to their exclusive supper soirée.

Curiosity grew as the guests explored the store, which brings to the Hyderabad top-notch contemporary, classic furniture. The four-storey building looked nothing like a furniture store though. It made everyone feel at home. From luxurious lounges to chaises and artefacts, the store covers all furniture needs.

While the guests chatted away over some choicest liquor, CE caught up with Kabiir and Nisha about their latest venture. “Luxury is not honest anymore. The word is loosely used in the furniture industry. Through Empire Homes, we aim to bring honestly luxurious furniture to Hyderabad. For us, luxury is not about money. It is not only about a good design. It is about the personal connection, style and comfort,” says Nisha, who a decade ago had started SCASA — a furniture store that makes ergonomic kitchens and wardrobes.

It is no news that despite the presence of several furniture stores in Hyderabad, the rich and the famous travel overseas — Italy, China and Thailand — to source premium furniture. Realising this growing demand for luxury furniture, Nisha has collaborated with the most elite of Italian luxury furniture brands such as B&B Italia, Rimadesio, TURRI, Reflex Angelo, Lualdi, etc., and has brought all of them under one roof. “We pay attention to detail and are inspired by clutter-free, sophisticated, contemporary yet minimal designs,” says her 20-year-old son Kabiir, who co-owns the Empire Home store with his mother.

“I wanted to study sofa-making in Milan after I my class XII, but I could not because of the pandemic. I, however, kept on researching and learned in great detail about the materials that we import from Europe for making class furniture,” says Kabiir, who came up with the idea of bringing luxury furniture to Hyderabad in 2020.

He manages the store and chooses the products, while his mother designs and curates artistic pieces. Kabiir pursues this passion while also completing his undergraduate course at Amity University. The mother-son duo says that they understand the market in Hyderabad and are catering to the growing demand for luxury.

The store believes in Italian-inspired ‘Make In India’ products and goes the extra mile to procure art lounges from Italian brands. The event, curated by Sofiya Events, had entrepreneur Prasad V Potluri, actor Aadarsh Balakrishna, national governing body member of FICCI FLO Jyotsna Angara and former IPS officer Aruna Bahuguna, among others. It was the perfect end to a long weekend for them all.

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