Rashi and Radhika Sanghai are sisters-in-law and during the lockdown, they decided to introduce the concept of Table Setters in the capital. “It was a casual conversation and we both ended up saying that it’s really fun to see when tables are done well for any occasion. It just elevates the whole event,” says an excited Rashi. And what was just a lockdown idea has germinated into a business with the duo having done 70 tables and created lifetime memories since. In a conversation with WOW’s Ankita Jain, the creative team tells us about their venture.
Attention to detail
Radhika: Table setting is all about details. It’s the mood that you want to set.
Rashi: The small details like how the napkins have been rolled, is it rolled as a fan or is it a flower matters a lot. Having said that, the decor should not be congested. You don’t want people to scramble around and shift the décor to make space for food. Whenever we are doing a table, every single thing falls under the theme. If it’s a wild theme even the name cards and the menu will carry a wild element. In a creative industry, and detail is everything.
Personalisation
Radhika: Personalisation is our focus right from the beginning. We want to make our clients feel special. If it’s someone’s birthday, we will put up pictures in the décor. If it’s an anniversary we will place a personalised message in a bottle or box. It really depends on what the client is looking for.
Themes
Rashi: We have worked on a number of themes. We have designed 70 tables and none of them have been the same. We focus a lot on rustic themes and it is something we found that people have loved. We also love working with floral elements. It’s been about 18 months since we first started this business. I think to be able to sustain and really do well all this time is definitely something to be happy about.
Tips for setting up the perfect table
Radhika: First of all, you have to identify the occasion. Is it a birthday, anniversary or a simple get-together? You have to recognise the mood and the theme you want to implement. One can always set up a table at home from materials in the household. Even if you collect leaves and flowers from the garden, you can lay it down beautifully.
Charges
Rashi: It depends on the level of customisation that is needed. If it’s a regular table for two, then the price would be around Rs. 6000 but it includes everything. For example, in a floral setting even the flowers are included in the cost. We don’t have a base amount and we don’t add on further cost. Money is always a motivation but it’s not the end aim for sure.
Future
Radhika: I think we want to add more experience in terms of not just laying out the table, maybe even adding food and cutlery experience as well.
Rashi: There have been times when we thought about making it bigger and better. We don’t use our own crockery. We just make use of the crockery we get from the hotel or restaurant. But reality is that they are very plain and mundane. Because of this the effect which could have been achieved remains impossible. This is something we could move forward with. But we will always be restricted to tables as that’s our specialty.
