Down on Road No. 45, Jubilee Hills, you will come across a store that screams fun, beauty and creativity. A store called Room Therapy run by Sona Reddy. She talks to us about how the brand went from a studio at her house to a full-fledged store.
Sona has moved careers from being a budding architect in Bengaluru to being a field engineer in Los Angeles and finally settling down to what was originally her retirement plan – opening a specialty store. “I hold a Master’s degree in architecture and construction management, along with worthy work experience at a reputed firm in Bengaluru as a junior architect. Then I moved on to become a field engineer in Robert F Kennedy School, LAUSD. But after 4 years in that field I moved to Hyderabad to start something on my own,” tells Sona Reddy.
Her passion for creating a home décor store was no more then just a dream, she came to Hyderabad to make sure it became a reality and in 2014 it did. “Room Therapy first started as a small studio in my house and in 2014 I decided to open the store”, she informs. If this was always the plan, ask her what stopped her and she says she just needed the right space, time and money, but once she found the space in Jubilee Hills, there was no holding back.
For her, creativity comes naturally and there’s no doubt that she strongly believes in creating a concept of a home that spells an individual’s personal style. “What sets Room Therapy apart from the other décor stores in the market is that our style is our own. It’s borrowed and influenced by a classical, contemporary mix of old and new, but ultimately it’s a great fusion which is hard to ape,” she says.
Walk into the store through the bright blue that welcomes you and you’ll see exactly what she means. The high shelves on one side display different vases and pots in shades of blue and turquoise, while shelves around the store hold different kinds of cushions, vintage and distressed photo frames, wooden showpieces, lampshades and everything else to do with home décor. The store even houses industrial lampshades, wall mirrors, quirky and rustic buckets, furniture, and carpets. The two-storied building even displays paintings on the first floor.
Some of their products allow for customisation as well. “We used to do this a lot earlier but now we stick to limited options like choosing the colour, handles, size and we’ve done that because we don’t want to change too much of the original design”, she says.
What was initially her retirement plan, is now already in motion and has just completed a year of being open. Sona’s plans for retirement are now to do nothing but attend flea markets that she’s addicted to, as well as take care of her family and her dogs
