Home Stories: With Airbnb’s Sharan Singh
Written by Payal Khandelwal
Moving from one home to another is one thing. Moving homes across cities along with a cat and a dodgy railway system, well, that’s just another story. Let’s hear it straight from Sharan Singh who recently did this.
“We (Sharan and her partner) pretty much carried everything, except for perishables which we distributed amongst friends. Honestly, I don't think we put in as much thought into the packing as we should have. We could have curated it better, so that unpacking became slightly easier. The packers were godsend though; they did everything. Oh, after unpacking most of our stuff, we realised that there are unpacking services too. We did not know that (laughs)!
Honestly though, when you are moving houses, there is so much going on that you give up at some point and tell yourself that you will just figure it out later. I did keep stringent excel sheets though for timelines for everything related to our moving process.”
Sharan Singh and Mishka
The toughest part of moving was traveling with their cat, Mishka.
This took an emotional toll on them and the Indian public transport did not make it easier at all. They had to compulsorily carry him in the train from Mumbai to Delhi, and for that they needed to take special permission. And the worst part, Sharan tells us, is that you get to know whether the permission has been granted or not just four hours before your travel time. That’s stressful.
But we are glad that it’s all over! And they are now slowly settling down into their beautiful house in the Nizamuddin neighbourhood of Delhi, which is drenched in history.
“The house is so lovely. One of my friends recently asked me what my main requirements are when I look for a house? And I said, ‘well, the house should have a character.’ Not an answer that you probably hear often, especially as the main requirement (laughs). This house has so much character. It’s everything I ever wanted.
I love the fans here. The floor is stunning. All of the old fixtures are really beautiful like the light bulbs. One part of the bedroom has this little nook which has a record holding cabinet! Even the house structure from the outside is so remarkable. There are huge black pillars, inside the house as well as outside, which are made of black terrazzo. Also, it’s a duplex so we have these beautiful steps. And it’s very, very spacious. The neighbourhood is quite well connected and safe, even at night.
“That's something I am strongly trying to do now - put personality and thought behind every piece that I bring into this home. It doesn't have to be the most expensive thing, but something that I actually really like. I just feel that if everything looks the same and sanitised, it doesn't really feel like home.”
What's her approach to setting up the house? Is she someone who likes to furnish everything from the get go or does she take her time with collating things for the house?
“In Bombay, my mindset was to just quickly get everything set up and move on. There wasn’t too much thought given to the process.” And also, there wasn’t even too much space to play around with, she mentions.
But in the Delhi house, she feels differently. “The house is so lovely that we really want to do complete justice to how we furnish it. We want to put in a lot of thought to find the right pieces which also seamlessly become a part of the original structure of the house. Also, I'm not very good at visualising. I can’t imagine what a certain piece of furniture will look in a place till I actually get it. So I will have to buy things in piecemeal and see how they would get along with the rest of the house. It’s going to be a slow and a very intentional process this time.”
She is most excited about doing up the living room because it’s very interesting in its layout and spacious. Then there is the cozy nook near the bedroom that she mentioned. So what makes a space cozy for her?
“I have this one chair which instantly gives me my personal space and peace of mind. That's what I want to sit on every morning and have my coffee. We have kept it in a small nook that’s sort of in-between the two floors, and it has already become our favourite spot. This is where my partner reads his morning paper, I read my books, and our cat also likes to chill here - there’s abundant natural light and we can’t wait for the winters because it will be so nice and warm then.
The chair doesn’t have any backstory or anything. It’s a style I have always loved. I bought it when I was living with my parents and my room had been monotonously the same for so many years. While I could not change much in the room, I had this impulse to bring in that one element which would be my personal, unique thing. I checked out some expensive options but then I ended up picking it up from a second-hand furniture market in Mumbai. It was a steal too!”
Sharan works at Airbnb India as India Market Manager. I wonder how does seeing and exploring so many Airbnb spaces across the world inspire her. What are some decor insights she has taken from these spaces?
“The one thing that I have taken away from seeing all the different homes through Airbnb is that I always gravitate towards places that have a personality. Where everything's not bought from an Ikea or any of those mass-produced brands. And that's something I am strongly trying to do now - put personality and thought behind every piece that I bring into this home. It doesn't have to be the most expensive thing, but something that I actually really like. I just feel that if everything looks the same and sanitised, it doesn't really feel like home.
I like places that are lived in. I don’t like when things in the house are too precious. For example, I know some people who have such fancy houses that some parts of the house just feel totally inaccessible. I definitely don't want my house to be like that, even if I could afford such expensive stuff.”
Lastly, we obviously got some Airbnb hosting tips (which can more or less be applied to hosting a regular guest in your home too) from Sharan:
I think my suggestion would be to put in your personality in the space you are hosting. Make it feel personal.
And like I said earlier, don't make the house too precious because you will be hosting all kinds of people - some would treat it like their own house and some might not be that considerate. So there might be some wear and tear, and you need to be okay with that.
I usually always like to stay in Airbnbs which have a real person behind them as opposed to a branded property. Because they would be thoughtful about all your basic needs, like what are some basic provisions a guest would need in the morning - whether it’s in the bathroom or in the kitchen.
If you are able to provide a touch of the city that you live in to the guest, that would be lovely. Often, visitors to a city only touch upon the typical tourist spots and they never get a local’s/insider’s perspective on the city. Making a quick recommendation list of personal favourite spots around your city or welcoming the guests with your preferred local snack is something a guest would really appreciate!
Provide a multiplug/convertor. As someone who never has the right charger when traveling, whenever I see a converter in an Airbnb home, the relief it provides is second to none.