H&R Johnson to invest Rs. 400 crore in two years



Vijay Aggarwal, Managing Director



Ceramic tile maker, H&R Johnson (India), which has entered the bath fittings and kitchen cabinets segment, plans to invest nearly Rs. 400 crore in the next two years for expanding its various businesses. The Rs. 1,500-crore company hopes to increase its revenue by 25 per cent in the current fiscal.

Vijay Aggarwal, Managing Director, H & R Johnson India, said the ceramic tile market was growing along with the demand for bath fittings and kitchen cabinets. To meet the increasing demand, the company had invested Rs. 225 crore for expanding its ceramic tile manufacturing plant in Andhra Pradesh from 3 million sq.m to 6 million sq.m.. This was being further expanded to 9 million sq.m by January 2012.

Greenfield projects

The company would also be investing in two new plants at Rajkot in Gujarat. It had already invested Rs. 20 crore during the current fiscal in a joint venture to make 2.3 million sq. m of small tiles. The second one, a greenfield plant, would come up by February 2012 to produce one million sq.m of engineered marble and quartz at an investment of Rs. 50 crore. The company also planned to increase the capacity of industrial tiles, Endura, from 1.5 million sq.m to 2.5 million sq.m by March next year. It would be investing Rs. 35 crore for this expansion plan.

The market for tiles is estimated at Rs.14,000 crore. The share of the unorganised sector is around Rs. 8,000 crore and the balance is the contribution of the organised sector. Of the total organised market, Rs. 5,000 crore came from medium-end products and the balance from top-end products. For H&R Johnson, Marbonite and Johnson tiles contribute 45 per cent of its sales and the balance came from Endura.

The company had introduced digital technology for printing new designs on the ceramic tiles. Mr. Aggarwal was of the view that digital technology would catch up in the ceramic tile market in future.

On the bath fittings division, he said the company was planning to double the capacity of Baddi (Himachal Pradesh) plant. It would be doubling the capacity to 50,000 pieces of taps annually. It was also planning to set up a greenfield project in Jammu to manufacture 50,000 pieces of taps by April next. The revenue from this vertical was Rs. 70 crore last year. This would go up to Rs. 100 crore in the current fiscal, he added.

He said the kitchen cabinet division was started two years ago and was providing one-stop solution to customers. At present, the company had 40 dedicated showrooms. This would go up to 70 in the next six months.

Bathroom refurbishing- What do you need to know?




Bathroom Tiles

 

In the earlier days, bathroom refurbishing was strictly restricted to changing the flooring and replacing few fixtures and accessories. People used to not pay much attention to bathroom décor as they did to home interiors. Things have drastically changed in the present times with more and more people giving important to the nuances of bathroom designing and exploring new bathroom designs.

Cost- effective plans

If you are wondering whether the costs of bathroom designing will be astronomical, then worry not as you can choose a bathroom design that suits your tastes as well as your budget. Bathroom redesigning does not require looting a bank or taking a loan from the bank. You need to chalk out a well thought out plan and discuss your plan with the local contractor. You need to explore the creative bent of your mind and think from an artist’s perspective. Look at your bathroom as a piece of empty canvas and start imagining every idea that comes to your mind. Remember that each one of us have a different take on what is aesthetic and what is not. So, the designs are solely subjective and it does not matter whether the contractor likes your idea or not. If you are satisfied with the idea and if it looks feasible, then you should not think twice before proceeding with the same.

The old and the new designs

Bathroom designs range from the age-old Victorian style bathrooms to the new, contemporary ones. The Victorian styled bathrooms are characterised by sculpted pedestal basins, claw-footed roll top baths and free standing showers. Much thought has been in poured in the contemporary bathroom designs which have straight, sleek designs and geometric lines. White remains the most chosen colour for bathroom furnishings with other fittings in shades of polished chrome.

It always helps to proceed with a fixed plan in mind. You also have to think about the budget and stick to a planned one while renovating our bathroom. If you are ready to spend a bit extra, you can play a lot with the look of your bathroom.

Thinking of creating a ‘romantic’ bedroom? Read on…



Bedroom Tiles


We all want a bedroom that looks nothing less than a romantic heaven. However, this is the most conventional thing to think about as romance can start about anywhere in the room. Take for example the living room. You can create an equally appealing romantic mood in the living room. With the right music, soft rugs, right mood, cosy dining space, soft cushions with a few scented candles can make your living room a truly romantic place. However, most people are under the impression that it is the bedroom which is the centre of all romance and hence spend a lot of time, money and effort in designing the bedroom. Though designing the perfect romantic bedroom may seem to be an easy task, it cannot be a cake walk and you have to be very careful while designing this space.

Relaxation or work?

While designing the bedroom, you have to take into consideration many factors. You first need to decide the amount of time you spend in the bedroom. You may be spending half your day in the bedroom or may just be entering it for a good night’s sleep. You may decide to create the bedroom into a functional space by including the TV or your PC or you can simply keep it as a place of rest. Though you may agree that work pressures do not allow you to keep you bedroom a purely comfort space as you often need to work at odd hours and so need to get your laptop inside the bedroom.

On the other hand, you may strictly keep it as a place of indulgence, which is for relaxation, reading and some rest. You may also want to isolate the room from your domestic life and create a romantic haven for you and your spouse. Whatever decision you take, you also need to consider your budget. If you are working on a tight budget, then you might have to reuse some old items or refurbish them while designing your bedroom. 

Too hard to miss benefits of ceramic tiles



Ceramic Tiles


Of all the flooring options available, tiles are considered to be the most adaptable and affordable.  Tiles are especially an ideal flooring option for places like kitchen and bathrooms where spills are common place. However, many people like to have tiles in their living rooms, hallways and bedrooms. To create a relaxing atmosphere, all you need to do is to throw a rug around a floor to create the desired floor. Out of all the tiles present in the market, ceramic tiles are a popular choice. Their popularity can be attributed to a number of reasons. Some of the reasons are explained below.

Easy to maintain

One good thing about ceramic tiles is that they are virtually maintenance free. Though no tile will be completely maintenance free, the process involved to clean ceramic tiles is much more hassle free and simple compared to other tiles. All ceramic tiles require is an occasional sealant every few years apart from regular cleaning. Just by regular cleaning, you can make ceramic tiles appear like new and shiny. If you want your ceramic tiles to be water-damage resistant, you need to install the grout properly. To keep your ceramic tiles clean, all you need to do is visit the local grocery store and buy the local cleaning products. 

Cost-effective

When you look at the cost factor, tiles are easily the most affordable option. Ceramic tiles are extremely affordable and you can easily purchase them even if you are working on a tight budget. Though initial costs of installing the ceramic tiles may be a big high, but when you compare it with the durability, you will realise that ceramic tiles are the most cost-effective option. Apart from this, the simple maintenance and upkeep makes ceramic tiles even more cost-effective. Ceramic tiles are multi-functional and there is a ceramic tile that can suit any style and décor. 

What you need to know before buying bathroom wall tiles



Bathroom Wall Tiles



If you are looking for some innovative ways to lighten up your bathroom décor, then what better way than by investing in a whole new set of bathroom wall tiles. Just by adding on new bathroom wall tiles, you can refresh your bathroom without having to gutting or rebuilding it. The effort involved in installing new bathroom wall tiles is minimal compared to what is required in decorating other areas of the bathroom. Those who have installed bathroom wall tiles will stick to the fact that these tiles bring a splash of colour and life to the bathroom and give it a unique style.

Wide variety

If you are looking for the perfect bathroom wall tiles, then you will be pleased to know that bathroom wall tiles come in a wide variety of materials and styles. You just have to select the material that is perfect for your type of bathroom. Though the variety is huge when it comes to choosing bathroom wall tiles, the sheer variety can even sometimes confuse the customer. Simply walking into a home décor store or a hardware store can overwhelm you or worse, confuse you. You need to be well guarded with information before you make the final purchase of your bathroom wall tiles.

Budget

While looking for bathroom wall tiles, the first thing you need to determine is the scope and the magnitude of the project. This depends on the size and the shape of your bathroom. You need to first measure your walls and set apart a fixed budget for the tiling work. This will help you get a better understanding of the costs involved apart from the type of bathroom wall tiles that you can afford. When you plan your budget, remember that even if you plan to install the bathroom wall tiles all by yourself, there will be expenses involved like adhesive, renting a tile cutter , grout and so on. 

Give a new look to your home with wall tiles



Wall Tiles



The field of interior designing is quite subjective. What look one might like for their home may be completely detested by some another. When you take up interior designing, you need to follow your instincts and stick to what you like for your home not with standing what others will think of it.

Tiling the walls 

For instance, instead of painting the walls, you can go for wall tiles. Wall tiles look amazing on the walls and give a decent and a neat appearance to the wall. The not just beautify the look of the walls but also look unique compared to the drab appearance of the same old wall paints. Wall tiles come in a pool of colours, textures and designs so you will not face any difficulty in finding the right wall tiles for your home walls. Such is the variety available that you can let your imagination run wild and find wall tiles that are tailor made to suit your tastes and preferences. 

With wall tiles, you can create different types of look on the walls. You can opt for light blue tiles to create an oceanic feel on the wall. You can opt for crystal textured tiles to create a swimming pool like appearance for the walls. If you want a metallic look for your walls, then you can opt for wall tiles that have a metallic texture. Wall tiles with a metallic texture are newly invented and they are counted as one of the stylish designs for tiles. From conventional looking to the more sophisticated modern ones, wall tiles are slowly making their presence felt in the tile market. 

Two mistakes to avoid while doing home improvement

When you take up the task of home improvement, there are some unwritten rules that you ought to follow. Home improvement is not an easy task as it might seem to be. Though you may be excited at the beginning thinking about the brand new makeover that your home will be getting, you need to plan a lot of things in advance if you want the desired look for your home. Apart from religiously following some things, you should also steer clear of doing some common mistakes. Some of these are listed below.

Make the choices yourself

Remember that your home is a personal space. It completely belongs to you and none other. While taking any design or makeover related decision, you should first rely on your own instincts rather than blindly following what others tell you. If you are confused regarding some key decisions related to the makeover, you can always ask for suggestions. You can also hire an interior decorator to assist you on the redesigning. An interior decorator will be in a better position to tell you what is right for your home and what is not.

Do not paint first

Remember that you can buy any colour and any hue of paint under this earth at any point of time so always keep the painting job for the end. Your first task should be to accessorise your home and get all the right furnishings and accessories. Once you are done with this task, you can then decide which colour to use for painting your home. You can also use a combination of different colours and mix and match to effectively compliment your room décor and furnishings. Always remember to buy fabric, upholstery and fabric first.