Having taken his career route in the field of sales and marketing, Chaminda Rajaspakse, the Managing Director at Arte Casa, has traversed across a diverse set of industries – ranging from the milk powder industry to the consumer electronics industry, cement industry, beer industry and lastly the interior designing and furniture industry.

 

Throughout his many years of experience, Chaminda was able to gather a great deal of knowledge across each of these industries. He attained a better understanding of important aspects such as the procedures of sales and distribution, operations, manufacturing affairs and even partner management. For Chaminda, there was always a constant momentum of growth during his professional journey and he goes on to express it by stating that his journey from being a representative to becoming a corporate executive was a very lively one.

 

Arte Casa came to life in the year 2016, back when Chaminda had taken note of how rigid and uncompromising the furniture market had seemed. “They were confined to limited designs, materials and solutions”, Chaminda explained. “Customers had very finite choices and it was hard to find your taste. Major players were highly production oriented and the price was the key competitive factor”. Taking a look at the customized niche perspective of the industry, Chaminda also noted that such products were extremely expensive as well, thus being unaffordable for the larger segment of the market. “Arte Casa wanted to find a way to bring the flexibility and customization of furniture at an affordable price”.

 

Fusing tradition and modern technology, Arte Casa’s vision is to win over the hearts of its customers with leading interior solutions. Taking a peek into the furniture manufacturing process, the company utilizes premium quality timber and high-grade fabric from overseas to set trends with their timeless masterpieces and aesthetically appealing high-quality products. And so aspiring to make use of Sri Lanka’s precious woods and penetrate the global markets, Arte Casa has touched the interiors of residencies, corporate spaces and the hospitality industry in no less than half a decade with core values such as sustainability, innovation, integrity and heritage.

 

Giving us a deeper insight into the products and services of the company, Chaminda talks about the development of two major solutions, with the first one being total customization, where the entire customizing process is unique to point. “Our interior designers will carefully look at the space, functionality, design taste of the client and budget. It’s a customized solution”, he mentions. The next solution Chaminda talked about was the second-tier solution. “This is economical but still customized within a frame. The customers have the option to choose their best fit from a large range of products. This disruptive model brings affordable luxury”, Chaminda explains.

 

 

Explaining the importance of customization, Chaminda talks about utilizing the client’s space 100%, thus using every inch of the area that was built with sky-high construction costs. Customizing their preferences also allows clients to fulfil their expectations in terms of colours, design, theme, etc. as it is their own space they’re looking to live in and should be something they vibe with.

 

When asked about how Arte Casa functioned amidst the economic crisis, Chaminda says, “Pandemic and economic crisis has not given us the option to think. It has forced us to think and implement questions such as how do you survive even in a complete blackout, is your business ready to run without transport, fuel, customer walk-ins, limited material supply, high cost of overheads, and thin or negative bottom lines?”. And so, Arte Casa was cornered into getting rid of high-cost elements, such as large showrooms and furniture displays. In turn, the company sought out innovative ways to keep moving forward with the consistent presence of clients. “Disruptive innovation became a must-do thing and digital, social occupancy was crucial”.

 

Despite facing challenges in showcasing their products at a distance, pushing the manufacturing process with the use of more local materials and setting tight production schedules for on-time deliveries, Arte Casa managed to carry on with success on their shoulders through it all. “During that period we were able to get some of the best projects and delivery with high customer feedback”, Chaminda shares ecstatically.

 

Acknowledging that our country is in fact in need of more and more entrepreneurs, Chaminda parts with a few words of wisdom to all young and upcoming entrepreneurs, Chaminda encourages all to think outside the box in introducing new products and services. “Don’t think about building a brand, let your product be the brand ambassador for the first 5 years. Let your customers be your sales team. Keep the product right and consistent, rest is assured on this island”.

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