Behind The Brand: Raja Homewares Tanya Harrison

Meet Tanya Harrison, owner and creative design genius behind Raja Homewares – a delightful collection of rattan nursery and children’s bedroom furniture. 

Here, Tanya explains how Raja Homewares was born, her passion for beautiful and practical furniture design, nursery styling tips and a load of great Mumpreneur tips – just in case, you know, you’re thinking of launching your own baby business!  

Get ready to be inspired!

What was the inspiration behind your business? 

Raja Homewares was born out of my passion for interiors and a love for creating adventurous rooms for my children. Our rattan baby and children’s furniture and toy collection is aimed at delivering high quality handcrafted pieces that delight and inspire you and your child.

Or the ‘light bulb moment’ for launching Raja Homewares?

It was whilst pregnant with my third baby, and following our new home build. I couldn't find attractive baby furniture pieces for my new nursery that complimented the look and feel of the rest of our home. This is what led me to design attractive rattan baby and children's furniture that is designed to complement a grown up aesthetic.

Explain the style and design aesthetic of Raja Homewares? 

You can take it Tropical, Coastal, Boho or Vintage! The natural beauty of rattan makes it a versatile choice for any nursery, bedroom or playroom. You won’t see any cutesy spaces here, but instead a mature design aesthetic that will complement your grown up pieces too. 

What is in the collection? 

Raja Homewares’ rattan collection encompasses baby bassinets, change tables, children’s beds, children’s chairs, toys and shelves. Other complimentary nursery and children’s room accessories include lighting and a wide range of baskets and textiles.  

How is your collection unique? 

We're unique and different to many typical baby brands on the market as we encompass a more mature design aesthetic designed to complement grown up pieces. Throughout our nursery styling we try to use botanical influences from around the world to feel crisp, deep, inspiring, and conjure up a sense of nostalgia, like each room setting is a story that will become a memory! No cutesy or overly fussy spaces here!

Why are Raja nursery and bedroom furniture pieces so appealing to parents? 

Our customers speak highly of the quality handmade nature of our products. Many of our pieces are designed to last the distance beyond baby. For example our change tables convert into rattan bookshelves once baby is out of nappies, and our beds are built to last from toddler through to teens, ensuring long term use out of our pieces 

What nursery styling tips do you have for parents? 

Rattan really is a versatile material and will lend itself to Scandi, Modern, Boho & even the most Simplistic nursery themes. Rattan can help create a place of comfort, rest, and fun for children - and a place a Mother can be proud of.  

Always feel free to reach out to us via email or phone call to discuss nursery planning! We love to chat to our tribe and get involved in this fun process! 

What is your background? 

I actually went from Finance to Furniture! I'd always wanted to start my own business and had a strong passion and followed interior trends for a long time during the planning and execution phase of building our house, so I turned this passion into my business!

What does family life + juggling a business look like? 

I had two young girls with a third on the way when I launched Raja Homewares! It was a juggling act to launch a business and raise them at the same time. I found myself sneaking to do work in lunchtime naps and after they were in bed, so my work hours became very non-standard indeed! 

It took determination and resilience to build the brand, but now I'm so happy that I put in the hard yards in the first year, as I'm starting to slowly find the balance come back now. I have also hired a nanny and have the youngest starting daycare now that she's 1, so that's a big help!
 

What tips do you have for other mums starting a business?

Don't be afraid to ask for help! I really used my family a lot for help in that first year and I'm so grateful to them now.

Be prepared to be unbalanced in the first year - make sure you love your business so work doesn't feel like work! 

Tell us about some big successes you’ve had? 

Major wins included being featured on the Cover of Minty Magazine in their Bold Issue! Also being Featured at Three Birds Renovations House 10 in Peppa's beautiful Boho Nursery, and exhibiting at One Fine Baby in August 2019! 

I’ve also been doing lots of great little collaborations with some beautiful Mummy influencers on Instagram including @thefrenchfolk , @_dimity_  @krystalhipwell and @storyandco 

Website: www.rajahomewares.com

Instagram www.instagram.com/rajahomewares

Want to see the products up close? Come to our next Sydney baby expo or Melbourne baby expo by visiting our Sydney baby expo page here or our Melbourne baby expo page here.