Second Life Podcast: Nidhi Kapur

Welcome to Second Life, a podcast spotlighting successful women who’ve made major career changes—and fearlessly mastered the pivot. Hosted by Hillary Kerr, co-founder and chief content officer at Who What Wear, each episode gives you a direct line to women who are game changers in their fields. Subscribe to Second Life on $ Apple Podcasts$ , $ Spotify$ , or anywhere you get your podcasts to stay tuned.

In the interior design and custom furniture industry, Nidhi Kapur has carved quite a niche for herself. As the founder of Maiden Home, Kapur has transformed the way we approach custom furniture pieces. Offering a wide range of high-quality, handcrafted furniture without the long lead times or high prices typically associated with custom pieces, Maiden Home has quickly become a go-to source for design enthusiasts seeking personalized home furnishings that don’t compromise on quality or style.

The company’s growth trajectory has been impressive, with year-over-year expansion leading to the opening of its first brick-and-mortar store in New York City in September 2023. This physical presence not only marks a significant milestone for Maiden Home but also offers customers a tangible connection to the brand’s ethos and products as each piece of furniture is a testament to the skilled artisans who create them, blending traditional craftsmanship with modern design sensibilities

Growing up, Kapur’s passion for interior design manifested in the constant redecoration of her childhood bedroom, a hobby that at the time seemed nothing more than a creative outlet. Yet her path initially led her away from design and into the world of business. After college, Kapur honed her skills at prestigious firms like McKinsey and Google, eventually becoming the director of business development at Birchbox, a beauty subscription box company. It was a role that merged her knack for strategic thinking with her entrepreneurial spirit, but her heart still yearned for a more creative pursuit.

The pivotal point came when Kapur bought her first apartment. The excitement of personalizing her space brought back her latent passion for interior design. However, she quickly encountered a significant challenge: the lack of accessible and convenient options for custom furniture. The market was filled with either generic, mass-produced pieces or prohibitively expensive and time-consuming custom options, which ultimately became the driving force that sparked the idea for Maiden Home.

In 2017, after establishing vital partnerships with three artisanal workshops in North Carolina—a region renowned for its furniture craftsmanship—Maiden Home was born. The company’s business model was revolutionary, offering direct-to-consumer custom furniture that emphasized quality, transparency, and customer service. Listen to the latest episode of Second Life to hear how Kapur decided to embark on a mission to democratize custom furniture.