Designing for childhood and beyond: Inside Baby Jalebi’s Delhi debut

Founders Gunia Chopra and Rati Nehra walk us through their pastel-hued outpost by Phenotype Studio

17 Apr 2026

As infants grow, they leave behind a trail of objects once deemed essential in their wake: unused cribs, emptied diaper bags, and tiny onesies that they’ll never fit in again. Parents are then faced with an essential question: should they hold on, or let go? To combat this eternal catch-22, founders Gunia Nehra Chopra and Rati Nehra of Baby Jalebi chose to approach children’s products from a more holistic eye — designing not just for the baby, but for the parents, too. Think luxury waterproof diaper bags that are certain to be a wardrobe favourite, even long after diaper duties are over! This was the precise gap their dot-com brand has been filling ever since: crafting products designed to grow with you, even after your infant outgrows them.

So when the question of a brick-and-mortar presence offline came up, it felt like a natural next step. Tactility has always been their strong suit — their organic cotton baby bedding carries GOTS certification, crafted to feel uber-soft to the touch. With a strong emphasis on nurseries and early childhood, their inventory is designed to evolve right alongside your little one. Take, for instance, the Oasis bassinet, which can be transformed into a storage bench and even a play table! What better way for parents to experience the brand in its entirety than a physical store?

Designed in collaboration with Phenotype Architecture Studio, Baby Jalebi’s first-ever store sits in Lodhi Colony as an extension of their distinct brand identity. The store is a larger sum of several, smaller nursery-like spaces that let parents view their innovative products in action. Conceptualised in the same airy, timeless colour palette of pastels and neutrals that dominates their curation, the store strays away from overt themes and kitsch and champions true timelessness instead: think soothing hues that seek to embody warmth, rather than trigger visual overwhelm.

A space for you and your little one

Gunia and Rati are not just founders or partners — they are parents themselves. “We’ve always been known for our bedding and gifting, but today we see ourselves as partners to parents through these early years: from nesting, to bringing baby home, to those first milestones and even their first vacation,” reminisce the duo. Navigating parenthood together, they began to think beyond designing individual products and started to see their creations as a part of a conclusive whole. What kind of environment can their products aid in creating? How can Baby Jalebi serve the rapidly changing needs of a growing infant, and serve the parents as well?

The store became an answer to both these questions. “We wanted to create a space where customers could slow down and really enjoy the process — not just shop, but immerse themselves in the feeling of building their baby’s world,” they affirm. The facade comprises of airy whites and touches of gold, fitted with glass doors accented with delicate arches. Warmly lit and deliberately restrained, the interiors unfold in an assemblage of tiny nursery-like setups, complete with cribs, toys, plushies and armchairs. Designed in collaboration with Elan Wallpapers, the walls bear minimal, bucolic illustrations filled with swaying trees against a cloudy sky. These aesthetic choices were calibrated not only for the parents but for their little ones, too. Baby-proofed to a tee, they’ve utilised low-VOC paints and ensured all furniture within the store bears rounded edges and has been manufactured in their GREENGUARD-certified facilities. These material interventions ensure that the store is safe and non-toxic for toddlers as well — ensuring parents can bring them along as a plus-one if they wish!

Heirlooms for the future

Baby Jalebi’s approach to designing for babies is refreshingly long-term. As a baby grows up, its needs change, leaving behind an array of essentials that become defunct. Does one let go of these essentials to create more space, or hold on for memory’s sake? As the founding duo affirm, they wanted their creations to allow parents to do both. “So many things purchased in a baby’s first year don’t endure. We wanted to change that — whether it’s a baby’s first blanket or their crib, these are pieces that carry memory and stay within a family,” they explain. They think of their creations as modern heirlooms “well-made enough to last, but also meaningful enough to be kept and passed on,” state Gunia and Rati. Much like a sofa-cum-bed, their cribs can be expanded into toddler beds if the child outgrows them. Their changing stations can eventually be utilised as dressers, or even storage pieces, as time goes on!

This allows families to retain these objects for their nostalgic value without having to compromise on utility or space — a true boon for parents. After all, as Gunia and Rati conclude, they are not “designing for a single moment. We design for a journey.”