About

The Brand

Established in 1987 by Udayshanth Fernando, current Chairman and Head of Design at Paradise Road Paradise Road Group of Companies, Paradise Road began as a small store selling handpicked antiques and contemporary designed local handicrafts. Today the Paradise Road retail chain consists of five retail outlets plus the new addition, PR, the concept store named with the companies anagram and launched by Fernando’s daughter Annika Fernando.

With a combination of contemporary home ware, local handicrafts, antiques, clothing, giftware and crockery the Paradise Road brand has become the leading local design brand in Sri Lanka.

Starting as a small boutique in Cinnamon Gardens, Paradise Road began as a retail venture originally selling contemporary designed merchandise locally manufactured, has since grown into a design and hospitality empire and a prominent Sri Lankan brand. Items were originally all designed by Shanth Fernando. Whilst Fernando continues to be solely responsible for the design of merchandise, he now also includes in his product range personally selected items imported from all around the world which reflect the Paradise Road design aesthetic.

The brand now includes Paradise Road Galleries and The Gallery Café, an art gallery, restaurant and gift store which opened in 1998 and is consistently one of Colombo’s most popular restaurants.

Shanth Fernando is also acknowledged for his support of local contemporary established and emerging artists through their exhibitions and exposure in this unique space which was once the offices of world-renowned Sri Lankan Architect, Geoffrey Bawa.

In 2007, Paradise Road opened it first hotel, Tintagel Colombo. An all-suite boutique city hotel, housed in a structure that once was home to three of the country’s previous political leaders. In 2009 Paradise Road launched The Villa Bentota in the Bawa designed villa in Bentota. The renovated structure contains fifteen stylishly designed rooms and suites that all carry the brand’s signature style.

Shanth Fernando

Udayshanth Jayantha (aka Shanth) Fernando, was born to Sinhalese parents in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1949. At the age of 19 he travelled to Europe and lived in the Netherlands, attending Maastricht hotel school in Amsterdam, worked at the Pulitzer, learnt to speak fluent Dutch and met his wife, Angelika. Their travels took them to Sydney, Australia where they resided for 10 years. Fernando worked at the Hyatt Kingsgate for 5 years before venturing out on his own with ‘Art of Play’, a business that carried imported classic children’s toys from renowned brands in Europe. He soon began designing products himself and manufactured the ranges in Sri Lanka for the business. Having always exhibited a natural sense and spirit for design, Fernando moved back to Sri Lanka in 1987 with his family and established the paradise road brand.

Paradise Road has established itself as one of the leading Sri Lankan brands and Shanth Fernando has become a design icon in Sri Lanka, respected by his peers, by visitors and now fans all over the world. Wallpaper labeled Shanth Sri Lanka’s own Terence Conran’ and his work has been featured in the most prestigious press worldwide.