For all the home décor fanatics out there, Shraddha Reddy curates an exclusive list of Indian brands that mix fun with style.
One’s home is truly a reflection of their personality. It’s no wonder that people spend so much time, effort, and money to create the perfect environment that they long to come home to. The vibe of a home and the pieces that fill it up can influence everything, from mood to productivity, and even confidence. Picking the right furniture, decor, and artifacts for a home is a process that takes years of patience and persistence.
That’s why, when you do find those pieces that bring you joy or have a styling element that you love, grab it! From furniture and home textiles and home decor, here are four interesting Indian brands, each with their own unique USP, that have carved out a niche for themselves in the market.
Ghar Ghar
Ghar Ghar is a bohemian-inspired home décor company originating from Bhadohi, a small district in Uttar Pradesh that is hailed as the carpet city of the world. Home to generations of carpet makers karigars, Bhadohi is currently one of India’s biggest hubs for home décor manufacturing. Ghar Ghar was started to provide everyone with the opportunity to create comfortable, vibrant spaces at home affordably and practically. Their rugs, runners, and cushion covers boast an eclectic mix of colours, patterns, and textures that give them a fun, laid-back vibe.
“The name ‘Ghar Ghar’ is inspired by the traditional childhood game where we created make-belief homes,” says Anushka Ahuja, co-founder of Ghar Ghar. She believes that this imaginative side doesn’t need to stop as people grow up because everybody deserves the chance to create their dream home. “That’s why Ghar Ghar is all about providing you with playful products which will suit your style, give you the home of your dreams, and ensure that going back to your home brings you the comfort you need,” says Anushka.
Little Miss Arty
Little Miss Arty offers a range of handmade concrete home decor products and was started in 2018 out of Mansi and Harshit Jholapara’s architecture design studio. What started out as a passion project due to Mansi’s experimental DIY journey with arts and crafts turned into an official brand mid-2020. “I am an interior designer by profession and my husband is an architect. Creating handmade goods is what we’ve always been passionate about,” says Mansi.
Little Miss Arty specializes in making every day utilitarian objects look beautiful and bespoke. Their lovely trinket trays, paperweights, coasters, soap dishes, photo holders, and fridge magnets not only serve a purpose but also work to beautify a space. Some of their multipurpose products, like their mini planters, can be used as pen holders, paperweights, desk organizers, candle or pen holders, and more. The products can be completely customized to suit each customers’ choice of colours and patterns (like marbling or hand painting). Since the products are handmade, no two products come out looking the same! This further adds to the exclusivity of the products, making them even more unique. Coupled with the affordable rates, these products make for a great gifting option as well.
Having an architectural background, the couple was naturally drawn towards concrete to create one-of-a-kind, handmade products for home and office decor. Mansi and Harshit use locally available white or grey cement to make their products and manually make their concrete mixtures with concrete colour pigments. They use acrylic paint for the hand-painted art while the gilded artwork is done using craft gold, copper, and silver leaf sheets. As for their moulds, “We’ve been picking up interesting-looking moulds over the last few years on our travels abroad,” Mansi mentions.
Everything else that goes into making the products is locally purchased from hardware stores and arts & crafts shops. Mansi adds that they make it a point to use sustainable materials not just for their products, but also for their packaging. Sometime in the near future, Mansi also plans to conduct workshops to train those who might be interested in the art of creating beautiful but utilitarian decor pieces from concrete.
Shrila Home
Shrila Home is a custom handcrafted luxury décor brand that specializes in intricate furniture
carving and design. “The brand is inspired by French Baroque and Italian Renaissance styles and shaped by Indian craftsmen,” says Anurag Tikku, founder of Shrila Home. With only the finest quality raw materials and resources being used, the price points for these stunning pieces are on the higher side. For those looking to invest in quality furniture that can potentially become a family heirloom someday, Shrila Home offers a wide variety of grand designs to choose from.
They have an in-house design team of experienced craftsmen from across the country, each an expert in their domain. “Our approach to design is customer-centric. The client’s imagination is put on paper and brought to reality by us,” says Anurag. “From the first sketch of the piece to creating a mood board, and the final finishing touches, the entire process is created taking input from the client,” he adds.
Borderline PLAY
Borderline PLAY is a Delhi-based furniture brand born during the pandemic out of a sheer need for architects to design while their projects had come to a standstill. “The aim was to reimagine objects that we’re usually surrounded by at home, make them ‘fun’ctional, and add our architectural spin to them,” says Shruti Gupta, co-founder of the brand. The products are custom designed by her partner and co-founder Anica Kochhar and go through R&D with different vendors to develop prototypes.
Borderline PLAY’s products are functional art, designed by architects. The products have a very distinct 3-dimensional, volumetric aesthetic associated with them that instantly draws the eye. These unique art deco pieces with strong geometric shapes and patterns are bold, out there, and make a statement. If you’re looking to experiment with home decor and add interesting accents around your home or office, Borderline PLAY’s eccentric-looking products are sure to impress.
