Indian Handicrafts for Your Home

With the endless number of options available today, home decor can be a very baffling task. However, if done in the right spirit, decorating your home is in fact a very intimate process. While it empowers you with a certain sense of responsibility, it also sanctions you a great deal of freedom. And this is so because just like the clothes you wear, the books you read and the friends you make reflect your personality, similarly the house you live in becomes an absolute expression of who you are.

Therefore, what better way to decorate or refurbish your house than to come back home? India is the land of colors, cultures, and creativity. There are so many Indian themes, ideas, and alternatives available to you that you need not go too far in your search. It all depends on how you choose to embrace your Indian-ness and what all you plan to do with it.

In order to simplify that process for you, we’ve compiled this list of Indian handicraft highlights from all over the country:

1. Rajasthan: Rajasthan is not only the largest producer of handicrafts in India, it’s also world renowned for its Maru-Gurjar paintings, marble, wood and ivory crafts, blue pottery, wooden furniture  as well as carpets. So if you’ve been wondering long about the empty wall in your living room, you might want to consider a Rajasthani rendition of Raasa-Leela and brighten the space up!

Photo Credit: Anant Sharma/Flickr

2. Karnataka: Karnataka is among those few states that still utilizes traditional procedures to produce different handicraft items. The most famous among these include the Rosewood crafts, bell metal works, bronze artifacts, and Mysore paintings. So if you’re thinking what would complete the look of your sofa table, you might want to consider Bidriware - the indigenous metal work from Karnataka that is famous for its stylized Hookahs.

Photo Credit: gopimysore143/Flickr

3. West Bengal: Almost every district and village in West Bengal specializes in some form of handicrafts or the other. Be it the Dhokra or Sholapith items, bamboo and cane furniture or the Japanese-style rag dolls, West Bengal’s handicraft legacy is definitely hard to exclude from your home decor assortment!

4. Jammu and Kashmir: The handicrafts of Jammu and Kashmir carry some very strong influences, including that of the Mughals and the Persians. This is what makes them unique inclusions to your home. The Persian-inspired and exquisitely colourful papièr mâchè, curtains and cushion covers with crewel embroidery and chain stitch work, and woolen Namdas mattresses are some very popular handicraft items produced in Kashmir.

Photo Credit: Salman Qadir/Flickr

For more tips and ideas on interior decoration, visit PropTiger.com