Rashi Bajaj, a 27-year-old carpet designer, adds colour, design and features to the homes of many with her custom-designed carpets. But when it comes to her house in Saket, interesting handcrafted pieces add to the otherwise contemporary décor.
The idea, Rashi says, was to create a fusion with things that she loves. When she got married two years ago and came to this house, the décor was a mish-mash of many things and she wanted to unite the look. “We all, my in-laws, husband and me, have a soft corner for handmade artefacts and thus that became the basic theme of the house with contemporary furniture for added comfort and look,” says Rashi.
So, just when we enter, the gallery that leads to the living area has a handcrafted mirror alongwith other artefacts.
The living area has been cleverly divided into three parts — with a small and interesting mandir and a separate sitting area demarcated from the main sitting area. Again, handcrafted art pieces from Pushkar, Varanasi, Kolkata, among other cities of India, acquire a special place in the room. A Radha-Krishna idol has been custom-made for one of the main tables in the area. The main wall of the living room is decorated with mirrors (small and big) bought from a local market in Kolkata. A painting from Pushkar adorns another wall. “I’ve grown up in Varanasi where millions thrive on the handicraft industry. I have seen the efforts that a craftsman puts into each piece that he carves. In my house, each piece, from a painting to a candle stand, speaks volumes about the efforts of these unsung heroes, who make our country culturally rich,” says Rashi leading us to other areas of the house that have from the craftsmen from different areas of India.