Tell us about your daughter. “My daughter’s name is Ameya – it means immeasurable.” Vidya tells us. “Do you know what else is immeasurable?” We offer examples but she shakes her head before beaming at us. “Love.” Vidya trains artisans in how to use the machinery that takes raw cotton and turns it into the yarn we use for our Duck Egg Blue upholstery. “I’m good at explaining things to people,” she says. “India is a big country, with many languages. People come from all over to work here – so I

They’re curled up on main streets amongst haphazardly parked tuk tuks, motorcycles and cars; they’re meandering slowly up urban alleys in the centre of busy towns; they’re roaming the highways that stretch for miles. Within hours of arriving, we realise that to travel through India is to walk with cows. In a country where most of the population are Hindu and vegetarian, animals enjoy a level of respect not often seen in the West. It’s a noteworthy characteristic for those of us who come from pl

Under the spotlight: the ancient art of indigo dyeing. An ancient art form, an old science, using natural indigo pigments to dye fabrics has been practised in many countries, for thousands of years. Out of all of them, India stands as the oldest centre for the craft, with knowledge of their expertise known to even the ancient Egyptians. So when it came to the dyeing of our Persia Blue Jasper pouffe, we knew we were in expert hands. Mr Rambabu’s stone well is in the front porch of his home wher

Horns beep, tuk tuk drivers call out to us from the road, weaving artfully out of the way of cars and bicycles and the occasional lumbering elephant. We smile at it all, even at the touts who are trying to show us their wares. Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, is known as the Pink City, and as we wander though the charismatic streets of the Old City, we’re submerged in a visual symphony of vibrant colour.

Under the spotlight: the art of weaving. The artisan weavers chat quietly to each other as they sit in pairs. They work in tandem, the Golden Chevron pattern of our Lombard rug creeping steadily up the loom. A craft and a complicated science, people have been weaving for thousands of years. Ambrish Bharti, one of our leading loom artisans, tries to explain how an intricate webbing of thread is artfully made into a rug.

What brightens up your day? “Teasing him!” Hemlata bursts out, gesturing to her husband Harsh. Husband and wife are both block printers working together in a small workshop adjoining their home. “I tease him about losing his hair and getting old,” she says laughing, while her husband smiles and shakes his head.

The finer details – the art of carving wood. The syncopated tapping of wooden hammers comes from a shady outdoor area of the mango wood workshop in Jaipur. Here we meet many artisans who hail from the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Known for its forests, most of the mango wood and rosewood used in the workshop comes from there – as do the men who carve it. Usman sits with a chisel in one hand, a hammer in the other, and the leg of a Lille armchair, held in place by one of his own legs. I

Hand-made from start to finish – crafting the Sullivan side tables. Gentle sparks fly to the sound of a static zapping and a mixture of wire, gas and molten steel fills the air. It’s a tart, but not-so-unpleasant, sulphuric aroma that emanates throughout the metal workshop. Mr Rambaby, a welder for fifteen years, fuses the joints of a Sullivan side table using a MIG [Metal Inert Gas] welder, gas softly roaring as it shoots out of the nozzle. The crafting of the tabletop begins with the lamina

Running his hand along the brightly painted Hindi letters emblazoned on the back of a truck, the master painter, Ramesh Meena explains – “It says – If you look at me with your evil eye, your face should be blackened.” “This one here is the mother’s blessing.” He says, pointing out another delicately painted phrase in Sanskrit. “Here in India, mothers are revered more than Gods.”