CELEBRATING INDIA & INDIAN CRAFTSMANSHIP

In a world increasingly enamored by mass-produced goods, there has been a refreshing and notable shift towards recognizing the unparalleled artistry of Indian craftsmanship in the past few years. Within 2023, countless brands have come together in an attempt to revive, restore, and celebrate India. A mission that we have been proudly working towards since our inception!

Our vision to combat the slow extinction of age-old crafts has brought us to find a balance between traditional crafts and modern sensibilities with time-honed designs that fit our contemporary lifestyles. Stepping away from the monotony of assembly lines, our designs delve into the authenticity and uniqueness that come with everything handmade. This blog is hence a celebration of our Indian roots and the intricate ‘karigari’ and ‘karigars’ that define our heritage.

ABOUT OUR CRAFTS

Busy hands in the rural stretches of our nation work tirelessly to make beautiful masterpieces where the artisan’s passion, skill, and creativity flow through each creation. Be it the delicate Chikankari embroidery from Lucknow, robust wood carving from Jodhpur or meticulous miniature painting from Jaipur, every region within the country carries its secrets, passed down over centuries through whispered stories and adept hands. This deep-rooted culture of craftsmanship in our country has inspired us too.

Stories that were once translated through generational skills, now face the risk of being forgotten at the hands of fleeting trends. Gulmohar Lane’s ‘Global but Local’ designs celebrate these skills and secrets through contemporary designs that keep the homegrown goodness of crafts like rattan artistry, woodworking, miniature paintings, and sofa karigari alive! Outside of transient trends, our commitment lies in crafting heirloom-worthy pieces that focus on quality craftsmanship and grace your homes for years to come. From the nimble hands of our master artisans to the homes of those who appreciate the arts, our designs tell a story of craft, community, and culture that echoes through generations.

RATTAN ARTISTRY

Originating from humble beginnings, Rattan has come a long way! Its inherent beauty lies in its organic appeal which stems from the skilled hands of artisans who masterfully weave this flexible vine into furniture & décor. Reflecting nature’s true artistry, this vintage vine can be woven into a variety of intricate patterns and is a testament to human creativity and craftsmanship. The art of doing so, however, is no easy task! With each calculated movement, a rhythm emerges, reflecting the artist’s vision and passion, and in this dance between artisan and rattan, time becomes irrelevant. Each of our rattan designs carries with it the stories of the hands that shaped it, embodying the union of human ingenuity and nature’s raw beauty. The final result is not merely furniture; it is a work of art, a testament to the timeless allure of craftsmanship.

The beauty of these woven wonders is that they can bring the organic warmth of a nature-heavy aesthetic indoors without taking up too much visual weight. As you witness streaks of light pierce through the crevices of an intricately woven rattan headboard or rattan chair, you are bound to be mesmerized by its open and airy feel. Striving to keep the craft alive, our Rattan Collection not only boasts the four generations of knowledge and expertise of our rattan karigars but also highlights our love for contemporizing and reviving this dying craft with a timeless and globally adored aesthetic.

MINIATURE PAINTING

Yet another forgotten art form, Miniature Painting was welcomed into existence in India even before the 11th century and then spread around by the Mughals. Executed with flawless techniques, free-hand fine lines are bedecked upon the canvas layer by layer to create shading and depth. Depicting bright colors, nature, and royalty, Jaipur’s history of miniature paintings under the Mughal Era soared but is treading towards decline as more and more of us move towards digitized precision.

True beauty, however, lies in originality. With everything moving towards digitization, why shouldn’t these hand-painted gems get a chance to do the same?  Hence, with the help of our expert artists who have been working on this craft for decades, each of our signature textile designs is first laboriously hand painted – one motif at a time, and then translated onto refined styles of fabric through bases suitable for upholstery and furnishings alike. Similarly, with a vision to spotlight this lost art form, our wallpaper collection coalesces each hand-drawn motif into majestic prints and mirrors our commitment to contemporizing handcrafted goodness! Explore our wide-ranging hand-painted offerings and let these intricate prints speak a thousand words to the beholder with every delicate brushstroke.

SOFA MAKING

The term ‘Sofa-Making’ on its own is an amalgamation of many techniques and crafts. Unlike mass-produced furniture pieces that travel through a series of machines in hours, a handcrafted sofa takes a lengthy journey through countless hands to fully come into its own! One of the key methods employed in this intricate craft is the tenon and mortise joinery, a technique dating back centuries but standing now on the verge of obscurity. This meticulous process of carving interlocking joints ensures the structure’s robustness and the longevity of your treasured living room sofa!

The intricate beauty of hand-carved wood, a hallmark of handcrafted sofas, has become a rarity as automated tools now replace the careful hands of skilled artisans, robbing the furniture of its unique, personalized touch. The decline of this traditional craftsmanship is a loss of the stories, techniques, and skills passed down through generations. Sparking an appreciation for artisanal products and a desire for authenticity in design, our proudly ‘Made in India’ sofas aim to weave a legacy of craftsmanship while blending contemporary sensibilities with exceptional quality.

From the carefully hand-shaped hardwood frames to the masterfully hand-tufted details of our Chesterfield style sofas; and the individually hand-tied 8-way spring suspension system installed  in each of our sofas using old-world techniques, our in-house designers have mastered the art of creating time-honed designs that only grow fonder with each passing year. Hailing from fourth-generational furniture and sofa karigars with a prestigious history of serving the Royals in Rajasthan, our artisans preserve their legacy of craftsmanship for future generations – One Sofa at a Time!

ABOUT OUR MASTER CRAFTSMEN

“Craftsmen” – a term most often used interchangeably for all the skilled artisans of our country, but inherently excludes the countless craftswomen who have spent their lives furthering their craft and community’s legacy. As we reminisce over the 75 glorious years of becoming a republic nation, we at Gulmohar Lane take this year to support & salute ‘All’ the artisans who work meticulously, practicing their ancestral crafts and combating the slow extinction of age-old arts.

Traditional craftsmanship is perhaps the most tangible manifestation of intangible cultural heritage and India carries this heritage upon the backbone for all the craftspeople who find a way to sustain themselves in the competitive modern world with their humble ways of living and a passion for their craft. We believe that even amidst a world that is rapidly changing with technology, the enduring charm of handmade items has never waned.  We thus hope to keep contributing to the livelihoods of the countless artisans who have dedicated their lives to keeping their ancestral crafts and legacy alive!