**The Joy of Collecting and Sharing Folk Art**

For me, collecting and sharing folk art has been a passion project that brings people together. I started by creating a space that showcased my favorite pieces, which were largely inspired by traditional Indian art forms. The idea was to curate a collection that would not only reflect my own tastes but also provide a sense of community for others who shared similar interests.

As I began to share my artwork and designs with others online, I was surprised to find how much resonance it had with people from all over the world. It was as if we were coming together around a shared passion, one that transcended borders and cultures. For me, this was the most rewarding part of sharing folk art – knowing that it was bringing people joy and connection.

One of my proudest possessions is a gallery wall in our dining space, which features a collection of artwork I've collected over the years. A lot of it is inspired by Indian folk art, with pieces made to look like paintings that you would find on mud homes in India. Others are embroidery pieces from Gujarat, where my family's from, including a stunning piece embroidered by my great-grandmother. This gallery wall not only showcases my love for traditional art but also serves as a conversation starter for our guests.

In addition to showcasing my own artwork, I've always been keen on highlighting contemporary artists from South Asia and India. I believe that by supporting local talent, we can help preserve the rich cultural heritage of these regions. This is reflected in the artwork displayed throughout our home, which often features vibrant colors and intricate patterns inspired by traditional Indian motifs.

My love for folk art also extends to my personal style, as seen in my design choices for each room in our home. For example, our primary bedroom was designed to evoke the opulence of Rajasthan's palaces, with jewel-toned walls and intricate patterns that evoke the rich textiles of the region. The result is a space that feels like a luxurious retreat, one that invites relaxation and contemplation.

In many ways, my love for folk art has become an integral part of our home's personality. From the rustic orange tones in our guest bedroom to the hand-carved mirror from India in our bathroom, every design choice reflects my passion for preserving traditional art forms. Even our freestanding tub was a deliberate choice, as I wanted to create a sense of luxury and comfort that would make guests feel at home.

For me, collecting and sharing folk art has been a journey of discovery and connection. By bringing these beautiful pieces into our home, I've created a space that feels like a haven for those who share my passion. Whether it's a stunning piece of embroidery or an intricate wooden carvings, each artwork tells a story that speaks to the human experience – a testament to the power of art to bring us together and transcend borders.

**The Palaces of Rajasthan**

When designing our primary bedroom, I drew inspiration from the opulent palaces of Rajasthan. These majestic structures are renowned for their intricate stone carvings, vibrant textiles, and ornate patterns that reflect the rich cultural heritage of India's royal families. I wanted to capture this essence in my design choices, which is reflected in the artwork displayed throughout the room.

One of my favorite features of this space is a stunning painting done by an artist from Mumbai. This piece adds a touch of modernity to the room while still paying homage to traditional Indian art forms. By incorporating pieces that reflect both traditional and contemporary styles, I aimed to create a space that feels welcoming and inclusive – one that invites guests to explore the rich cultural tapestry of India.

**The Joy of Everyday Life**

While our home is certainly special, it's also just a place where we live and connect with each other. That's why I love having an extra hangout spot in our dining space – a sunny nook that feels like a little retreat. Here, I often spend my mornings sipping coffee and enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

This corner of our home is one of my favorite spots, too. The daybed reminds me of traditional Indian diwans, which are designed to be cozy and inviting. And the table that I dyed to make it look like bone inlay work? It's a beautiful touch that adds texture and interest to the space.

**The Power of Art**

For me, art has always been about more than just aesthetics – it's about connection, community, and preserving cultural heritage. By collecting and sharing folk art, I've created a space that feels like a haven for those who share my passion. Whether it's an intricate embroidery piece or an ornate wooden carving, each artwork tells a story that speaks to the human experience.

As I look around our home, I'm reminded of the power of art to bring us together and transcend borders. In a world that often feels fragmented and divided, it's more important than ever to celebrate our differences and find common ground through shared passions and interests. For me, collecting and sharing folk art has been a journey of discovery – one that continues to inspire and connect me with others around the world.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHi, I'm Atish and this is my handmade homeoutside of Washington, DC.So we were in the search for a larger home.As our family was growing, we really didn'thave anything particular in mind except forjust a little more space.And we actually saw quite a few homes.A lot of them, you know, all differentshapes and sizes.And really, when we walked in here and wesaw kind of just the amount of light that thehouse was getting, and it was really fromthe high ceilings, I think that just sold us.When I walked in, it was really bare whitewalls, builder grade paint never had beenpainted. I just needed to bring in color andneeded to bring in personality.And being our first home, I already had somany ideas of what I wanted to do.All design is kind of a work in progress, soI think over the first few years really kindof started coming together room by room.You know, my cultural background is a hugeinspiration for my home and what I want toshare. My family comes from the Gujaratstate in India.My parents immigrated over in the 70s and soa large part of my early childhood.I had spent summers going back to India tovisit the grandparents and our extendedfamily there, and just was absolutely drawninto the culture and the art that I would seearound me. And a lot of it was folk art,which was done, you know, by the people, forthe people, and would be on displayeverywhere and wanted to showcase it in adifferent context.One of the first areas that I knew we couldreally bring life to it was our sunroom.It had a lot of light, especially in theafternoon.My favorite part is this swing feature.Swings are a real traditional feature in alot of Indian homes, and it was somethingthat I grew up with on my trips backswinging with grandparents, and we sourced avendor in India that actually made theseswings with the hardware and was able to shipto the states. And so I kind of jumped onthat, not knowing how we're actually going toget it into the ceiling, but I knew thatwe'd figure it out somehow once we got itover. And I definitely wanted to make sureit had kind of the traditional brass chains,which, you know, are a little more ornatethan kind of your typical chains.It's been one of our favorite features ofthe home.Now, I just love that it kind of connects tomy childhood with the grandparents, you know,on the swing, and I'm just happy to be ableto create that feeling for our kids.Having these plants back here kind of justadds to the ambiance.You feel like you could be outdoors.We did put the Grasscloth wallpaper and Ithink it works really well in this room.Adds some texture.And again, just that natural element that Ithink really brings it all together.I do love color and little pieces.You know, this was originally just a naturalcane.So I did go ahead and paint it green.These are all antiques from from India.It's a milk container and a food storagecontainers.And you know, my grandmother had held on tosome of these things.So every trip I would take, I would actuallygo and, you know, take things from, fromthem. And, you know, my grandmother would belike, what are you going to do with this?This is, you know, meaningless for us here,you know?And but I knew that it just meant so much.And I just loved the craftsmanship and justthe stories that it would tell.This painting is really special because it'sdone in the art style, which is a fewcenturies old and especially in Rajasthan.But I wanted it to kind of feelcontemporary.So one of the reasons I love our sunroom isit's right off our kitchen, where we spendmost of our mornings and evenings.We started off with kind of light oakcabinets, so we did end up repainting themjust to kind of make them fresh again, tyingin the green from the sunroom, it's actuallythe same shade and it was leftover paintfrom the cabinet.Another favorite space of ours is the familyroom.Again, we get a lot of light in theafternoon, and I think it's everyone'sfavorite spot, especially in large groupsand getting together.So I definitely wanted to add color into itas well as personality.And so a lot of that comes from thecollectibles that I've collected over theyears, things that have been passed down tome and really kind of ties into my heritage.So coming over here, I wanted to createthese wall pieces.These are actually inspired by floor designsthat are done in front of the home in Indiaevery day using rice flour paste, because Iwanted to take that art, which normally getswashed away every day and really bring it upto the wall so that it's more permanentfeature. I like to bring in color but notoverdo it.And so this accent chair was perfect.Perfect. I love that shade of orange.Again, feels rooted and rustic.It really have kind of two influences thatcame together, and one is really kind of themid-century modern.And then the other is kind of thetraditional folk Indian art.You know, my parents emigrated from India tothe US in the 70s.And, you know, they were so eager to kind offurnish their home in the style of that erabecause they wanted it to feel modern, andthey were kind of moving away from theirtraditional roots.But at the same time, you know, my motherhad brought back artifacts and things she hadmade. And so our walls would be plasteredwith kind of art from India.But the furniture and everything was, youknow, completely to that era.And so along with that really came the colorpalette.My sense of color is that, you know, I loveit.But at the same time, I wanted to make sureI did it in a way that wasn't toooverstimulating. And so I just like, youknow, starting off kind of with the cleanslate, but then bringing it in, you know,with artwork and accessories, you know,cushions, some, some furniture, you know,the color is always, you know, make me happy.It's just something that I'm drawn tobrightens my mood.But then also kind of being surrounded by,you know, art that I've created makes it sopersonal. I love when, you know, we havepeople over and I can tell stories about, youknow, what inspired me to create certainpieces and then where I've collected certainthings from, I just love sharing about it.And that's how I actually ended up doingthat online.Over the years, people would come over whenthey would see kind of the work that was putinto the house. They always felt like morepeople needed to see this, or I would alwaysget told, you know, why aren't you blogging?Or, you know, putting this somewhere ordoing this for others.And so when the opportunity came, I sat downand started posting kind of images and justsome things that were really important to mein the home.And the thing that surprised me the most wasjust how much it resonated with other peopleonline. It was just a sense of community forpeople, you know, coming together that alsoappreciated the kind of art that I wascollecting and that I was curating andcreating folk art around the world.It's kind of a dying art, and I just love,you know, bringing it to life and bringing itto the present. You know, it comes from, youknow, centuries of tradition.And I just love bringing it to the presentand being able to share it with people thatmay just not know enough about it.And so that's kind of the best part.So for our dining space, this was the firsttime we were ever going to have kind of alarge dining area.So we started off with, you know, a bigtable.I'm most proud of this gallery wall, whichis a collection of the artwork I've collectedover the years. A lot of it is folk art fromIndia, along with pieces that I've madeinspired by that folk art.You know, we have these pieces that are madeto look like paintings that you would findon, you know, mud homes in India.This is embroidery that comes from Gujarat,where my family's from.And this was actually something that wasembroidered by my great grandmother.You know, here is what's considered kind ofour formal living space, but just ends upbeing an extra hangout.One of the things I do like to do is kind ofhighlight contemporary artists from SouthAsia and India. This is a painting done byan artist from Mumbai and try to also kind ofincorporate those pieces.And then I also try to add my own art to it.So here's a piece that I actually painted,again inspired by more contemporary art.So this is our guest bedroom.And as if my shirt didn't give it away.I love this color.That rustic orange just feels really earthyand grounded.So one of my favorite features of this roomis this mural featuring a tree of life, whichis a common motif seen in a lot of folk artin India.And this is done in the Madhubani style ofpainting, which comes from Northwest India.The room gets used by our relatives fromIndia as well as, you know, the in-laws andso really wanted to feel like home as wellfor them.So the inspiration for our primary bedroomwas really the palaces of Rajasthan.These are inspired by motifs that you wouldsee on woven saris that actually weave ingold and silver strands, and I love puttingit on kind of jewel tones up here.So this is another one of my favoritecorners in the house.Kind of love. Having this day bed kind ofreminds me of some of the diwans that youwould see in India.One of the things that I love in this corneris this table that I dyed to make it looklike bone inlay work, but instead it's justpaint using stencils.Again, taking inspiration from the palaces,wanting to create the illusion of a windowpattern, you know, at the same time wantingto keep it subtle.So it's just a light white wash here.And carried that over to this wall as well.And then a few smaller windows on the side.So this is our primary bathroom and ourlatest renovation project.And I think what really makes this specialis the wallpaper, which is inspired by apainting which comes from Rajasthan, India.It just brightens our day when we walk intothat bathroom.Now in the morning, you know, it was a longtime coming.We waited years to kind of redo this spaceand wanted to do it right, and I couldn't behappier with how it turned out.So part of the renovation was that weactually had a built in Jacuzzi buildergrade, and swapping it out for thisfreestanding tub has been great.Not only did it give us more space, but Ithink it just looks so much better.So this mirror I actually had a year beforewe even started this space.It's a hand-carved mirror from India, and Iknew it would be perfect for this wall.On this side.My favorite feature has to be these sconces,which I find so unique and carry kind of the.Onion dome shape.When people come over, the first thing theynotice is, of course, the sunroom with theswing. And for people that come from similarbackground that also spent time in India, youknow, it just brings them back instantly tothat time of their life.Subscribe to HGTV for more tours like this.\n"