Coming home to creativity

India has a variety of textiles and textile designs – from the Warli motifs of Maharashtra to the colourful Madhubani works of Bihar – that give it a rainbow-shaded hue. These designs and textures are what inspired Poonam Sehrawat to launch her newborn start-up, ‘IndiSplash’.

She makes radiant and picturesque home decor, all inspired from the various textiles and designs of the country. “I used to work in clothes exporting and have a history of fashion designing. I have always found the designs on textiles fascinating, so I tried to replicate that with paint. This began as a hobby initially but has now turned into my full-time job,” says Poonam. She gave up her career because her German Shepherd fell ill and needed a nanny. “I couldn’t work and take care of our dog at the same time. This is when I started painting lamps. In school, I was interested in painting but didn’t pursue it after that. Now, it has become my passion!” she adds.  

Although she started off with lamps, now she has branched out into other home decor items, including tissue holder, vases, lamps, coasters, frames, trays and trivets. “It has been a year and a half since I started this venture. I used to make things for my friends and they suggested I take things a step further and sell the items. Since I have a background in textiles, it made the job easier,” she says.

She paints the items just as the designs are, while adding her own creativity to it at the same time. But her love for textiles extends past her products. “I like to collect textiles from all over India – there are so many of them! Right now, I lack the works from North-East India but have everything else from the north to south.”

This is why she named the start-up ‘IndiSplash’. “I wanted the name to have something Indian about it; to reflect the cultural and artistic diversity of the country. I had a few other names but they weren’t available so I narrowed down on this,” she says.
Poonam works for almost seven to eight hours a day and says she can’t stay without doing some artwork. “I want to make things that are of everyday usability.” While most people venture into fashion items, she says she wants to concentrate on one thing and give it her best.

She says she is like a “kid in a candy store” when she goes shopping for material. “I mainly use acrylic paints and when I go shopping for them, I’m like a kid in a candy store. I usually get a digital copy of the designs I create before sketching them out.”
Through ‘IndiSplash’, she is attempting to add a little vibrancy and richness to home decor.