Decorative & Festive Accents
We bring traditional Indian crafts into the modern home. Our collection of lamps, festive ornaments, and heritage dolls are all handcrafted from sustainable wood and finished with natural, non-toxic dyes.
Bring a spark of life and color into your home with our gorgeous handcrafted 'Villakku' lamps. A perfect combination of traditional design and contemporary colors, it's a classic accent for any Indian home and a great gift.
It's always exciting to see the potential of the Channapatna craft. With a touch of design, a simple piece of wood transforms into one of our most popular objects, the 'Villakku' lamp, a symbol of auspiciousness.
Our decorative 'Villakkus' have become such a favorite return gift for special occasions that we had to make them in two sizes. They are a beautiful representation of the Channapatna craft.
This video shows the making of our 'Bloom Lamp'. The Channapatna craft is a collective effort, with several artisans involved in creating a single design, showcasing the skill and precision of our team.
Who would have thought that the classic 'Khann' fabric from Maharashtra would pair so beautifully with our Channapatna wooden bases to create this compact and classic table lamp?
The fiery spirit of Kerala's Theyyam meets the finesse of Channapatna craft in our bauble-head and stacking dolls. Handcrafted in bold hues with natural dyes, each doll is a miniature celebration of tradition.
Our colorful and cute bobble-headed Theyyam dolls were a big hit at a recent exhibition. They are a mini version of our popular stackable Theyyam dolls, created by our artisan Dilip and his team.
About this collection
When you hold one of our handcrafted lamps, notice the weight and the finish. Unlike mass-produced decor, these pieces are made from sustainable medicinal Aale Mara wood. We use traditional hand-lathe techniques and natural vegetable dyes, which means the colours are safe, non-toxic, and age beautifully rather than fading like synthetic paints.
Our festive accents are born from a desire to keep tradition relevant in contemporary spaces. Take our 'Villakku' lamps; they are not just light fixtures but a bridge between the traditional lamp and modern design sensibilities. We have adapted the 200-year-old Channapatna lac-turnery technique, where artisans like Hameed and Dilip work together—one carving the wood, another applying the natural lac colours to create the vibrant, glossy finish you see.
We love telling stories through our objects. Our 'Tenshi Kogo' dolls, for instance, are a tribute to the historical Japanese influence on Channapatna craft, a link dating back to the time of the Wodeyars. Similarly, our Theyyam-inspired dolls bring the fiery, rhythmic spirit of Kerala into your living room through bold vermillion and sunset orange hues.
Whether it is our whimsical Christmas tree ornaments or the 'Haldi Kumkum' boxes—topped with the iconic parrot, a symbol of auspiciousness—every piece is built to be a keepsake. We avoid plastics and synthetic varnishes entirely, relying on the natural properties of medicinal wood. When you bring one of these pieces home, you are not just decorating a shelf; you are supporting a community of artisans who are choosing to keep this craft alive against all odds.
Varnam Craft Collective
I started Varnam because I wanted design that whispers rather than shouts. My team and I work closely with artisans in Channapatna to reimagine traditional forms for the modern home. When you pick up a piece here, you are not just buying decor; you are supporting a legacy of craft that Hameed and Pallavi are keeping alive with every turn of their lathe.
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