Choose your own narrative, and home decor label Kye will transfer it on a cushion cover, bag or even a pair of shoes, just for you

Choose your own narrative, and home decor label Kye will transfer it on a cushion cover, bag or even a pair of shoes, just for you

In a sea of pop art-inspiredu00a0 prints and graphics splashed over home decor and accessories, how is Kye different, you may ask? For starters, this Bangalore-based label steers clear of popular designs and motifs.
Instead, it paints whimsical, personal stories on their wide range of cushion covers, bedspreads, quilts, canvas shoes, bags, stoles, curtains and wall art. "Every piece depicts a slice of the client's personal story, which I nurture and turn into art," says Kalyani Ganapathy, owner of Kye.

Kalyani Ganapathy designs customised home decor artefacts depicting
personal narratives. pic/ Satish Badiger

The hand at work
Kye (means hand in almost all South Indian languages) is a two year-old label that specialises in hand-made home accessories. Kalyani, who calls Delhi and Ooty her home, relocated to Bangalore a decade ago to pursue a course in advertising and graphic design at Wigan and Leigh College. After working as a graphic designer for a few years, she gave it up due to personal reasons.

"I'd spend my time painting on cloth at home, and wanted to do more with the painting than framing it on walls," she says. The idea gradually metamorphosed into creating original artworks for clients depicting their personal stories on home furnishings and accessories. Kalyani admits that she is largely a self-taught artist except for some training in college that gave her insights on composition and colour.

Her style of painting is more akin to free-style doodling. Whether it's her memory of a trip to Kerala that's now been transferred onto wall art, or a pair of Kolhapuri chappal-shod feet screen-printed on a cushion -- every product reflects personal experiences. "A book I have read, the changing seasons or even my old sketchbooks serve as inspiration," she says.

Monsoon captured on a cushion
While Kalyani hand paints each of her designs, her mother helps out with embroidery work. Her latest collection is called Monsoon Struck, and depicts birds, bees, hands cuddling a cushion or someone snuggling under a quilt.

When a client calls or emails their request, Kalyani finds out if they already have a theme or narrative in mind. She brainstorms on how she plans to take the idea forward and the choice of fabrics, texture and embroidery are decided upon. Once the ideation is out of the way, the actual designing begins. Since everything is handmade, orders take a minimum of three weeks to complete.

In case you don't have a theme in mind, log on to their website and have a look at the collections section.

Call 09844701009
E-mail writetokye@gmail.com
Log on to https://www.surfkye.com/
Prices exclude shipping charges.