7 Sustainable Home Decor Brands to Furnish Your House or Bnb Creatively.

Since we left Goa for Himachal earlier this year, life has been a rollercoaster.

After three blissful months at our dream homestay in the mountains, we unexpectedly got kicked out. A dreamy piece of land we *almost* took a long lease on didn’t pan out. Our search for a longer term abode left us with two choices: Pay through our nose to stay at a creatively furnished Bnb, or find an affordable longer term rental and furnish it ourselves.

You’ve read in my last post that I have very mixed feelings about signing a one year rent agreement. But in the process, I’ve learnt so much about minimal design and sustainable home furnishings. All the research led me to discovering (and collaborating with) some incredible, homegrown, artisan-first, women-led, eco-friendly and/or zero waste Indian brands:

1. Woody grass

Handcrafted bamboo furniture, small mirrors and homeware, delivered in zero waste packaging

When I first spoke to Deepa, the co-founder of Woody Grass, over the phone, it sounded like our values aligned so closely that our paths were meant to cross. After learning about the damage fast fashion was doing to the planet, she quit her 20 year long career in corporate retail, travelled through rural Konkan, and decided to work with bamboo artisans to craft contemporary, ethical home décor.

Packaged in old newspaper and used cartons, I was delighted to receive their incredible bamboo lamps, planters and small mirrors, made by artisans in Northeast India and Maharashtra. Bamboo, technically a grass, grows faster than trees and is versatile enough to be moulded into the wide range of products offered by Woodygrass – eco friendly furniture, fruit trays, organizers and other essentials that would also make for great gifts. In turn, Woodygrass also supports the regeneration of bamboo plantations through their Bamboo Guardian Program.

Love it for:

• Creative products handmade by local artisans
• Zero waste packaging using old newspaper and used cartons

How to get their products:

• Website
• Instagram: @woodygrass  

2. Amouve

Organic cotton bedsheets, kapok pillows and wool-free blankets, shipped in waste-free packaging

When we started our search for natural home goods to furnish our living space, my biggest concern was finding wool-free and down-free blankets that could keep us warm on cold Himachal nights. As someone who has followed a vegan lifestyle for over 8 years and visited a wool-shearing facility in southern Africa, I knew I didn’t want to participate in the exploitation animals are subjected to, to obtain wool and down feathers.

So it was a great relief to stumble upon Amouve – a homegrown, female-led startup that is committed to making the time we spend in bed, luxurious and chemical-free! The founder, Ami Sata, found her inspiration while travelling in Sweden. She loved the soft bedsheets she used, and traced the origin of their organic cotton back to India! She learnt that India’s cotton farmers are riddled with GMO debt and exposed to harmful pesticides – and we spend a third of our lives wrapped up in chemical-laden sheets and blankets. With Amouve, she committed to creating a range of organic cotton bedsheets, blankets and comforters, Kapok mattresses and pillows, and softener-free organic towels.

I’m in love with their soft organic cotton bedsheets and kapok pillows (made from a natural tree-grown fibre) – and was pleasantly surprised that their light-weight waffle and customized flannel blankets (both made with organic cotton) kept us incredibly cozy on cold winter nights! The long staple organic cotton is sourced from farmer cooperatives, and the packaging is all zero waste.

Love it for:

• 100% organic and plant-based bedding and bath products
• Wool-free, down-free, light weight, organic, incredibly warm blankets!
• Zero waste packaging

What could be better:

• The towels (low GSM), though soft and absorbent, still lint

How to get their products:

• Website
• Instagram: @amouve_bedding

3. Fermoscapes

Date palm planters and kauna grass baskets made by rural artisans, shipped in zero waste packaging

As we filled our minimalist space with plants from an organic local nursery, I must confess I became a bit obsessed with Fermoscapes’ handcrafted date palm and sabai grass planters. The pots snuggled so comfortably into the planters, and added such a calming effect to my workspace. And I loved that they were delivered in zero waste, recycled packaging!

Fermoscapes was born during the pandemic, when the founder Saumya Ranjan Sahoo first started working with skilled artisans from his home state, Odisha. In the years since, their network has grown to 300+ artisans in 4 states – and their product portfolio has grown to include kuana grass baskets, sabai grass planters, banana fibre laptop bags and sustainable wall decor.

Love it for:

• Stunning, natural, eco friendly home interior design products
• Fair pay to local artisans
• Zero waste packaging

How to get their products:

• Website
• Instagram: @fermoscapes

4. Sirohi

Upcycled furniture, mirrors and organizers, crafted by rural women artisans

I first met Gauri Malik, the founder of Sirohi, over a decade ago in Delhi. She was working on solar electrification and community-based tourism in a rural community back then, and I was starting my journey as a travel blogger. We lost touch over the years as each of us chased our own passions, but I was delighted to reconnect recently and learn about her social enterprise – Sirohi.

Sirohi merges traditional crafts skills in Muzaffarnagar with sustainable home décor ideas. Their stunning high stools and laptop tables feature recycled materials like plastic waste and cotton ropes. One of our study rooms is now home to a life-size Sirohi mirror, made with acacia wood, upcycled plastic, jute and cotton macrame ropes – and I can’t stop admiring it.

Love it for:

• Creating alternate livelihoods for rural women artisans
• Preserving traditional craft skills
• Partially recycled home decor

What could be better:

• Alternative to single-use plastic packaging
• Transparency in wood sourcing

How to get their products:

• Website
• Instagram: @sirohi.in

5. Amala Earth

Upcycled yoga mats, organic cushion covers and eco friendly decoration in zero plastic packaging

I sorely miss having a zero waste store to buy groceries in Himachal, and hate when things I order on Amazon come wrapped in layers of plastic. So I was truly delighted to find a whole range of eco-friendly houseware on Amala Earth – an online zero waste store that aggregates small, artisan-first, eco-friendly startups from across the country, and helps keep our individual carbon footprint low. It caters to a wide range of budgets and delivers everything in creative plastic-free packaging!

Founded by Gunjan Jindal Poddar, who first embarked on her entrepreneurial journey at age 22, the inspiration for Amala Earth comes from ‘Amala Consciousness’ – the highest form of purity in Buddhism. With the dream of creating a world driven by mindful consumption, the store focuses on sustainable materials that are natural, biodegradable, recyclable, compostable, reusable and/or locally sourced.

Our space has lots of little things that I found on Amala Earth – recycled yoga mats, a handy laptop table, organic cotton cushion covers, coconut shell smoothie bowls, and my favorite, a creative bamboo holder for my bamboo toothbrush!

Love it for:

• Aggregating lots of small, eco-friendly, artisan-first brands that are otherwise hard to find
• Zero waste packaging for everything, including small mirrors

What could be better:

• The website is a big disorganized and search not very effective
• Lack of transparency in wood sourcing for products made of wood

How to get their products:

• Website
• Instagram: @amala.earth

6. Oorjaa

Artisanal lamps and sustainable home lighting

I got a bit obsessed with Oorjaa’s artistic banana fibre paper lamps when someone sent me a link to their Instagram account during my research. The founder, Jenny Pinto, accidentally discovered paper making over 25 years ago and started one of India’s first artisanal paper studios. When she became a mother, she began questioning the kind of world she wanted to create for her kid. That led to the fusion of her two passions – waste and handmade – and her attempt to create spaces that “glow from within.”

I feel lucky to have Oorjaa’s crushed banana fibre paper lamps (Enzo Crushed Table Lamp) in my work room, reminding me to create stories that like the lamp, glow from within. Their lighting collection includes wall, ceiling and table lamps, crafted from upcycled cork, the invasive lantana weed and other natural materials, typically mounted or supported by teak wood.

Love it for:

• Innovative lighting made largely with natural materials

What could be better:

• Using alternatives to single-use plastic packaging
• Transparency in wood sourcing

How to get their products:

• Website:
• Instagram: @oorjaadesign
• The Purple Turtle stores in Bangalore (Indiranagar), Chennai (Amethyst) and Hyderabad (Jubilee Hills)

7. IVEI (I Value Every Idea)

Artisan-made white boards, pin boards and workspace essentials

When IVEI first reached out to me to introduce their artisan-centric work, I made a mental note that if I ever get my own long-ish term space, their white board will definitely belong in it. It’s the one thing I miss about not working from an office – having a white board to brainstorm the hundred ideas always running through my head!

The founder, Navya Agarwal, first began working with rural artisans as part of a final year design project at age 23. She was surprised by the skill and expertise of the local carpenters in creating miniature mockups of her designs, and knew then that this is the space she wanted to work in. IVEI was born in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, as a collaboration between Navya’s designs and 4 traditional rural artisans – and has grown to 50 artisans in just a few years.

I’ve been scribbling notes to self, poetry and new ideas on my whiteboard every day. IVEI’s workspace collection also includes handcrafted organizers, calendars and combination boards – all made with the wood of fast-growing poplar trees, mostly planted in India as part of agro-forestry.

Love it for:

• Innovative, artisan-first workspace products

What could be better:

• Using alternatives to single-use plastic packaging
• Efforts to regenerate poplar plantations from where the wood is sourced

How to get their products:

• Website
• Instagram: @ivalueeveryidea

Do you dream of building your own sustainable house or Bnb?

*Note: This post contains a mix of collaborations and purchases, but as always, I only recommend brands I genuinely love and believe in.

Also read:

Shop at These Zero Waste Stores in India to Cut Your Plastic Footprint

The Ultimate Guide to Sustainable Fashion in India

Why I Switched to a Menstrual Cup – and How You Can Too