OUR STORY
Face behind Casa de Korah
Hi - I'm Nikita, and welcome to my small shop!
I inherited a love for handcrafted textiles from my mother. Growing up in India, she introduced me to the world of beautiful ethnic Indian fabrics. Back then, artisan traders would travel every month from their villages, and peddle their wares door-to-door in the city we lived in. Whenever they passed by our house, my mother would invite them in, give them refreshments, and with me by her side proceed to eagerly look through one-by-one the intricate embroidered home textiles they carried in their large bags. While she did that, she'd also ask them about their lives, their families, their struggles. As they'd narrate their stories, we'd always sense the pride they took in their craft, usually learned from their parents or grandparents and therefore a matter of familial honor.
My mother had an eye for good design but also a big heart, so she'd always make sure their time was well spent. The peddlers left not just with some money that helped them put food on the table for their families, but also the affirmation from meeting someone who truly appreciated their craft. And in turn, our home too was enriched by their art in every room, colored by the stories of the artisans we had bought them from.
Over the next 2 decades, a lot happened, a lot changed. I lost my mom to cancer when I was 12, and later my father, two sisters and I decided to move to the US. The next few years were a blur… adjusting and adapting to a new country and new environment. I graduated from college, worked as a Research & Development Biomedical Engineer for a couple of Fortune 500 companies in southern California, got married to a wonderful man and had two kids.
It was only after we bought our first house that my enchantment for authentic Indian textiles re-awakened. At first, I was decorating my house with machine made home goods that I bought from big box retailers. While they were all quite pretty, I couldn't help but think that they lacked character… something we never felt in my mom's home. And so I slowly began to looks for pieces that were unique, artisanal yet modern.
This process of exploration and discovery gave me fresh appreciation for the incredible richness and versatility of ethnic Indian textiles, and how well it complements the modern aesthetic. I came to be convinced that the perfect modern home is one that seamlessly weaves eastern and western design together to create spaces that better reflects the world we live in, and the harmony we wish to create within.
And thus Casa de Korah was born. This small shop is my attempt to design unique and custom pieces for the modern timeless home, using a variety of Indian textiles that smoothly blends east-west elements. We work directly with a carefully curated selection of artisans and artisan coops all over India. This enables us to not only ensure fair pay and sustained support for our high quality artisans, but also make our products more affordable. We source textiles from all four corners and all design traditions in India, always with an eye on how they can be unified with the latest modern trends.
But Casa de Korah is about more than just good design. In the same way my mother made a difference to those artisans years ago, I want Case de Korah to make a difference to the communities it engages. Our products will tell tales about the glorious past, but also create stories for the future. We are committed to donating a portion of our profits to important causes all over the world, and thereby commit ourselves, our products, and our buyer community to making an impact on the world. There's nothing that excites me more!
Thank you for stopping by and reading about Casa de Korah! Happy shopping!
With love,
