With her all-new debut retail space, Astha Khetan has got it just right. The House of things Gallery in Udaipur is the first physical space of more than 200 collectables that Astha has meticulously curated over the years. Boxed on a digital platform before this, the excellent design curation finally has a home now and what a home that is—a stunning 25,000-square-foot immersive space within a larger 65,000-square-foot facility that beautifully blends superior design and art. Although Astha opened the gallery just last weekend, she took out some time to share insights with us about how she brought this vision to life.
Why did you choose Udaipur as your first gallery space? It’s a beautiful location rich in culture and history, but what specifically influenced your decision?
One of the key reasons for choosing Udaipur is its cultural and historical significance—it's my home ground where I started my business. Launching a gallery of this scale in Udaipur felt like the right first step. I don’t think I could have tackled such a significant challenge in larger cities like Delhi or Bombay, where the stakes are higher, and mistakes could be more costly. Udaipur allowed me to take baby steps into the retail space and learn from my experiences along the way.
Additionally, with our private label manufacturing based in Udaipur, it’s an ideal location that attracts visitors from all over the country. It’s not a place lacking in foot traffic, which is reassuring for a new venture. Everything about Udaipur seemed perfectly aligned for this project, from the luxury of the space we have to the freedom to experiment with our offerings. It all made perfect sense.
What were your initial thoughts regarding the design of the space? What specific aesthetics were you aiming for?
The inspiration behind starting the gallery was to create a platform that truly brings design to life, functioning as a mood board. While we showcase beautiful designs on online platforms like The House of Things, my main goal was to create a physical space that reflects various styles. In our gallery, each corner is designed to look distinct, catering to different tastes and appealing to a diverse audience. Since we feature over 200 brands, each with its unique aesthetic, it wouldn't be fair to define a single style for the entire gallery. Instead, we curate different brands within specific spaces, each with its own aesthetic. For instance, one area of the gallery is designed as a gentleman's den, which has a more masculine feel. On the other hand, we have a Pichwai Room that leans more feminine alongside a safari room that appeals to both audiences. Additionally, there’s a space adorned with lovely powder blue wallpaper, which is more traditionally feminine. We aim to cater to all preferences and create a welcoming environment for everyone.
When you were curating—since you’re really great at it and have a talent for putting things together—did you approach the gallery differently this time?
So I would say I always cater to pieces or curate pieces which are, you know, timeless and classic. I'm not sure if that's a positive, but I don't go very edgy on design. So for me, things need to work for every home. Of course, the colour finishes, et cetera, can change, and which is what we do offer at the website and our gallery now. But in general, pieces that are more timeless than trendy are, I would say, the backbone of my curation is what I would say. Of course, pieces that, you know, cause excitement and talk about quality, that's the other point. Having said that, I think these would be the two most important backbones of my curation.
I think one of the reasons I collaborated with Feroz for this newest edit that we are going to drop soon on The House of Things is because Feroz is very edgy in her aesthetic. She uses fine green and hot pink, which I don't think as The House of Things, we would have ever been able to pull off. So, you know, the idea is whatever you can't do, you collaborate with people who bring, you know, their visions to life in a way that you can never. I think that's the power of collaboration and working with different creatives across interiors and fashion nowadays.
Can you tell me a little bit about the Pichwai house since it is so close to your heart?
Growing up in Udaipur, surrounded by wonderful artists, I developed a close connection to Pichwai art. Unfortunately, while its popularity has grown, this has also led to a dilution of the art form. Many artists need to earn a living, and while not everything has to be a collectible, finding truly exceptional quality Pichwais has become increasingly rare. In our Pichwai room, one of our main focuses was to curate and collaborate with local artists to highlight the finer techniques within this tradition. We worked with some talented older artists from Nathdwara and two fantastic miniature artists from Jaisalmer. Mahavir Swami and Shabni Bandhu Sharma, based in Jaipur, created paintings for us that capture the authenticity and quality of the Pichwai tradition. This room is very close to my heart, and I believe it has become one of the more popular features of the gallery.
Since you’ve completed ten years, can you talk about the evolution of The House of Things in the process?
It has been an interesting journey. When we first started out ten years ago, my focus was on collectable design—very high-end and specific pieces. However, after about five or six months, I realized that nobody was buying anything in India at that time. Online shopping for interiors was just beginning to gain traction, and it became clear to me that we were ahead of our time. I remember our website had around 200 amazing products from talented artists, including some collectables from M. Mozart, yet we only made one sale in three months. I was devastated and considered shutting down the business, thinking it wasn't the right market for us. Thankfully, with the support of my family and friends, I decided to persevere and evolve.
We shifted our strategy to include more affordable designs—luxury, but at a more accessible price point. This led to our foray into furniture and launching our private label. The market has guided us in this journey. Our focus remains on good design, well-crafted products, art, and collectables. While we still offer some high-end pieces, we've learned that it's the well-designed products at a sweet price point that truly resonate with the Indian market. And now we have a good pulse on that.
It'd be interesting for us to explore your personal space and how you have done it up.
I would love to! It's funny because I live with three boys, and several magazines have approached me to cover the house, especially since I’ve finally decided to build one. Right now, it feels like a frat house, living with university boys. I would definitely be interested in sharing my space. I have collected art over the years, but I’ve had to put it in storage because the boys prefer to keep their things out, wanting to feel comfortable in the house. However, I’d be happy to give a sneak peek of my collection, which could make for an interesting story.
And where do you go from here?
One thing that is clear in our vision for the gallery is that we aim to support emerging talent and promote design discourse. We want to reach a wide audience and present new ideas and creations in a single location. To achieve this, we will host numerous collaborative events to showcase new artists, including smaller dinners. While we plan to have a major annual event, we will also organize more intimate gatherings focused on collection drops for around 20 to 30 people. You can expect to see a lot of these events happening.
Words Hansika Lohani
Date 12.03.2025