I love the diversity we are seeing in décor this year. From minimalistic chic to over-the-top details, 2017 is shaping up to be the year where everything goes, so long as it tells a story. In fact, the story of a piece is becoming as important as its aesthetic appeal. We are seeing a resurgence of artisanal focus to bring designs that matter into our homes, not just locally, but also on a global level.

Anara Design Company is a home and lifestyle brand that marries modernity and tradition, bringing textiles and housewares to Vancouver that are inspired by fashion, yet speak to the importance of environmental responsibility. Founded by Manjot Bains and Johanna Robertson, Anara unites the organic with the luxurious, resulting in refined, sustainably made textiles and home décor handcrafted in India.

The brand offers a unique multi-faceted approach to bringing its products to market, with a private label line of textiles and an additional, curated collection of home and fashion accessories from Rajasthan. “Our private label of bedding and textiles is designed in-house and complemented by responsibly made homewares and jewelry, created by artisans, designers and architects in India,” the duo writes, by email. “Each product we create, curate or collaborate on has a remarkable story with the well-being of our planet in mind.”

It is this focus on what we can learn from one another as global citizens that makes the story of each piece so unique.

For their custom line of textiles, including quilts, throws, pillows and baby swaddles, Bains and Robertson collaborated with artisanal cooperatives in India to pay homage to their traditional methods of plant-based fabric dyeing and block printing design‚ in some cases embracing five generations of knowledge. But, with neutral colours and tone-on-tone textiles, the range is also understated, satisfying our local draw to simplistic, minimalist style.

Meanwhile, the line is a way to support local artists and choose high-quality artisanal goods, just by shopping for basics.

The designs begin in the Anara studio in Crosstown and lead Bains and Robertson to India, where they are hands on with the sampling, prototyping and testing of each piece. In addition to a beautiful range of neutrals, consumers can expect some more traditional plant-based colourways like indigo and rust red. Anara has also introduced a few pops of vibrant colours (think lemon yellow) to their textiles for a modern twist to their small-batch production.