This Single Piece of Living Room Decor Helps Me Celebrate My South Asian Roots at Home

I like to say I’m a first-and-a-half generation American; my grandparents were the ones to immigrate from India on my mom’s side, and my dad immigrated as a kid.

Growing up, I was always one of very few students with a South Asian background, and always struggled to find a balance between family traditions and fitting in while not drawing too much attention to the differences between me and everyone else.

I learned to push down the Indian side of my identity, and it wasn’t until losing my grandparents and entering my early twenties that I started to crave connection to my culture.

Aside from learning family recipes and getting cozy with classic Bollywood films after work, one of the main ways I rebuild that connection is by curating a home that reflects who I am. Through my apartment decorating journey, I’ve found a Desi home brand that does that perfectly—and fallen especially in love with one of their pieces.

The Perfect Fusion Piece

Allow me to introduce you to the Fauna Suzani Cushion Cover in Ivory: one of my all-time favorite pieces of home decor.

Hand-made by artisans in India, this is the dream statement throw pillow for a minimalist. It features a tone-on-tone look that’s always trending in Western interior design, with stunning yet subtle shapes and motifs traditionally seen in more colorful versions of the Suzani embroidery technique.

I’m Indian and my husband is British, and this piece feels like the perfect blend of both of us: colors I love on a piece reminiscent of the quilts I’d nestle into as a child, and birds and florals that act as a nod to his love for nature and career as a river conservation officer.

In terms of pairing with the rest of our decor, I adore how the beige and cream hues bring out the warmth in the wall paint color and the lighter tones from our brown, beige, and blue area rug. And although the pillow is made of a canvas-like material, it’s surprisingly soft and comfortable to cuddle up with.

When we eventually move into a bigger home with a guest bedroom, I plan to get a second cover to style on the bed. For now, this cushion sits front and center in the living room. It’s one of the first things you see when you enter our apartment, and just like I’ve learned to, it tells anyone who visits that our space is South Asian and proud of it.

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Behind the Design

As an adult in my own space, I look for pieces that blend my love for neutral tones and Japandi-inspired design, while also bringing a sense of comfort by honoring my roots. Most of the pieces in my grandparents’ homes were too vibrant for my taste, and didn’t quite capture the duality of Indian and Western cultures I feel.

Soni Mehra, founder of South Asian decor brand Marble Lotus, felt the exact same way—which is how the brand (and my favorite cushion) was born.

“Marble Lotus officially began when I was decorating my home, and in search of pieces that reflected my Indian-American identity,” she says. “The design world had plenty to offer: Scandinavian minimalism, Japanese wabi-sabi, and Bauhaus geometry. But when it came to South Asian design? The story usually ended at ‘boho’, with very little nuance or depth.”

The brand is known for its modern take on traditional techniques and materials seen in South Asian home decor. The Suzani collection features hand-embroidered cushion covers, floor poufs, and throw blankets in navy blue, earthy rust or green, and my personal choice, ivory.

“The ivory adds balance to a room, and the delicate fauna-themed embroidery helps accentuate the pillow in a subtle but beautiful way,” Mehra says. “It can work in any space, whether your style is more minimalist or maximalist, as the embroidery is the star of the piece.”

5 Other Ways I’ll Be Embracing Culture at Home

Cushions aside, there are a couple other ways I currently embrace my Indian culture through home decor choices—and plenty more I plan to do, now that we’ve moved into a new apartment.

• Opting for furniture made from materials seen in South Asian homes and architecture, like marble and brass, throughout our apartment.
• Storing spices in a masala dabba, selecting and styling Indian cookbooks in our kitchen, and incorporating traditionally-inspired tools and utensils as decor items—for example, a marble mortar and pestle.
• Burning incense and finding candles, reed diffusers, and other home fragrances that incorporate comforting cultural scent notes, such as jasmine, sandalwood, saffron, and cardamom.
• Using wallpaper samples in neutral versions of Indian patterns and motifs as a backing for framed photos.
• Shopping from South Asian-founded home brands like Marble Lotus, Our Place, and Byredo.