Why Vaarsa London: My Journey of Finding Belonging in the Craft
Have you ever wondered how your home reflects who you are? I think about this a lot, and that is why I created Vaarsa London.
Vaarsa London is a home and lifestyle brand offering unique and curated homewares, decor, and lifestyle goods that elevate everyday living for modern London homes. Each piece is handcrafted by skilled artisans from India and handpicked for its craftsmanship, story, and uniqueness. To explore our collection, please visit www.vaarsalondon.com.
How it began...
I was 10 years old when I learned how to decorate a piece of fabric using hand embroidery. I didn’t even know my mother had this skill until she taught me for a school competition that I ended up winning. It’s my first memory of creating something meaningful that was widely acknowledged an celebrated.
That feeling stayed with me, even though my life didn’t exactly follow a creative path untill recently. Practicality won out and I chose engineering over design for my undergraduate degree. This led to pursue a corporate career in management consulting, leading to my relocation to the U.S. for business school. Creativity did take a backset but never left me—through stage plays in college, dance classes over weekends, and fine arts and pottery indulgences after work, it kept finding its moments.
It was my home that ultimately became my favorite canvas. From selecting the perfect vase to mixing and matching patterned linens, I enjoyed the process of detailing every corner and channeled my love for fine craftsmanship into crafting spaces with meaningful objects that resonated with me nad helped me make a homely and welcoming ambience for my guests. It wasn’t just about decorating—it was how I expressed myself in a world that often felt rigid.
Sense of Belonging
Seven years ago, I packed my bags and left my home in India for a fresh start in the U.S. It was exciting and I loved the new experiences - the pastel palette, the seasonality of home decor, the subtlety of colors and patterns - all intrigued me. But it didn’t take long for me to miss the familiarity of the culture I grew up in. I longed for the small reminders of where I came from and often find myself seeking representation of my old world in my new life.
My passion for crafting meaningful spaces helped me overcome this home sickness. Every time I visited India, I found myself collecting something meaningful—a piece of art, a handmade object, a reminder of my roots. With each return, I’d incorporate these treasures into my new space abroad, filling the gaps with things that connected me to home.
Eventually, I stopped living between two worlds and could embrace and enjoy the cozy comfort of both - the life I was born into and the life I was building. It was in these cozy corners that blended my modern living and my heritage and traditions, that I discovered my own narrative of home. The representation, comfort, and belonging I had been seeking in the outside world, I found it in my own living space. No wonder they always say: CHANGE BEGINS AT HOME!
The spark of an idea
When friends and family visited and appreciated my living space, I started opening up about my journey of finding a sense of belonging through my home. I soon realized I wasn’t alone. Many people—whether they had recently migrated or generations ago—craved more ways to connect with and showcase their pride in their heritage. Many others valued craftsmanship and culture that defines South Asia as a region, but didn’t know how to bring them into their homes. The barriers were clear—lack of access to authentic pieces, the time it took to curate them, or the high costs of acquiring these goods abroad.
That’s where the seed of Vaarsa was planted. I wanted to bridge these gaps and offer beautiful, handcrafted goods to those who sought them, no matter where they chose to live around the world.
Purpose and Inspiration
When I shared this idea with my mom, she simply asked, “Why aren’t you doing this already?” It was a question that made me pause and reflect on why was I not doing this? I think I needed to understand why I would do this and where. Fortunately, I found it soon.
I recently started dabbling in pottery—a practice that deepened my understanding of the artisanal community. I saw the joys artisans I worked with experienced in their craft, but also the challenges they faced in building a thriving sustainable business around craftsmanship. I never realized how deep our obsession with perfection and fast delivery has penetrated due to the rise of ecommerce and machine-made products, making the handcrafted industry quite endangered. It’s more important than ever to shift our mindset from mass production to appreciating the beauty and value of handmade goods - they are better for your, they are better for the planet!
India, my homeland, is rich with craftsmen and craftsmanship that are struggling because of this. As I thought more about the idea of building this business, my purpose became clear—this was an opportunity to give back to the communities whose pieces helped me feel at home away from home, an opportunity to give back to India, soemthing I always wanted since moving abroad.
It was as if the universe was as determined to make this happen as I was. My husband’s work relocated us to London and London set everything in motion. The vibrant mix of cultures and lifestyles, the openness to sharing and listening to origin stories, the love for functional beauty and owning one's individual style, the thriving South Asian diaspora— so connected to their heritage and eager to embrace more —immediately inspired me to contribute in bringing more of the south Asian awesomeness to the western world.
Vaarsa London was formed
Whats in the name you say? For me, it was the final piece of the puzzle.
The name "Vaarsa" or "Varasa" comes from the Marathi language (regional dialect in India) and translates to “heritage” and “inheritance” in English. I heard it from a friend and instantly fell in love with it. It not only sounded beautiful, it also perfectly captured what this journey means to me and what I seek to celebrate through my brand - my indian heritage and inheritance from my mother - her keen eye for craftsmanship and her skill of making any house a home. She is at the heart of everything I create, and this is my homage to the heritage she passed down to me.
And London? Because it is where all the pieces came together. No other city blends tradition and modernity like London does. It represents and celebrates possibilities, culture, and craftsmanship. It gave my love for craft a direction, it is where my brand came to life, and it pretty perfectly embodies the heritage I hope to pass down.
Thank you for reading my story. Ready to tell yours through your home? Follow us at @myvaarsa and explore our collections at www.vaarsalondon.com.