10 innovative ways to use Indian textiles

India has a rich heritage of textiles which reflects in its various forms of arts and crafts. While reviving and restoring such crafts, designer Pranavi Kapur has been working on Indian textiles for years now. A NIFT National Awardee, she loves to transform old textiles to new. All her pieces are exclusive and the fusion of work just stands out. They are made with multiple techniques, which boast of the rich Indian culture. We got a chance to visit her studio and house, which is a haven for textiles. The place is beautifully decorated with textiles and each room has a story to tell. As we got chatting with Pranavi, she shared with us numerous ways to upcycle and reuse textiles and here's a look at 10 innovative ideas shared by her.

'There's nothing that you can throw', says Pranavi Kapur. The designer has used her old bookshelf as a big frame in her living room's wall. She has framed it with a 'Banaras jangla loom' which was restored by a Kashmiri. The ace designer reinvited the 'too gold' looking textile to a subtle one. "I wanted the flowers to sh

While hanging lamps have their own charm, we loved how Pranavi added a beautiful textile hanging from the lamp to the table. The designer placed a dupatta, which was a Banrasi one, lined with a Pashmina Shawl. With sui-work all over, it was surely a standout piece we couldn't keep our eyes off from!

Pranavi has used textiles even on her door. They are beautifully decorated with a mix of textiles. She has used many old pieces on her door. From old Banarasi weaves, Odhisha ikat to an old Phulkari bedsheet, the textiles can surely add an artistic touch to the doors!

'Gift a textile,' says Pranavi. The designer wants to educate everyone about Indian textiles this 26th January. This year, she has come up with a box of pochettes, which features textiles from various states of India. From hand-block print to Ikat, she believes one can boast of India's rich heritage of textiles with even a small piece of pochette.

Pranavi got a beautiful way to showcase an heirloom piece. The designer framed her grandmother's '150-year-old' wedding kurta on her wall. The rich red kurta featuring gotta work is hard to miss. The framed piece leaves all her visitors awestruck with just one glance!

Every sofa and bench had a bunch of cushions lying. The interesting fact is that Pranavi has tried to incorporate every old fabric on her cushions just the right way. Our favourite piece was an old-embroidered blouse used on a cushion, which added a boho touch! The rest of the cushions were covered with old textiles like chintz, jawamawar shawls and a Swadeshi textile which was given a contemporary twist with a printed photo.

We have seen a lot of glass tables decorated with dry flowers and colourful pebbles but the one at Pranavi's home was new! She has used a small piece of textile on the table. Using all the textiles in every way, she paced a small velvet piece featuring zardosi design on her old table.

The hand-spun textile, khadi is associated with India's freedom struggle. Pranavi made this textile contemporary by mixing it with colourful hand-painted chintz work. She feels khadi has its own heritage and one can easily wear this colourful piece in summers to make a statement.

A lot of us have old dupattas lying around which can be easily be revamped. Pranavi has reinvented dupattas to shrugs, which are modern yet traditional. Our favourite piece was her reversible shrug which had khadi tussar dupatta at the front and a black and white hand-printed textile on the other side. 'I hate that useless lining, when you can make every jacket and shrug reversible by adding a rich textile at the back', says Pranavi.

The designer has placed her textiles just the right way. While some of her mother's saris have been used as a curtain, she even placed an 18th century restored Jamawar shawl as a table cover. "Such rich textiles can be used as curtains, bed covers and even on a dining table to add that rich look", explains Pranavi.