Art as Décor

How India’s affluent are turning homes into curated art spaces

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In recent times, if you step into the foyer of a plush home, you might be met by traditional chandeliers or designer consoles—but also by interesting canvases or sculptures. Across India, the well-heeled are reimagining their homes as spaces where personal narratives, taste, and visual culture come together. Art, once an accent, has taken centre stage. The line between décor and collecting is becoming less defined. Increasingly, homes are being curated like private galleries, where every painting, every sculpture, every textured wall speaks of considered choices.

And at the heart of it is a shift in how HNIs are engaging with art, not as a luxury add-on, but as a foundational element of how they shape and experience their living spaces.

Art at the Heart of Design

Interior designers across metros report a growing trend: clients are starting with a specific piece of art and building their interiors around it. It’s no longer about finding wall space after the room is done, it's about allowing art to set the tone. This often leads to unusual but harmonious outcomes, sculptures that define a courtyard, installations that play with light and shadow in a stairwell, or murals that wrap around architectural features like niches and alcoves. Art isn’t added later—it’s embedded from the start.

It has led to greater experimentation. Designers and homeowners alike are embracing contrast—placing earthy tribal art against stark concrete walls, or hanging abstract canvases within traditional wood-panelled rooms. This interplay between the familiar and the avant-garde creates visual tension and depth, making homes feel layered and lived-in.

The Rise of the Commission