Once Upon a Table - The Beginning

Every story worth telling begins at a table. A table that once held morning tea, sketches of new prints, fabric swatches covered in dye stains, and the slow hum of conversation. This is where Decoy Galleries began—not as a brand, but as a shared ritual of creation.

Our tables have always been more than wood and polish. They’ve been places where families gather, where ideas take shape, where hands meet craft. The kind of tables that hold laughter and the scent of chai, notebooks filled with ideas, and moments that somehow become memory.

“Every object on the table has a heartbeat—it was touched, shaped, and made with intention.”

From Hand to Home

Each piece we create begins in the hands of artisans across India—families who have spent generations mastering the delicate rhythm of block printing and papermaking. The process is as meditative as it is precise: carving teak blocks by hand, mixing natural dyes under the Rajasthani sun, pressing cotton onto fabric one repeat at a time.

The result isn’t just a pattern—it’s a pulse. You can feel it in the slight variations, the soft edges of the print, the human touch that no machine can replicate. These imperfections aren’t flaws; they’re signatures of life and labor, proof that beauty can exist without perfection.

Why We Tell These Stories

Once Upon a Table is our space to slow down and tell the stories that matter—the unseen hands behind every runner, mat, and journal. It’s where we share glimpses of the process, the philosophy, and the people who make this journey meaningful. From Jaipur’s print workshops to our California studio, this is a living archive of how tradition finds its place in modern homes.

“Craftsmanship is continuity—it connects who we were with who we’re becoming.”

The Modern Heirloom

We believe that what fills your home should have meaning. That your table deserves more than decoration—it deserves stories. Each Decoy Galleries piece is designed to be used, loved, and passed down. To host both celebration and the everyday. To remind us that what’s handmade carries more than beauty; it carries time.

Whether you’re hosting a Sunday brunch in San Francisco or setting the table for Diwali in Delhi, these textiles and papers carry a shared language—one that speaks of intention, warmth, and belonging.

Our Ongoing Chapter

As we build Decoy Galleries, we’re not just creating products—we’re building a bridge. Between the artisans who keep India’s slow crafts alive and the homes that cherish them across the ocean. Between heritage and modern design. Between memory and use.

Each collection, each post, each new idea will continue this dialogue—because this story doesn’t end here. It unfolds one table at a time.