India Ink: Refined Hand-Crafted Homewares from India

India Ink sparks pure joy. Step inside and the stories begin to unfold – of places rich in tradition, skilled fingers working needle and thread, and the striking beauty these pieces can bring to your home. Here, a carefully curated range celebrates time-honoured techniques, natural materials, and plant-based dyes.

Whether your style is bold and colourful, or more gentle, muted and quietly luxurious, the range of homewares at India Ink will bring character, charm and a layered beauty to your home. Each piece tells its own story, yet together they speak in harmony – block prints, textures and patterns placed side by side to create a home that feels richly personal and thoughtfully composed.

The story behind the store

While most children had access to a box of hand-me-downs for playing dress-up, India Ink owner Jane Middleton grew up with access to her grandmother’s treasure trove of fabrics collected on her travels in India – linens, silks, damasks and velvets in rich in colour, pattern and texture. While those early encounters shaped a career in fashion retail, it was a lasting fascination with the country and its rich traditions of “slow craft” that, years later, inspired the creation of India Ink.

In 2015 Jane opened a studio in her garden in Constantia, followed in 2022 by a store in Ferndale Nursery, also in Constantia, and an e-commerce store. She goes on regular sourcing trips to Jaipur and Delhi to find the “perfectly imperfect” items she stocks. (“Perfectly imperfect” because they display evidence of the human handiwork behind them.) Such is the richness of Jane’s finds, she’s since opened another outlet in Simondium, near Stellenbosch.

An exquisite array

Expect a profusion of evocative patterns and designs in an artist’s palette of colours. You’ll find textiles block-printed with peacocks and parrots, ferns and trailing vines, dragonflies and tigers, and a fantasy garden of botanicals – from marigolds and peonies to orchids and dandelions.

There are also classic Indian paisley prints, Jaipur fountain designs and lotus fans, alongside more monotoned pieces, quiet pastels and distinctive ikat fabrics (made using a resist-dyeing method). Embroidery and stitching, tassels and quilting add texture to the collection.

For your bedroom, pick up a light-as-a-feather dohar – a traditional two- or three-layered Indian sheet made with fine cotton muslin; perfect for cool, comfortable sleep on warm summer nights. There are throws for beds, couches, armchairs and benches, and gorgeous vintage kanthas hand-stitched from layers of old saris, some bright, some gently faded, all marked by intricate running stitches worked by patient hands.

You’ll find your perfect scatter cushion or lampshade here; a tablecloth and napkins to add that final fabulous touch to your meal, as well as distinctive floor mats and wallpapers. There is also a range of beautiful gift items, such as fragrance sachets, scented candles, tote bags, sarongs and even bunting flags, plus stylish kimono gowns and tunics on the clothing side.

Spring collection

There are always new treasures to be found. The latest range of 100% cotton tableware, Blossom & Bloom, consists of tablecloths, napkins and outdoor seating pads in spring-perfect colourways of green, pink or blue. Block-printed floral motifs predominate, but there are also designs inspired by temple domes, lattice screens and paisley.

Also just arrived is the florals bedding collection, in delicious shades of lagoon pink, aqua, lime and strawberry. Pick out a throw, a stitched velvet cushion or a pillow elaborately embroidered with turtle doves.

Whether it’s a perfectly pretty table set up for a long summer lunch on the verandah or a cotton kimono to laze around in, an item chosen from India Ink will spark the imagination and evoke an exotic sense of place.

Good to know A small garden studio outlet in Constantia (at 124 Constantia Main Road Witteboomen) opens on Wednesdays from 9am – 4pm. (Contact: 063 3258133)
Opening times Ferndale Nurseries Constantia: Daily, 9am – 4.30pm
Simondium: Monday – Friday, 8.30am – 4.30pm
Saturday, 8.30am – 4pm; Sunday until 3pm
Contact Constantia: 064 664 2025, ferndale@indiaink.co.za
Simondium: 063 978 0773, simondium@indiaink.co.za
Where to find it Ferndale Nurseries, 22 Brommersvlei Road, Constantia, Cape Town
Groot Drakenstein Handelshuis, R45 (Franschhoek Road), Simondium, Stellenbosch
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