Amid warm lighting, textured cushions, and thoughtfully crafted home décor, stood a gentleman, Jim Tharakan, waiting to take the audience on an artistic ride. His statement, “Places like this, a home setting, makes an art piece more real and relatable than viewing it in a stark, white gallery,” during a conversation with CE changed our entire perspective on the pieces on display at ‘Memories of Home’, curated by Our Better Planet in collaboration with Orange Tree, Jubilee Hills.
The two-day pop-up show brought the warmth of Indian craftsmanship, the quiet power of memory, and the evolving language of conscious design of objects, art, and stories that shape our idea of ‘home’. From slow-made décor to tactile textiles and evocative utility pieces, every item in this showcase invites pause, reflection, and connection.
Pallavi Srivastava, founder and CEO of Our Better Planet, shared, “We currently have over 200 brands listed on our platform. But we believe the online medium by itself is not enough. For products that are made for the planet and by people, offline interactions are essential. That’s why we also curate offline events under the name ‘Conscious Souk’. We’ve done about 30 Conscious Souk events across nine cities.”
She added that the trunk show was an effort to bring sustainable brands to an audience in Hyderabad. “It was a smaller format event and our second one. The first was in Jaipur. We’ve curated over eight homegrown brands that specialise in home décor products,” Pallavi noted.
The venue, Orange Tree, is a home store that primarily offers furniture. Our Better Planet wanted to bring in complementary products like bookstands, tableware, soft furnishings like cushion covers and bed linen, trays, and so on.
The idea was to create a cohesive atmosphere that helps people make better decisions and buy better, more conscious products, said Pallavi. All the brands on display followed ethical practices and used natural materials. The products were fairly priced and the brands worked with artisans and clusters that specialise in traditional crafts. “That’s how they align with our larger sustainability and conscious living message,” Pallavi pointed out.
“This collaboration with Our Better Planet is rooted in a shared belief that design is not just seen, it’s felt,” said Preeyaa Jain, vice president of Orange Tree, adding, “‘Memories of Home’ is a tribute to the enduring intimacy between memory, craftsmanship, and space.”
In addition, there were a few interesting art pieces on display, brought together by Jim Tharakan, founder of Arteflick. He stated, “In partnership with Pallavi from Our Better Planet, we curated a workshop titled ‘Memories on Canvas.’ I showcased about 10 artists’ works, offering a good variety: oil on canvas, acrylic on canvas, etching, charcoal on paper, a couple of watercolours, and even pen on canvas. I intentionally brought in many different mediums to show the diversity of how art can be created. What added depth to this curation was that I personally know these artists, their influences, their creative processes, and what drives them.”
There were about 25 different works from these 10 artists — two are from Hyderabad, including Maredu Ramu, and others from across India — Lucknow, Maharashtra, Chennai, Kerala, Bengaluru, and so on.
Jim explained, “I come from a place where I believe artists should be celebrated while they’re alive, not after they’re gone. Take MF Hussain, for instance — he’s passed on, but his works are being sold for Rs 4 crore, Rs 10 crore, and so on. My focus is: how do we support and celebrate living artists?” The art collector also wants to build the awareness that art can be an asset, just like land. He believes it shouldn’t be valued only for aesthetics, something that ‘looks good in the house’. It should also carry meaning, identity, and intention.
“And in a space like this (Orange Tree), where art blends with home décor, viewers — whether they’re buyers, collectors, or just art lovers — can actually see how a piece might look in a home setting. That’s different from viewing it in a stark, white gallery. Here, it becomes more real and relatable,” he added.
Alongside that, he also offered an art appreciation space to help people understand how to look at art. The session was designed to help people see and understand art differently and maybe even start viewing it as an asset worth collecting.
Jim said that the idea is to go beyond just, ‘Oh, that looks nice’, and dive deeper into what the artwork communicates. “Ideally, I would have loved for participants to draw, express, and share visually, but this time it was a conversational setup. We spoke about how they experience art and how they can deepen that experience. It’s about shifting the way we see and engage with art,” he expressed.