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Pakistani home decor
Pakistan’s crafts come from specific towns and families: blue pottery and camel-skin lamps from Multan, carved wood from Chiniot, lacquered wood and rilli quilts from Hala in Sindh, onyx from the hills of Balochistan, and truck-art painting from the workshops of Karachi and Rawalpindi.
Each piece below has its own page explaining how it is made, how to recognise the handmade version and how to get it shipped safely.
8 things
Hand-painted metal kettle
The painting on Pakistan’s trucks, shrunk to fit a kitchen shelf.
Photo: Ahub1988The real thingBlock-printed cotton shawl
Indigo and madder, stamped by hand on both sides of the cloth.
Photo: Khalid MahmoodThe real thingHand-stitched patchwork quilt
Hundreds of cloth scraps, cut into triangles and stitched into one heirloom.
Lacquered, lathe-turned wood
Wood turned on a lathe and coloured by friction, in bands of red, yellow and green.
Hand-turned banded stone bowl
Green and honey-banded stone from the hills of Balochistan, turned by hand.
Hand-painted glazed ceramics
Cobalt and turquoise on white, the colours of Multan’s shrines.
Painted lamp made from camel hide
Translucent hide painted in gold, lit from within.
Hand-carved wooden furniture and boxes
Deep floral carving in dark wood, from a town of woodcarvers.
Guides
Gifts & guides
What to bring back from Pakistan, what to send to someone who misses it, and what to order if you have never been. Twenty-eight gifts, from a two-dollar box of spices to an heirloom quilt.
Food & drink
No spices, no tea bags, no shortcuts: strong granular tea, whole milk and sugar, boiled until the colour is just right. Here is how Pakistanis make the tea they drink five times a day.
Craft & culture
Peacocks, flying horses, eyes against envy and a line of poetry on the tailgate. How Pakistan’s working trucks became the country’s most famous folk art.
Questions
Ajrak block printing, Multani blue pottery, truck art, onyx work, Chinioti wood carving, Hala lacquerware, rilli patchwork quilts and Balochi and Sindhi embroidery.
Look for small irregularities: brush marks on truck art, uneven blocks on ajrak, hand-cut patches on a rilli. Printed and machine-made copies repeat exactly.
Yes, if the seller packs each piece in bubble wrap inside a double box and gives you a tracking number. Ask before you pay.
For makers in Pakistan
If you already sell abroad, on Etsy, Amazon, your own shop or Instagram, we would like to tell your story. Listing is free.
Newsletter
One story from Pakistan each month, with where to find the thing it is about.
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