\n<\/p>\n
In a sunlit studio in Pune, rows of ceramic tiles covered in hand-painted florals and winding vines quietly rest on long wooden tables. Shades of cobalt blue, earthy green, and burnt orange give each piece the warmth of something made slowly, patiently, by hand.<\/span><\/p>\n Over the years, these handmade tiles have found their way into celebrity homes like a 6,000-tile kitchen installation for Sonam Kapoor, international projects, and even collaborations with IKEA.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n At the centre of this world is Shibani Dhavalikar, an artist who transformed her love for painting into a thriving ceramic studio that brings heritage-inspired art into modern Indian homes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But eight years ago, her life looked very different.<\/span><\/p>\n After spending nearly a decade in education, Shibani gradually moved into the ed-tech space, where her work became increasingly technology-driven and desk-bound.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t that I hated my work,\u201d she says. \u201cI just felt disconnected from creativity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Art, however, had always existed quietly in the background of her life. As a child, she would constantly paint, doodle, and make things by hand. But like many people, she never imagined creativity could become a livelihood.<\/span><\/p>\n As a child, she would constantly paint, doodle, and make things by hand. But like many people, she never imagined creativity could become a livelihood.<\/p>\n So after work, she began painting again \u2014 mostly florals, colourful illustrations, and patterns that brought her joy. Around the same time, Instagram and Facebook were becoming spaces where artists could share their work, and Shibani started posting her paintings online.<\/span><\/p>\n To her surprise, people noticed.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey responded to the colours and the handmade quality of it,\u201d she recalls. \u201cThat was the first time I wondered if creativity could become something more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Her earliest products were hand-painted wooden photo frames and nameplates. While still juggling her full-time job, she signed up for a flea market in Bengaluru almost on a whim.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI remember making around a hundred frames and just showing up,\u201d she says. \u201cI used to visit flea markets and wonder what it would feel like to be on the other side.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Shibani Dhavalikar, an artist who transformed her love for painting into a thriving ceramic studio that brings heritage-inspired art into modern Indian homes.<\/p>\n The response overwhelmed her. The frames sold quickly, and people who missed the flea market began reaching out through Instagram. Small orders started trickling in, and what had begun as a creative escape slowly started looking like a real possibility.<\/span><\/p>\n A few months later, Shibani quit her job and moved back to Pune to pursue creativity full-time.<\/span><\/p>\n In the beginning, she took on every kind of creative commission imaginable \u2014 paintings, digital artwork, handcrafted d\u00e9cor.<\/span><\/p>\n Then came one project that changed everything.<\/span><\/p>\n A client commissioned hand-painted wall plates. Shibani bought ceramic plates from a local market and painted them with acrylics, the only medium she knew at the time. But the paint peeled off almost immediately.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat failure became an obsession,\u201d she says. \u201cI wanted to know why paint wouldn\u2019t stay on ceramics and how traditional ceramic art lasted for years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Searching for answers led her to Jaipur, where she immersed herself in the centuries-old tradition of blue pottery. For ten days, she learnt directly from local artisans and witnessed how deeply craft traditions are tied to local culture and inherited knowledge.<\/span><\/p>\n But the experience also gave her clarity.<\/span><\/p>\n A few months later, Shibani quit her job and moved back to Pune to pursue creativity full-time.<\/p>\n \u201cI had quit my job to paint, not necessarily to become a potter,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n She wanted to find a way to bring her art onto ceramic surfaces without having to master the entire craft of pottery from scratch.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For months, she researched materials and experimented relentlessly before discovering a little-known industrial ceramic medium through a professor associated with Mumbai\u2019s Sir JJ School of Art. The technique allowed her to paint on ceramic surfaces in a durable, washable way without making the ceramics herself.<\/span><\/p>\n She began with tableware and ceramic nameplates, products that made thoughtful gifts. Their popularity sparked a new idea: bringing art into everyday spaces through hand-painted kitchen tiles.<\/span><\/p>\n About three years into the journey, Shibani was still operating out of a small setup when COVID hit. She feared the business would collapse.<\/span><\/p>\n But something unexpected happened. As people stayed physically apart from loved ones, handmade objects suddenly carried emotional meaning.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t booming, but it was steady in a way I didn\u2019t expect,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n About three years into the journey, Shibani was still operating out of a small setup when COVID hit. She feared the business would collapse.<\/p>\n Then one Instagram message changed the trajectory of her business. An architect from Surat discovered her work online and asked whether her ceramics could work as kitchen tiles. That conversation led to Shibani\u2019s first large-scale installation project \u2014 nearly 1,000 hand-painted tiles.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAt that point, I didn\u2019t even have a proper studio or a team,\u201d she says with a laugh. \u201cBut we figured it out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Today, her studio works closely with homeowners, architects, and interior designers to create custom ceramic tiles inspired by Indian heritage, nature, and everyday life.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen someone comes to us, it\u2019s not about copying a Pinterest image,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s about creating something personal for the space.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Every project is custom-designed and hand-painted; pricing varies based on the artwork and scale involved. The studio’s tile installations typically start at around Rs 2,500 per sq ft.<\/span><\/p>\n One of the studio\u2019s defining moments came when actor Sonam Kapoor discovered their work through Instagram and commissioned a 6,000-tile kitchen installation.<\/span><\/p>\n The scale was intimidating. Every tile had to be painted by hand, and many formed continuous murals where no two pieces were identical. If even one tile broke during transport, recreating it perfectly became nearly impossible.<\/span><\/p>\n And that challenge taught her one of the biggest lessons of her business: shipping fragile ceramics is often harder than painting them.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPeople think painting is the hardest part. Honestly, shipping fragile ceramics across cities and countries has probably taught us the most,\u201d she laughs.<\/span><\/p>\n Over the years, her team spent countless hours studying packaging materials, box strengths, and insulation techniques. They eventually moved away from large shipping aggregators and began working with smaller courier partners who handled every package with greater care.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere were times when a tile broke at an installation site in Mumbai, and someone from my team had to physically travel there to fix the issue,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n That attention to detail eventually helped the studio take on international projects, too.<\/span><\/p>\n Recently, Shibani\u2019s team completed a custom tile project for a family building a home in a small town in Chile. The family wanted the installation to honour the local flora and fauna displaced during construction, so they shared references of native plants, berries, birds, and animals found around their land.<\/span><\/p>\n For weeks, Shibani\u2019s team studied unfamiliar ecosystems and translated them into hand-painted ceramic motifs.<\/span><\/p>\n One of the studio\u2019s defining moments came when actor Sonam Kapoor discovered their work through Instagram and commissioned a 6,000-tile kitchen installation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe realised how personal people\u2019s relationship with their homes can be,\u201d she says. \u201cThey wanted every detail to mean something.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The finished tiles eventually travelled all the way from Pune to Chile \u2014 a journey that still amazes her.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIn what world would I have ever connected with a family from Chile?\u201d she says. \u201cThat\u2019s the power of Instagram. You can sit in your studio and still create something meaningful for someone on the other side of the world.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n In an era where handmade art often struggles to compete with mass-produced d\u00e9cor, Shibani believes storytelling made all the difference.<\/span><\/p>\n From the beginning, she used Instagram not as a polished marketing platform, but as a visual diary documenting experiments, failed pieces, sketches, glazing processes, and behind-the-scenes moments.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere were no ads or paid campaigns ever,\u201d she says. \u201cJust honest sharing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n That authenticity helped people connect not only with the finished product, but also with the labour, patience, and craftsmanship behind it.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPeople hesitate to spend on handmade work because they don\u2019t always see the effort behind it,\u201d she explains. \u201cBut when they witness the process, they begin to understand its value.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Today, Shibani\u2019s studio has grown into a team of eight people, with its hand-painted tiles finding a place in nearly 1,000 kitchens over the past year alone. But for her, the most meaningful part of the journey is not the scale \u2014 it is the fact that something once dismissed as \u201cjust a hobby\u201d slowly became a sustainable creative livelihood.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe live in a time where sharing is free,\u201d she says. \u201cA small studio and a celebrity exist on the same platform. If you show up consistently and honestly, people find you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n To explore her work or enquire about custom projects, readers can connect with Shibani through her <\/span>Instagram page.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nHow a side hobby became something bigger<\/span><\/h2>\n
The flea market stall that changed everything<\/span><\/h2>\n
A failed experiment that led her to ceramics<\/span><\/h2>\n
How COVID unexpectedly changed her business<\/span><\/h2>\n
Bringing handmade heritage art into modern homes<\/span><\/h2>\n
The packaging lessons no one talks about<\/span><\/h2>\n
From Pune to Chile<\/span><\/h2>\n
Authenticity is the studio\u2019s biggest growth engine<\/span><\/h2>\n
Building a creative life<\/span><\/h2>\n