About Us
A luxury home goods atelier based in South India. We specialize in custom-craft commissions and bespoke table linens, meticulously tailored to order.
A Craft House for the Fabric of Architecture
ARCISI is a craft house based in India. We are trained in reversible knotless embroidery technique carried through the Kasuti tradition of northern Karnataka. Our work is to revive it, preserve it, and put it back into use.
We are not a product line. We are a house that has learned a discipline and applies it to whatever surface asks for it. Table linens, cushions, throws, rugs and floor coverings, upholstery, furniture, tapestries, wall works, architectural installations. If it is fabric, we can embroider it. If it is a surface, we can interpret it. Every commission is drawn, counted and worked by hand, finished on both faces, with no reverse to hide.
Architecture is not only what you see. It is what you touch, the cloth on the table, the seat you take, the surface underfoot, the textile that carries the acoustics of a room. This is the tactile interface of a building, and it is the material we work in. We bring counted heritage geometry into contemporary space, at architectural scale, made to order.
We work directly with homeowners, interior designers, architects, and hospitality clients through bespoke commissions, and with the trade through B2B programmes. Both begin the same way: a conversation, a drawing, a count.
Our artisans train with us for twelve to eighteen months to master the double-sided knotless technique. We work deliberately and slowly, because a craft is not preserved by being displayed. It is preserved by being practised, paid for, and passed on.
Meditation in Every Stitch
This venture began with a serendipitous dentist appointment in Dharwad. Finishing early, I found myself wandering the local markets, where I stumbled upon the intricate beauty of Kasuti embroidery. The geometric patterns were of stunning complexity, each piece completely reversible, every stitch counted by hand. I was mesmerized by the craftsmanship.
That chance discovery led to a spontaneous drive to Hampi, where the ruins of the Vijayanagara Empire whispered stories of the culture that had nurtured this art form for centuries. Walking among the ancient city, I felt a profound connection between architecture and textile, between heritage and craft, and I wanted to pivot to working with this craft.
When I returned home to South India and mentioned my Hampi journey, my mother shared something I'd never known: my great-great-grandmother had been a Kasuti artisan. She had learned the craft as a young woman and had taught my mother the basics before the knowledge faded into family memory. Suddenly, this wasn't just a beautiful craft I'd discovered in a market—it was part of my own lineage, dormant and waiting to be awakened.
Driven by this personal connection, I enrolled in Kasuti classes in Bangalore, learning the four traditional stitches and practising the motifs under Usha Ma'am. Counting threads, creating knotless double-sided perfection, understanding the mathematical precision behind centuries-old patterns, I discovered that Kasuti is not just embroidery. It's meditation, mathematics, and memory woven into fabric.
Explore Digital Customization
We bridge the gap between age-old slow-craft and modern convenience. Through our digital customization service, we collaborate with you to specify dimensions, select base cloth materials, and configure traditional Kasuti patterns to suit your unique architectural space.