This couple’s home in Leh is built for many purposes

The day starts with a community round of sattu (buckwheat porridge) and butter tea. Everyone sits under the tent and sips while discussing the plan of action for the day and the week. The garden is filled with the sounds of family chatter and birds, while looms and washing are going on in the background. The living room has low seating that heats up during the day and stays warm at night. There is an open kitchen filled with vegetables from the garden and beyond. While Angthak makes tea, Catherine sits right across at the dining table, updating new designs on the website. Tucked away is a small room with a bed and a chair overlooking the garden is the bedroom. It is a special and tranquil space that allows for a good rest away from the studio activities. And a house is never complete without space for family and friends. Right across the studio's large window, overlooking the Himalayan range, is the guest space. It is a second structure across a small garden that is as welcoming and quaint as the other parts of the house.

The space is as contemporary as it is Ladakhi, with a few hints of German design and art. The studio and home are truly eclectic spaces. While sitting with them and architect Sandeep Bogadi, we asked them about the process of building and making this space a home:

Watch the two videos to get a full tour of the space that they call both their home and studio.

Beautiful Homes: What is your business? How do you produce your products?

Angthak: We source the wool from Khanak, where the yaks live and thrive. They need shaving every summer to grow back a new coat for the winters. The shaved wool is not of much use unless processed. It is carefully carried to the village after a three-day trek back to the city. Once in the studio, it is meticulously cleaned of dirt, bugs, and other impurities before being prepared for washing. After three rounds of warm washing, the wool is set out to dry. After drying, comes carding and spooling. The women do the spooling with a spindle at the center to give it weight and make a ball out of it for the loom. Once the loom is set to the design, the women sit for days or sometimes weeks to carefully weave the raw wool into lovely handwoven products ready for order.

Beautiful Homes: How do you separate your workday and post-work time?

Catherine: It is impossible, to be very honest. When you live and work from the same space and with your family, all boundaries are blurred. We try not to work after 7 pm when the ladies go home, but there is always some digital work and billing that is needed for orders and emails. As much as one would like to separate the two, there is no clear boundary. It's more of a soft balance.

Beautiful Homes: What was your life like living in Changthang, and how does it feel to adapt to a different way of life now?

Angthak: Some part of my family still lives there, and we meet them when we take a break or go for wool sourcing. But the city of Leh feels very busy with a lot of tourists and cars. The village is still okay but not as quiet as Changthang Valley. Building a house here is a blessing as it is far from the crowd and noise but close enough to the airport, monasteries, and other resources. And the more we live here, the more we like it.

At Beautiful Homes with Asian Paints, we understand the importance of a well-conceived interior design and hassle-free execution. We offer a range of services to help you create your dream home, from selecting the right colours to choosing the perfect furniture, our experts can guide you through the process of creating the home. Visit our stores, available in all major cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Amritsar, Ernakulum, Raipur, Ooty, Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kolkata, etc., to experience our range of services and products firsthand. Let our expert consultants help you to bring your vision to reality!

All images by Studio Suryan//Dang