Indian craft · Designed in the UK
Paper mâché bowls, made by hand in Jaipur
Designed in the UK, made from recycled paper, no two the same. And honeycomb decorations in premium paper that fold flat for next year.
Shop by collection
Paper mâché bowls made by hand in Jaipur, honeycomb decorations in premium paper, and paper mâché Easter eggs. Three small collections, each made to be kept.
Paper mâché bowls
Handcrafted Paper Mache Decorative Bowl Set (2 Pieces) – Natural Textured Pedestal Bowls for Home Decor
Handcrafted Paper Mache Decorative Bowl Set (2 Pieces) – Natural Textured Pedestal Bowls for Home Decor
£89.00
Handmade Paper Mâché Bowl Set (2) – Rustic Beige Decorative Bowls for Modern Homes | AALA India
Handmade Paper Mâché Bowl Set (2) – Rustic Beige Decorative Bowls for Modern Homes | AALA India
£89.00
Handmade Rustic Paper Mâché Decorative Bowl – Rustic, Mud & Beige
Handmade Rustic Paper Mâché Decorative Bowl – Rustic, Mud & Beige
£89.00
AALA India Handmade Paper Mâché Decorative Bowl Set (3 Pieces) – Recycled Paper Home Décor Bowls, Natural Textured Finish, Designed in UK & Handcrafted in India
AALA India Handmade Paper Mâché Decorative Bowl Set (3 Pieces) – Recycled Paper Home Décor Bowls, Natural Textured Finish, Designed in UK & Handcrafted in India
£89.00
Shaping a piece over a mould in Jaipur. The rows behind are drying before they are painted.
- Jaipur
Made by hand
Designed in the UK, made by hand in Jaipur
Aala India is a UK home décor brand shaped by Indian craft and architectural heritage. The bowls are designed here in the UK and made in Jaipur by hand, from recycled paper.
Paper mâché is built up rather than cast or pressed. Paper is layered over a mould by hand, dried, then shaped, painted and sealed by hand. No two pieces come out identical: a rim sits a fraction wider on one, a brush mark catches the light on another. The variation is the material telling you a person made it.
The same technique sets the limits, and we would rather be plain about them. Layered paper is light in the hand. It will hold whole fruit such as bananas and apples, potpourri or keys, but it is for dry use only: not waterproof, and never for the dishwasher.
- WhereDesigned in the UK, handmade in Jaipur, India
- HowRecycled paper, layered by hand over a mould
- The limitDry use only. Not waterproof, never in a dishwasher
Why paper mâché
Light in the hand, quiet on the table
Paper mâché is light in the hand. A large bowl can sit on a side table or a shelf edge without a second thought, and every rim carries the marks of the person who made it.
The guide further down covers what to put in one, where it earns its place, and how to look after it.
Honeycomb decorations
Honeycomb Easter Egg Hanging Decorations Set – Paper Easter Tree Ornaments for Spring Home Décor, Reusable Minimalist Easter Decorations (3.5 cm)
Honeycomb Easter Egg Hanging Decorations Set – Paper Easter Tree Ornaments for Spring Home Décor, Reusable Minimalist Easter Decorations (3.5 cm)
£20.99
Honeycomb Paper Bunny Hanging Decorations – Set of 3 Easter Rabbit Ornaments for Spring Tree & Home Décor
Honeycomb Paper Bunny Hanging Decorations – Set of 3 Easter Rabbit Ornaments for Spring Tree & Home Décor
£24.99
Honeycomb Easter Egg Hanging Decorations – Set of 4 Colourful Paper Easter Ornaments for Easter Tree, Spring Home Decor & Easter Party Decorations
Honeycomb Easter Egg Hanging Decorations – Set of 4 Colourful Paper Easter Ornaments for Easter Tree, Spring Home Decor & Easter Party Decorations
£21.99
Honeycomb Easter Egg Hanging Decorations – Set of 3 Paper Easter Ornaments for Easter Tree, Spring Home Décor & Party Decorations
Honeycomb Easter Egg Hanging Decorations – Set of 3 Paper Easter Ornaments for Easter Tree, Spring Home Décor & Party Decorations
£15.99
The guide
Paper mache bowls and paper décor: a plain guide
Paper mache bowls (papier mâché is the same craft, spelt the French way) are the quiet workhorses of a decorated room. They hold the keys by the door, the fruit on the kitchen table and the potpourri on the coffee table, and even a large one is light in the hand.
Aala India sells three small collections: paper mache bowls, designed in the UK and made by hand in Jaipur from recycled paper; honeycomb decorations in premium paper that open into 3D and fold flat again; and paper mache Easter eggs. This guide covers how the bowls are made, what to put in them, how the honeycomb pieces open and store, care, and delivery.
What a paper mache bowl is, and how ours are made
A paper mache bowl is a bowl built up from layers of paper rather than cast from clay. Ours are made from recycled paper layered by hand over a mould, dried, then shaped, painted and sealed by hand. That is why each one is light, and slightly different from the next.
Recycled paper, layered by hand over a mould
The bowl begins as recycled paper. In the Jaipur workshop it is layered by hand over a mould until the wall holds its shape, left to dry, then shaped.
Painted and sealed by hand, so no two are identical
The dried shape is painted by hand and finished with a sealing coat that gives the surface its soft, matt texture. No two come out the same, and that variation is the point of a handmade paper mache bowl, not a fault in it.
Drawn in the UK, made in Jaipur
Every shape is drawn in the UK for British rooms, then made in Jaipur by hand. Start with the paper mache bowls collection.
What to put in a paper mache bowl, and what to keep out
Whole fruit, potpourri, keys
Anything dry can go in a paper mache bowl:
- Whole fruit with its skin on, such as bananas, apples, oranges and lemons
- Potpourri, dried seed heads and dried stems
- Keys, post and the things you need on the way out of the door
- Rings and earrings on a dressing table, paper clips on a desk
- Honeycomb or paper mache eggs at Easter
Dry use only: not waterproof, never in a dishwasher
It is not waterproof, so nothing wet goes in it. It never goes in a dishwasher or under a tap.
Where it earns its place: coffee table, console, hallway
As a coffee table bowl, one large, low shape in the centre, holding a few pieces of fruit or a handful of potpourri, with space around it. On a console or sideboard, decorative bowls work best as a set at different heights. In the hallway, a medium bowl by the door takes keys and post, and because paper is light it moves aside with one hand.
Choosing one bowl or a set
A single statement bowl
If you are buying one, buy big. A large paper mache bowl reads as a centrepiece on a dining table or a coffee table, empty or with a few dried stems, and lifts off with one hand when the food arrives. The natural, white and earth-tone finishes sit quietly against wood, linen and stone.
Placing a set: fill one, leave one empty
A paper mache decorative bowl set is easiest to place in three moves:
- Step the larger bowl behind the smaller one, so both rims catch the light.
- Fill one and leave the other empty. Two full bowls look like a shop display.
- Nest them when the surface is needed for something else.
Priced and live on every card
Price and availability are live on every product card. Because no two are identical, a set is two or three related pieces, not two copies of one.
Honeycomb decorations: paper that opens into 3D
Our second range is a different paper craft. Honeycomb decorations are premium paper with a honeycomb structure inside. Closed, each bunny or egg is a flat shape. Opened, it becomes a full three-dimensional piece.
How they open and stay open
- Open the piece out, and the honeycomb structure expands into its 3D shape.
- Hidden magnets meet and hold it open, so it stays that way without tape or clips.
- The piece then stands on its base, or hangs from its loop.
Hanging or tabletop
The hanging pieces have a loop at the top for an Easter tree, a branch in a vase, a window or a doorway. The tabletop pieces stand on their own base for a mantel, a shelf or the middle of an Easter table. Mix the two: honeycomb Easter decorations hanging above, a bunny or two standing below. Browse both in the honeycomb decorations collection.
Fold flat, store, reuse year after year
When the season is over, release the magnets and close each piece flat. Keep them dry, between two sheets of card or in their packaging, and they open again next year.
Easter eggs: paper mache and honeycomb, side by side
Paper mache eggs, on the tree or in a bowl
The paper mache Easter eggs come as hanging sets for an Easter tree or a branch in a vase, and they sit just as well in a paper mache bowl on the table or along a mantel. A bowl of them is the simplest Easter centrepiece there is.
Honeycomb eggs, which fold flat
The honeycomb eggs are the folding honeycomb Easter decorations described above. They hang from a loop too, but when the season is over they close flat for storage, while the paper mache eggs are wrapped in tissue until next spring.
Care guide in plain English
Paper mache bowls
For a papier mâché bowl the routine is short.
Do
- Dust it with a dry, soft cloth or a soft brush
- Keep it for dry use: whole fruit, potpourri, keys
- Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from radiators
- Store it wrapped in tissue, in a rigid box, somewhere dry
Do not
- Wet it, wipe it with a damp cloth or use cleaning sprays
- Leave it near water or steam: bathrooms and outdoors are the wrong places
- Put it in a dishwasher, ever
Honeycomb decorations
- Open each piece gently and let the magnets do the holding
- Fold flat after the season and store flat and dry
- Keep them away from water, and out of strong sunlight if they are up for weeks
Delivery, returns and the 10% off
If you are buying paper mache bowls in the UK, the terms are short, and they are the same for the honeycomb decorations and the Easter eggs.
- Free UK delivery on orders over £49.98. Below that, standard UK delivery is £5.99.
- 10% off orders over £100, applied automatically at the checkout with no code to remember.
- 30-day returns if a piece is not right when it arrives.
Updated 8 September 2026. Written by the Aala India team at Britbunch Ltd.
Questions people ask before ordering
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Can you put fruit in a paper mache bowl?
Yes: whole fruit such as bananas and apples, with its skin on. The bowl is for dry use, so nothing wet goes in it, and cut or washed fruit stays on a plate.
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Are paper mache bowls waterproof?
No. Keep the bowl away from water, steam and damp, never put it in a dishwasher, and wipe it with a dry cloth. Bathrooms and outdoors are the wrong places for it.
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How do I clean a papier mâché bowl?
Dust it with a soft, dry cloth or a soft brush. No water, no wipes, no sprays, no dishwasher. Papier mâché and paper mache are the same craft.
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Where and how are Aala India's bowls made?
Designed in the UK and made by hand in Jaipur, India: recycled paper layered by hand over a mould, then shaped, painted and sealed by hand, so no two are identical.
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Will my bowl look exactly like the photograph?
Close, but not identical. Every bowl is shaped and painted by hand, so the rim, the depth of colour and the run of a brush mark vary a little from one to the next. Screens and room lighting shift colour too.
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How do honeycomb decorations open and stay open?
The honeycomb structure opens out into 3D and hidden magnets hold it open. The piece then stands on a table or hangs from its loop. They are premium paper, a paper craft.
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Can I reuse honeycomb decorations next year?
Yes. After Easter, release the magnets, fold the piece flat and store it flat and dry. It opens again next year.
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Are the honeycomb decorations made from recycled paper?
No. The honeycomb range is premium paper. It is the paper mache bowls that are made from recycled paper.
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How much is UK delivery?
- Free UK delivery on orders over £49.98.
- Standard UK delivery is £5.99.
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What if it is not right when it arrives?
Tell us and we will put it right. If a piece arrives damaged, a photograph helps us sort it out quickly.
- You have 30 days from delivery to change your mind.
- Free UK returns: we email you a returns label
- Returns come back to our UK address in Gravesend.