Aala India is a small British home décor brand. We draw our shapes in the UK, and the paper mâché bowls we sell are made by hand in a workshop in Jaipur, India.
Where the shapes come from
Indian architecture is full of curves that hold light: the arch over a doorway, the niche cut into a wall to stand a lamp in, the shallow dome of a ceiling. Those forms are where our bowls start. Drawn here for British rooms, made there by people who have worked in paper for years.
Shaping a bowl over a mould in Jaipur. The rows behind are drying before they are painted.
How a paper mâché bowl is made
It begins as recycled paper. In the workshop the paper is layered by hand over a mould until the wall holds its shape, left to dry, then lifted off and shaped. The dried piece is painted by hand and finished with a sealing coat, which is what gives the surface its soft, matt texture.
Because every stage is done by hand, no two bowls are the same. A rim runs a fraction wider on one, a foot sits a touch off-centre on another, and the brush leaves a different mark each time. If you want an object that repeats exactly, buy ceramic. If you want one that shows the hand that made it, this is the material.
What it will and will not do
We would rather tell you the limits than have you find them out. Layered paper is light in the hand, so a large bowl sits happily on a shelf edge or a side table. It will hold whole fruit, potpourri, keys or post. It is for dry use only: not waterproof, never in a dishwasher, and dust it with a dry cloth rather than a damp one.
The two ranges
Our paper mâché bowls are the year-round range, and the one this workshop makes.
Our honeycomb decorations are a separate paper craft: premium paper cut into a honeycomb structure that opens from flat into a full three-dimensional shape, held open by hidden magnets. Hanging pieces have a loop, tabletop pieces stand on their own base, and everything folds flat again to store, so the same set comes out year after year. They are not made from recycled paper and they are not from the Jaipur workshop.
There are also paper mâché Easter eggs, sold as hanging sets.
Who you are buying from
Aala India is the trading name of Britbunch Limited, a company registered in England and Wales, number 16266306, with its registered office at 56 Brook Road, Northfleet, Gravesend DA11 8RG. Our VAT number is GB496562638.
We are new. The company was incorporated in February 2025 and this shop opened in 2026, so you will not find years of reviews behind us yet. What we can offer instead is a straight account of what each piece is, where it was made, and what it cannot do.
Talk to us
Email sales@britbunch.co.uk or message us on WhatsApp on +44 7438 535901. If you have a question about a piece before you buy it, ask. We would rather answer it than take a return.
Our contact page has the addresses, and the refund policy covers returns.