Warli painting art for you – Discover Warli decor from India’s craft

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Written By ms

Best of Warli paintings for your home décor – Explore Warli art, where it comes from and how to décor Warli painting ideas on a wall.

Are you deciding a theme for your home decor? Do you want to fix the existing decor? You must surely take a look at Warli painting art – for pleasing and artful home decor. You see, Warli paintings can merge with many styles and interior design themes – not just as wall paintings but in many other forms. No wonder it is one of the most sought after and famous in the crafts of India. 

Everyone knows – Indian folk paintings win the hearts of millions across the globe. The artistic flavour and culturally rooted creative skills are unmatched in the world of art. Now, most of India’s folk painting art forms are the outcome of tribal culture. Do you know Warli art originated in the early seventies? Yes, and in recent times has attained popularity in urban and global arenas. Let’s explore more of this traditional art form.

Warli Paintings

Warli painting comes from a tribe in Maharashtra, India. The tribe resides at the North Sahyadri range of India. Today, the region is in and around the district of Palghar. Even today, Warli painting is a widespread practice in these regions. This traditional form of art is a creation by the women of a tribe called “Warli”. 

What is the Warli painting?

Traditional Warli paintings are seen on home walls of the Warli tribe. Typically, the art is created by applying white paint on red colour walls. The art form uses unique geometric shapes and designs to develop enchanting paintings that represent their humble life activities. 

What is the meaning of Warli?

Warli refers to a tribe of ancient semi-nomads living in the coastal regions of Maharashtra and Gujrat border. The word is also a popular art form made by the Warli tribe. Warli art displays the tribe’s animistic beliefs, customs, and traditions adopted from the Hindu culture.
You can read more on Warli Art décor ideas below.

warli painting on wall

How can you home décor with Warli art?

Introduce yourself to the beautiful and indigenous Warli art. You can decor your home with the craft in more than one ways, here are the best of décor ideas: 
a. Paintings on the wall
b. Dinnerware and crockery
c. Home linen as bedcovers, curtains, cushions
d. Home décor accessories like clocks, candles, keychains

Warli art designs

Here are a few characteristic features of Warli Art:

  • Warli technique uses geometric shapes such as triangles, circles, dots, and lines to represent the humble life of the tribe.
  • This art composes simple forms such as circles, triangles, lines, dots, crooked lines to create human figures, houses, animal figures, and that’s not all. Warli paintings show a lot more of everyday life representing the tribe’s cultivation, celebrations or respect for Mother Nature. 
  • The traditional art restricts the use of colours only to stark white on earthen backgrounds. Sometimes red and yellow colours are also used along with white. The base may be of henna, indigo, black or brick red colour. 

Decor your home with Warli

Techniques of Warli art include,

  • Choosing a design
  • Selecting the backgrounds (earthen background for traditional form, papers or cloth for modern methods)
  • Drawing outlines 
  • Using metallic colours or rice paste with water(a conventional type of paint used by the Warlis)and leaving it for 24 hours to dry

How to decor your home with Warli art?
The traditional art from the Warli tribe makes for beautiful wall art design solutions for apartments, houses, and villas. Not just paintings, Warli offers a wide range of artefacts to give a traditional yet classy makeover to your living spaces.
Here are steps to choose Warli art for home décor ideas.

  1. Painting on the walls

    Each Warli painting illustrates stories about the everyday lives of the Warli tribe. Choose the type and kind you connect with and adorn your walls with the lively Warli paintings.

  2. Dinner and crockery

    Every symbol in the Warli art has a meaning. These can be beautifully depicted on your serving bowls, plates, coffee mugs, and other crockery items. Add an ethnic charm to your dinnerware with the traditional touch of Warli art. 

  3. Home linen, bedcovers, curtains, and cushions

    Warli art portrays the tribe’s culture, cultivation, and celebrations. Mother nature is beautifully expressed in these pictures, and it looks pleasing on the large spread of a bedsheet. Cushions, covers, and curtains with the traditional art form will add an elegant feel to the ambience.

  4. Home décor accessories

    Home décor accessories with Warli art are admired and loved by art connoisseurs. These stand out for their ethnic yet contemporary look.

    These are four ways you can incorporate the Warli art form to décor your home. Warli’s delicate colours will give your abode a warm, beautiful, and contemporary vibe.

 Warli home decor

Enhance your lifestyle and home decor by combining the traditional and aesthetic Warli art. Here are a few fantastic ideas on how you can adapt this art in your lifestyle:

Warli paintings

Every symbol of this art has its meaning. Men and women standing in a circular form represent the cycle of life. The sacred quality of any tree is shown by painting the tree taller than any man or beasts around. The circles represent the sun and the moon. Use of triangles and lines represent the tribes’ men and women.


Home linen

In a way, Walri art tells us a story. Wide spreads of bed sheets, bed covers or curtains are an excellent opportunity to share something interesting.

Bedcovers, bedsheets

Have you bought any bed sheets or bed covers that depict stories? Warli art usually depicts the stories of the tribe. These stories are about harvesting, celebrations, poojas, etc. Bring home some Warli art bed covers and bed sheets – let your home linen speak these beautiful stories of people in the Sahyadri region. It’s a fabulous way to bring meaningful style in your home.

Cushion covers, curtains

Cushion covers depict the whole aesthetic of living rooms. Using cushions that have eye-catching Warli motifs will create a delightful ambience in your home. 


warli decor
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Dinnerware and serving bowls

Are you bored of having food in the same old plates and bowls? Add some ethnic charm to your dinnerware. You can enhance your dining experience with the traditional touch of Warli art. It will add to the beauty of the home decor. Serving bowls, plates, bowls, coffee mugs are few of the popular crockery items that celebrate this enchanting Indian folk art.

Why choose Warli art?

Folk art and paintings offer numerous styles and crafts. And Warli is one of the most loved and admired in all art forms provided by the handicrafts of India. People of the Warli tribe lead a simple life. Warli art, to some extent, pushes you to think of being conscious about the environment and also finding joy in little things of life. Most of the folk art forms are indigenous, and they offer numerous styles and crafts. And Warli is one of the most loved and admired art forms. Still not convinced? Here are a few reasons why you should choose the Warli art theme for your home decor.

Harmony with nature

Warli believes that humans should be in harmony with nature. This thought and theme are stark and clear in the paintings. Decorating your home walls with Warli pictures will encourage you to think about the tribe’s way of life. This beautiful art can trigger some inspired thoughts in you, such as keeping life simple and sweet. Living with a Warli art at home, you may feel closer to nature, focus more on our environment, placing yourself as a part of it. 

High luxury item

Warli art form is highly admired and valued in the world of art. Owning original Warli painting on the wall is seen as a luxury. With growing popularity, most people incorporate Warli art in a different form and feel luxurious.

Contemporary appeal

Warli art is a very traditional art form that is simple yet beautiful. Incorporating this form of art will give your home an aesthetically, pleasing modern vibe.

Subtle shades

The colours used in traditional or modern Warli art are very delicate. These colours will soothe your soul and also perfectly fit in your home decor.