New Delhi, Nov. 13 -- I am writing while sipping a shot of mezcal from a tiny metal tumbler handpainted by Kashmiri artisans on enamel. The little cup has a deep indigo background with a bright pink dahlia painted on it. The petals are edged with white borders and the flower sits in a halo of green leaves and stem. It cost me precisely Rs.300, but it has the grace of an object touched by "thinking hands"-to borrow a phrase from the architect-author Juhani Pallasmaa.

This past fortnight I've thought a lot about how we decorate and accessorise our homes and the role of accessibility. Why do we buy what we buy? Convenience? Price? Desirability? Durability? Reasonably speaking, it is a combination of all those things, and perhaps for the fir...