SALAAM.

And hello from me (Amina) and the fam: my BFF tech-savvy artist of a husband and our two cats. People think our page’s (and now, shop’s) name is inspired by the family, when it’s actually inspired by three stone monkeys that we got from SriLanka. These three monkeys have been knocked over and over again by guests and as a result, we’re left with two and a half monkeys. We’re constantly conscious of them - to the point where if I sometimes hear a sound in the middle of the night, I immediately think ‘the monkeys must’ve fallen‘. Because they take up so much space in our heads, that’s where the name comes from.

It all started with an Instagram account I created during the pandemic. Right before COVID hit, I had done up my place, only to realize that I wouldn’t be able to have anyone over for a really long time, because ‘social distancing’ was a real thing. So I decided to open up my home to everyone, online. I made a page where I showed any and all home decor and improvements we did and continue to do in our little space.

We like to keep it real (we don’t mind showing chipped pottery, pet hair, loose wires, you know it) but always pretty, and pretty interesting. We like color here, a more evolved use of local craft, using different textures, and finding a balance between clean and fun. And because I was always looking for the next little find, it was only a natural next step for me to start my own shop.

So here it is, a shop with things I really really like, inspired by local crafts and made by artisans across South Asia.