HOUSE OF PALETTES Bring out the artist in you

By Rebati Adhikari

‘Paint and Sip’ is a very popular business concept in the West. Impressed with the same, the trio of Neha Agrawal, Rahul Agrawal and Deepa Agrawal borrowed the idea and implemented it in Nepal, thus founding the House of Palettes. It is a lifestyle art studio helping people pour their heart out in colours on a piece of canvas which they can take home on completion. You can enjoy this whether you have done art before or not. “It’s more about wine and art. Wine participates in providing the feeling of enjoyment while making art,” elaborates Rahul Agrawal, Co-founder. There are not many places in town where people can spend relaxing and socialising over an activity. A lot of tourists visit Nepal but the ‘to-do activity’ list is scanty. House of Palettes is in trying to fill this gap. “Art is natural to everyone. Even if somebody has never touched a brush in their life, they wish they could paint. But they hold back thinking that they have never painted in life. We just want this person inside you to experience it,” states Deepa Agrawal, Co-founder. “There is a lot of difference in painting at home and at the House of Palettes. We spent six months just to get the ambience right; the kind you don’t get at home. At home you are alone; here you are painting with myriad people. Moreover, we have an in-house artist to teach you. There is music playing in the background to help in the artistic endeavor,” informs Rahul. The studio is open on Sundays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The first booking starts from 12 noon until 5. If you are going as a group, pre-booking is a must.  23 people can be accommodated at a time. The required materials - colours, brush and tutor are provided by the studio. An array of the sizes of canvas is available. For Rs 1500 you get all of the above and get to take your masterpiece home. For the wine and food, you have to pay separately. They have collaborated with Evoke Café and Bistro for the food. It has been an incredible two-year journey for House of Palettes. “In the beginning, we aspired to go big, but once you start, you realise that it takes a lot of determination, and doing business is not easy,” remarks Deepa. “There are times we feel disappointed when less people show up, but the next morning we are revitalised. Customer happiness is of prime concern. Eventually, we believe, our endeavour will make us money. So far we have not spent a penny on promotion. It’s all word of mouth and that we consider to be our biggest achievement,” Rahul shares. The studio was also opened to kids and the response was overwhelming from the number of young Picassos and Van Goghs.“Parents are overjoyed to have a place in which the creativity and imaginative of their children is engaged,” concludes Deepa Agrawal.