Pillows that Pop!

Each pillow Sarita Krishnamurthy (BS ’97) makes has a story that begins in India.

Although she has visited India more times than she can count since she was 1½ years old, Krishnamurthy didn’t begin collecting fabrics for pillows until 2014 while perusing local artisan shops in Mumbai with her mom.

“[The textiles] were just perfect,” said Krishnamurthy, the secretary of the Rocky Mountain Gator Club®. “They were like little pieces of candy. I was just drawn to them, and so I gathered enough to make four pillows out of each.”

Krishnamurthy owns Denver’s In.De Interior Architecture and Design and works with clients to design their dream spaces. The pillow project, however, fulfills her desire to give back to her community.

Shadhika, a Denver-based nonprofit organization that provides educational resources to girls and women in India, receives 30% of all pillow sale profits. The pillows are priced from $155 and either sold to clients or through Krishnamurthy’s Etsy shop.

“A big part of why I do this is to support the nonprofit,” said Krishnamurthy, whose parents came to the U.S. from Mumbai when she was a child. “It’s fun to create these beautiful pillows, but being able to help young women find their strengths through education is really important to me.”

In November, Krishnamurthy made her most recent trip to India to collect the unique fabrics during Diwali, the Festival of Lights. The hustle and bustle of Mumbai was akin to New York City – with about two million more people, she said.

It was her first time searching for textiles during the holiday, and she returned to the United States with enough fabric to make 40 to 50 pillows. The colors she found during the holiday were exceptionally vibrant and playful.

“There’s a different energy in the air,” she said. “It’s like Christmas here (in America).”

Krishnamurthy knows which textiles will work when she sees them, and the pillows reflect both her creativity and her heritage.

She plans to return to India in 2025 for more textiles. Until then, she has a trip lined up this year to visit her brother-in-law in Korea.

“You never know,” Krishnamurthy said. “Maybe I’ll explore Korean textiles this year.”