The search for a home that truly feels like our own often leaves people feeling overwhelmed by choice or confused about where to start. ‘What does this art mean?’ is a question many evade, merely because the world of art and deep meanings has never felt accessible enough to embrace.
During her experience of working in art galleries across the globe, co-founder of the Discerning Palette, Saira Kalimuddin, felt like the process of buying, collecting and understanding art was an “exclusive thing”.
She added: “It was always very much targeted at people who have lots of money or have big homes. The language around art was also always full of jargon.”
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A few paintings, according the founders of the Discerning Palette, can add new depths to any room in your home
Saira recalls the themes of advice many seniors gave her while working in art galleries: “If people don’t look like they’re gonna buy a piece, then don’t bother having a conversation.” She knew that when she started her own business, it would be structured around “about making art accessible”.
Founded in early 2020, the Discerning Palette was co-founded by Saira, who lives in Bristol along with her childhood friend from Singapore, Shanti Davamoni. The idea initially was to source artworks from Europe and the UK and ship them to customers in Singapore, a starting point that soon snowballed into a bigger, better and global approach.
The duo wished to target people who had “no idea” about what art was and hopefully reel them into its beautiful realms so they could “realise the joy the art can bring”. Soon, Saira started sourcing artworks in the UK, photographing them and uploading them to their website.
However, it was more than just photographs that a prospective buyer would see: “We photographed the artworks in a way where it showed how you would add it to a space. It would be like giving you an example of how you can add it to your interior or like the simple scale of it.
“Every listing for every art piece that we sold would come with a description that we wrote ourselves and wasn’t full of jargon. And if we do use any hard terms, we try to explain them below.”
Saira and Shanti are hopeful of breaking the clutter by simplifying terms like ‘canvas on stretcher’ and explaining technical aspects like the difference between an original and a print. The idea was to convert someone completely uninterested in art into an art lover.
Saira, during her chat with Bristol24/, shared useful starting points for anyone looking to populate their home with new art.
“First of all, I’d always ask the person how do you want the space to make them feel. There are generalisations that people make about different spaces in a home, but I don’t think that’s true for everyone. And then it’s about fitting in with the other pieces of furniture and objects that you have in your room. If you’re starting with a blank slate, then a really nice thing to do is choose an art piece that in one way or another connects with you. You can then use the piece of art and the colour palette that’s already in it for the rest of your room.”
Saira had a special set of advice for renters, looking to fill their walls with art: “Instead of hanging a piece of art, you could pop it up. If you have a shelf, you could lean the painting against the wall. You could have a mini easel. If the piece is not too heavy, you can look at using command strips.”
In the world of Picasso, Van Gogh and M.F. Hussain lovers, the Discerning Palette is determined to reshape the narrative by bringing in art pieces from lesser-known, small artists. By reaching more people, Saira and Shanti are ensuring that art serves its true purpose of bringing happiness into people’s lives.
This article first appeared in the Bristol24/7 September/October 2025 magazine, which also features an autumnal cover designed by Mikey Please
All photos: The Discerning Palette
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