Whether you’ve walked past the Khaneh booth at a Qout market or perused the website, something familiar tugs at you. It is the warmth of a Middle Eastern home: stacked cushions, tactile rugs, handmade cups that feel good in the hand. Those of us from the region, register it instantly. It speaks to our roots. That feeling is not accidental. Khaneh, which means home in Farsi, is the passion project of sisters Elham and Fatima Qabazard, who are building an online store that bridges the beauty of contemporary Iranian design with everyday life in Kuwait and beyond.
The sisters have full time jobs, Elham works in HR while Fatima works at a multidisciplinary design studio. They came together and started sharing their vision of a shared dream: a small business that would celebrate the craft and creativity they grew up visiting in Iran with their mother. Family is woven into the business model. A cousin in Iran acts as their on-the-ground partner, checking pieces, confirming orders, and liaising with designers and suppliers so the sisters can bring a thoughtful edit to Kuwait.
Elham and Fatima share the work and the joy of building a brand together. Each one brings her skills, knowledge and ability to the table, and together they form a dynamic duo; Elham handles operations while Fatima, leads curation. They are drawn to young makers and the fresh, contemporary side of Iranian craft that many people have not seen. Most of us know Iran for heritage rugs and traditional techniques. Khaneh shows the wider spectrum. In the rug collection alone, you will find a spectrum of looks, from minimal to riotously colorful. Around the rugs are handmade ceramics, glassware, cushions, and a few unexpected delights, like baby accessories and small objects that carry cultural stories.
The Naser Charm is a character in one of these stories, he is a unibrowed figure who shows up as a cheeky charm. For Fatima, he is a favorite precisely because he is so specific and so familiar. He reminds her and customers of baba or the uncle we all know and adore. He might look stern and serious, but we all know he’s a huge softie in his heart. Elham gravitates to the Khorshid Khanoom cushions, all delicate stitching and clean details, a quiet luxury you can drop on a sofa and feel the room soften. Khorshid Khanoom also appears as a charm and a scented sachet so you can take her with you wherever you go.
Before Khaneh officially launched, the sisters tested the waters with a small shipment. The response encouraged them to scale up. Their first big moment came at last Ramadan’s Qout market in March, where they could see reactions in real time. People of all ages drifted in, surprised to learn that the vivid rugs and modern ceramics were made in Iran. Many told the sisters that the booth felt like home.
As an online store, Khaneh is intentionally light on overhead. The sisters participate in markets when the season allows so people can touch and see the pieces, but the core of the business is digital with worldwide shipping. In Kuwait, they make things easy with an order and return window, a nod to how personal purchasing for the home can be.
Best sellers tell an interesting story. The cups and little shot glasses go quickly, perhaps because a handmade vessel upgrades daily rituals with a small, affordable dose of craft. Rugs also move, including some of the bolder pieces that the sisters thought might be a risk. If there is one recurring challenge, it is scale. Homes in Kuwait skew large, while many of the rugs are produced in modest workshops by women whose own rooms are smaller, which naturally limits the maximum size. Khaneh is addressing this by exploring custom orders for interior designers and architects, and by helping clients layer multiple rugs for a collected look.
There is a clear ethos at Khaneh, a dedication to supporting small and medium-sized businesses and independent artisans. They view their relationship with the people who produce the products they stock, as a collaboration instead of a business transaction. Through thoughtful selection and curation, they want to help their clients reimagine traditional crafts in a modern context while preserving the techniques and skills that are a testament to thousands of years of heritage.
The long-game vision is bigger. A physical space is on the wish list, once the business reaches a point where the cost makes sense. The sisters also see opportunity in wholesale partnerships, styling projects for designers, and capsule collections that translate their curatorial eye into complete rooms. For now, they are building steadily, keeping the focus on quality, story, and service while they grow awareness across the GCC and internationally.
What makes Khaneh feel special is not only the product mix but the point of view. The sisters are not trying to recreate a museum of craft. They are showing how contemporary Iranian design lives today, in color and humor and careful workmanship, and how it can slide into a Kuwaiti living room or travel abroad in a box to London or Doha or Cairo. There is pride in the roots and joy in the remix.
That joy shows up in small details. A cushion that looks hand-drawn but is crisply stitched. A rug whose palette surprises without overpowering. A keychain that starts a family story. These are the pieces that make a home feel personal. And perhaps that is the quiet thesis of Khaneh: good design is not about collecting objects for the sake of it. It is about choosing a few things that carry meaning, made by people you know a little bit about, and placing them where you will touch them every day.
Khaneh began as a passion project. It still is. But it is also a practical, growing business run by two sisters who divide tasks, share vision, and keep each other in the loop. They are building a brand on warmth and trust. They are opening a window onto a creative scene that deserves to be seen. And they are inviting all of us to make our homes feel more like us, one considered piece at a time.
Add something beautiful that was made with love and an artisan’s skillful hands today by visiting khanehstore.com. Follow @khaneh.store for a regular dose of beautiful handmade pieces that will add beauty and joy to your scrolling experience.
