Living Heritage to Contemporary Design: Reinterpreting Madhubani Motifs for Sustainable Textile and Home Décor Applications

Abstract Madhubani painting, also known as Mithila painting, represents a rich visual tradition in which motifs, colours, symbols and narrative forms have been transmitted across generations. Traditionally associated with the Mithila region of Bihar, the art form has moved beyond its original contexts and has acquired wider visibility through changing materials, markets, exhibitions and contemporary design applications. The study investigates how selected Madhubani motifs can be interpreted and translated into contemporary textile and home décor products while retaining their cultural visual identity. The research connects visual arts, textile design, product development and cultural sustainability. The study argues that such reinterpretation can contribute to cultural sustainability by keeping traditional visual knowledge visible and usable in present-day contexts. At the same time, the paper distinguishes cultural sustainability from environmental sustainability because the source project used cotton-based fabrics and commercially available Fevicryl acrylic colours and did not establish a complete environmental life-cycle assessment. The study therefore positions Madhubani-inspired product development as a pathway for cultural continuity, design innovation, product diversification and future sustainable design research.