A Sustainably Styled Home

 

Styling a home with sustainable furniture and accessories can be as simple as making a few informed decisions about what you buy based on the material it’s made from, where in the world it’s come from, and who made it. When looking to style sustainably, longevity is the key word that must really play a role in why you choose something. Our throw-away culture has seen us constantly update our homes with the latest trends, to only replace these items several months or years later when they are no longer in fashion. In this guide, we aim to help show you how to style your home with sustainable materials, with a view to keeping your well-loved pieces for as long as their lifespan. We don’t support mass-produced or trend-led products, instead we ensure that each piece is lovingly handcrafted and designed to last a lifetime. 

 

Tell a story with reclaimed furniture

The beauty of reclaimed furniture is that it instantly adds character to a home. Each piece comes with a story, where it has been carefully repurposed and given a new lease of life. Celebrate this by making it a focal point of your room, like our Chakala Coffee Table made from a reclaimed wooden herb grinder, which was once a traditional feature in Indian everyday life.

 

 

Choose natural materials

Use natural materials for a timeless aesthetic that never goes out of style. The soft patina of wood against the tactile finish of handwoven jute rugs compliments one another beautifully, allowing you to simply update your home with accessories that add character and style to your living spaces. Choosing which materials is key to maintaining a sustainable home. Certain materials such as jute and hemp are known for their hardwearing and eco-friendly properties, and serve well as rugs due to their longevity. Many of our pieces, including cabinets, armchairs, and lanterns, are crafted using mango wood. It's a fast-growing material where once the farmers have harvested the fruit, the trees can then be felled and used to create furniture and accessories and sold to generate further income.

 

 

Recycle and re-use

Choosing pieces that are made using recycled materials is a suitable way to reduce over-consumption. Much of our glassware is made using recycled glass, where the original glass is crushed and melted down, then reshaped using moulds or handblown into the lighting, glassware and vases we sell today. Style with soft furnishings that use recycled yarns, like our Mika and Mahina cushion covers and throws that use PET plastic which is spun into cotton-like yarns to create wonderfully soft cushion covers and throws.

 

 

Support fair trade

Learning about who made the pieces that sit proudly in your home is all part of the process of shopping ethically. By supporting fair trade projects, you’re helping to reduce the number of mass-produced factory items that are consumed and instead support individuals from around the world to keep artisan skills alive, whilst giving them a fair wage. Our Mali pottery is handmade near Pondicherry in India as part of a fair trade project. The project was established in 1985 to provide training and secure employment for men and women both able bodied and disabled, from disadvantaged backgrounds. The scheme now employs 40 people and focuses particularly on empowering women in the work place. You can read more in Mali Pottery – The Story.

 

 

Celebrate traditional skills

Celebrate the beauty of handmade by supporting local artisans who have honed their skills over generations. Not only does this give you a lovingly handcrafted piece that has character and unique style, it also supports artisans in rural communities keep their long standing traditional techniques alive and gives them a livelihood while doing so.