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These days my mind is filled with anything home-related. Fo the past two years now my husband and I have been back and forth between England and the USA as we wait on his visa. At the same time, the carriage house we were living in on my parent’s property was infected with mold and needed to be completely redone.
Serendipitously, we are now in the final stages of Matt’s visa and the carriage house is almost back to perfect condition (with some minor aesthetic tweaks that I’m beyond excited about).
I can’t wait to be able to settle down and call somewhere home for a little while.
With us moving back in the next couple of months, it’s now time for the fun part: shopping for the decor. My style has changed a lot in two years, and even then everything we had in the house was outdated. I lived there before meeting Matt and getting married, so it never really felt like “ours”. It’s important to me that when we move back in that it’ll feel homey, cozy, and fit our combined style. I’ve been over there every few days to check on the progress, and the whole time I’ve been trying to figure out the layout. It’s a small space, and there are random nooks and crannies all over the place. But, I think I’m finally getting it down and I can picture the perfect design all in my mind.
I’ve learned and grown so much on my sustainability journey in the past few years, and I really want to incorporate my love for living a sustainable life in the way I decorate our home. We don’t have a big budget, so I will probably end up thrifting some things, but I’ve also been online scouring the web for cute sustainable shops and I have to share with you some of the things I found that I feel like are worth investing in.
And that’s the thing. Sustainability, like anything, doesn’t have to be all or nothing. I think with any movement or thought-pattern, progress is better than perfection. I figure if we can get sustainable pieces of our bigger, long-lasting items that will move with us when we eventually buy our first home, then we’re already ahead of the game. We’re also just repurposing a few things I’ve had for years.
Some of the bigger things that we’d like new (to us) include; a media console, new bed frame, wall hangings, pendant lighting, dining room chairs, coffee table, rug, and some general decor to bring it all together.
I’ve fallen in love with Scandinavian home decor while still keeping with my bohemian/vintage twist, and so that’s kind of the general theme I’m going for in the house. Some of my inspirations include Kristin Johns home, my Pinterest board, and pretty much anything from this blog.
East Fork Pottery
It’s always been a dream of mine to have a handmade pottery set in my kitchen, and this 5-piece monochrome set in Eggshell from East Fork Pottery is at the top of my list. Is it not the dreamiest thing you’ve ever seen?
East Fork designs, manufactures and sells thoughtful, durable ceramic dishware in Asheville, North Carolina. They make their pots with dynamic, iron-rich clays dug from the American South East and colored with glazes formulated and mixed in-house.
For a while, I wanted to branch out and try a different color like Soapstone or one of their limited edition glazes, but I feel like a basic white like eggshell is exactly what I need as the foundation for my home set. And then as I add to it over the years I can get some other contrasting colors to go alongside.
I can already picture morning pancakes served on the plates, a warming dhal in the bowls, and freshly popped popcorn to end the night. In my family, comfort and togetherness have always been shown through food, and I feel like these beautiful pieces will become just as special as what’s eaten from them.
Made Trade
Made Trade is a one-stop-shop for sustainably made goods from home decor, to furniture, clothes, accessories, and lots in between. Made Trade curates the most exceptionally designed, ethically-sourced goods from artisans and makers around the world. They hand select only the best fair trade, heritage, made in the USA, sustainable and vegan products. They also have a focus on celebrating women and POC-owned businesses. A few of the pieces I’ve been eyeing on Made Trade:
In the past, I’ve always had a pretty neutral palette, and then when it comes to rugs and drapes something in my mind goes blank and I somehow find the most unique, colorful pieces that throw off the entire rest of my design. I love how beautifully patterned rugs can be, but am trying to find a balance between something that has taste and is still elegant. I am in love with this beautiful Minna rug. It’s got gorgeous geometric pastel shapes with just a touch of color in the yellow and a subtle tan undertone. The rug was handwoven by a weaving co-operative in Huancayo, Peru, and is the perfect addition to a neutral themed living room.
The storage situation in our house is low to non-existent, so finding stylish yet effective storage solutions is a must for us. I love the natural design of this Masaya & Co dresser. It’s built with sustainably harvested hardwood and 100 trees are planted for each product sold. I feel like this is a piece that would be passed down from generation to generation.
Shoutout to all the Abuelo’s in the world! My grandfather is from Puerto Rico, so we call him Abuelo. When I saw the Abuelo chair, I instantly loved the design and then saw the name and was sold. My Abuelo would love lounging in this. It’s made from solid tropical hardwood and features a handwoven Manila Cotton seat and backrest. Can we say comfort meets style?
Creating a space with a cozy, hygge feel is really important to me. I imagine slow evenings spent with candles burning, essential oils diffusing, and snuggled up watching movies. These candlesticks would look beautiful on the dining table, and would give the perfect hygge vibes.
I am all about mixing neutral pieces with a touch of color. It’s definitely something that you can switch out through the seasons but still keep your space fresh and fun. This Soil to Studio block-printed pillow is made from 100% handloom linen and would be gorgeous as an accent piece. The design reminds me of my favorite sweater brand, Paloma Wool, and it’s linen which would be a nice light texture for summer.
I’m not the gallery wall kind of person, so I thought instead it would be nice to put a fun tapestry above our bedframe. It’ll add some character and elegance to the room. I’ve been on the hunt for tapestries and one that’s in the running is this Conejo and Co Blush Moon Wall Tapestry would be a beautiful addition to our bedroom. I can already picture it hanging there perfectly. Conejo & Co. creates stunning modern tapestries that are hand-painted, designed and assembled by artist and owner Molly Millar Dodge in her studio in Los Angeles, California. Each tapestry canvas is made from Lithuanian flax linen. Flax is one of the most sustainable fabrics produced today — using just a quarter of the water that cotton requires during processing. Linen also requires little use of pesticides (cotton uses seven times more presides than linen) and the linen industry produces very little waste because every byproduct of the flax plant is used.
The Little Market
The Little Market is a nonprofit fair trade shop founded by Lauren Conrad and Hannah Skvarla featuring ethically sourced, artisan-made products. Behind each of their products is a person who created it — and a story.
The Little Market seeks to empower artisans around the world by extending their products’ distribution and supporting sustainable income opportunities. They are committed to upholding the dignity of artisans, celebrating their cultural techniques and traditions, and bringing attention to social justice and human rights issues faced by their communities.
I’ve followed The Little Market since it’s inception and have purchased a few things that I will cherish for a lifetime. They were really one of the first companies I ever heard of to curate fair-trade goods. I specifically love their handmade baskets, beautifully designed pillows, and thoughtfully crafted ceramics.
The Little Market is the place to go for adorable home goods that also serve a greater purpose. I would love to add this pillow and this pillow to my sofa. This basket is beautiful and would be a great place to store my knitting supplies, or in your own place — kid’s toys, extra throws, plants! This serving tray would be lovely on the dining room table. And this throw would be beautiful over the couch.
West Elm
West Elm is just that classic furniture brand we know and love, with a sustainable twist.
Today, 60% of West Elm products support at least one of their sustainability initiatives whether it’s fair-trade certified, sustainably sourced, handcrafted, GREENGUARD gold certified, local makers, and many more.
I love that a big company like West Elm is taking sustainability seriously because it naturally becomes more accessible to a larger pool of people. Someone who might not even know about sustainability can still buy something from a brand they love that also supports the planet. I’m grateful to West Elm for that.
A few of the pieces I’m currently eyeing for my own home are: this mid-century bookshelf to store my cookbooks and plants on near the kitchen, this rattan weave pendant light for the stairwell, and this reclaimed media console for the living room.
Pottery Barn
Like West Elm, Pottery Barn is another furniture giant to incorporate sustainability into their offerings.
Currently, 88% of their cotton is responsibly sourced, $3 million has been paid back to workers through fair trade, there will be 75% landfill diversion across the company by 2021, 42% of wood is responsibly sourced, and much more. Each of their organic, handmade, fair-trade, etc. pieces are visibly marked throughout their site which is super helpful while shopping.
Some things I’m loving are: this beautiful fair-trade coffee table, this fair-trade glass pendant for the dining area, this rattan style bed that’s certified non-toxic, and this reclaimed wood 6-drawer dresser.
Parachute
I feel like Parachute gets so many things right. From their minimalistic yet elegant design approach to high-quality materials, to an easy-to-navigate and beautiful website. The entire process of shopping from Parachute is a dream.
From expert Portuguese craftspeople to a fourth-generation American mattress maker – Parachute’s manufacturers’ craft home essentials using only the finest materials. Parachute’s Oeko-Tex certification means their products are safely made without any harmful chemicals or synthetics. They also partner with the United Nation’s Nothing But Nets campaign to send life-saving malaria-prevention bed nets to those in need.
It’s really important to me that we invest in great quality bedding once we are settled, and Parachute’s bedding is where I’d like to order from. I’ve been eyeing the Linen Venice Set in either white or fog, it’s made in Portugal with 100% European flax. In addition, I’m definitely going to be ordering the cloud cotton quilt and the cloud cotton robe (an early birthday present, perhaps?).
And there you have it, the pieces I’m planning to add to elevate my new/old home. I’m so excited to create a space that is cozy, inviting, and beautifully styled. I’ll keep you updated on how it goes. Tell me: what are three words you’d use to describe your own style?
Always,
