Home Story | Craft of Use - Sustainable Homedecor

This Still life Story features subtle, stylish, sustainable homeware you won’t want to replace. The real gift of the relentless march of the mass produced high-street, is that it has inspired a return to craft. A return to the connectedness of maker and user. A return to the celebration of heritage and hand-me-downs. Objects whose beautiful functionality sustain your home life as equally as they sustain the livelihoods of their maker.

Because we understand that homewear should last a lifetime, after lifetime, after lifetime, for this editorial we’ve carefully mixed pieces imbued with stories that tell tales you want to keep. We’ve brought together handcrafted objects with vintage finds and hand-me-down family heritage styles. Lovingly hand-crafted and carefully gathered homeware that’s designed to enhance your daily rituals and become part of your personal history; or to be gifted to those you love, treasured and passed down to future generations.

craft of use, art of craftmanship, home decor, still life editorial, Melissa Dora, Nom Living, , Maik London, Silo Studio, Aerende, Lusophile, Oxfam, Kay Minchington Keramik, Charlie Goodge, Luxiders Magazine, Alice Wilby, nachhaltige Haushaltswaren, Handwerk

KAY MINCHINGTON Pottery. Placemats by MAIK LONDON.

Coconut wood Coffee scoop and spoons by NOM LIVING. Striped Tea Towel by AERENDE. Dish by Aerende. Kilner Jar, Stylists own.

Blue and Vintage Glass Vase. Stylists own. Placemats by MAIK LONDON. Ceramic Vase by MELISA DORA.Bowl (used as vase base) by NOM LIVING. Wooden Pot (used as vase base), stylists own.

Cork Egg Cups by LUSOPHILE. Vintage Tea Pot by OXFAM. Coconut wood spoons by NOM LIVING. Placemats by MAIK LONDON.

Ceramic Candle holders by AERENDE. Vintage glasses and bowls by OXFAM. Recycled Wax Candles by RECYCLED CANDLE COMPANY.

Hand blown Tumblers and Botijo by SILO STUDIO.

Sustainable Brands

Melisa Dora. Ceramic artist Melisa Dora specialises in versatile and tactile hand-thrown tableware, glazed in a fusion of vibrant and subtle colour combinations. Working from her own studio, Melissa also teaches workshops and finds that the process of passing on her expertise and passion for making beautiful objects by hand, has in turn informed her work in exciting ways. Melissa’s pieces inspire us to reconnect with craft and her studio workshops offer us an immediate practical way to do so.

Nom Living. Nom Living is a London based design company that works directly with artisans in South East Asia to create sustainable, functional and contemporary objects for the home. Nom take great pride in preserving traditional methods of production that have been passed down generations. Their coconut wood spoons are a perfect example of the inherent individuality and uniqueness that set handcrafted products in a different class from the mundanity of mass produced items.

Maik London. Maik’s philosophy is simple. Beautiful products that are sustainably sourced and ethically produced. Every environmental impact at MAik is considered, from the sustainably sourced wood to the organic cotton. Most importantly they don’t follow pointless trends, meaning their classic geometric shapes stand the test of time.

They manufacture with care, partnering with co-op workers groups and factories that support their staff. And when they dispatch your purchase to you, all the packaging is natural, biodegradable and recyclable. Simple sustainable steps that leave a positive impact.

Silo Studio. Silo Studio is the design collaboration of ex RCA artists, Attua Aparicio Torinos and Oscar Lessing. Their backgrounds in engineering and design inform the core of Silo’s work, which they refer to as ‘Handmade hi-tech’. They aim to discover possibilities that the traditional production line does not see in industrial materials. Their hand crafted, moulded glass tumblers and caraffe’s fuze the textures of glass and textiles to create functional but beautifully striking future classics you’ll never want to part with.

Aerende. Behind Aerende’s carefully crafted products, is a network of support and provision for UK makers who face social challenges and struggle to access or maintain traditional employment. Aerende’s tagline of ‘life-improving homewares’ reflects their commitment to sourcing and designing unique, limited-edition products that will bring joy, beauty and utility to their customers, as well as a sense of purpose, pride and revenue to their makers, via the charities and social enterprises that support them. So not only are they making sustainable products, they are also creating truly sustainable livelihoods for the people who create them. Craft and sustainability hand in hand.

Lusophile. Lusophile carefully select Portuguese brands that combine new technologies and design trends with the country's long history of craftsmanship in textiles, ceramics and cork. Their beautiful Alma Gémea collection is the result of an ongoing collaboration between Amorim Cork Composites and Matceramica. Cork is one of the most sustainable materials for homeware and these egg cups form part of 'The Whistler' range. Located in the Portuguese region of Alentejo, 'The Whistler' is one of the biggest and oldest cork oak trees in the world. And this collection finds an innovative way to bring this sustainable material into your home.

Oxfam. Alongside being a world renowned charity Oxfam, is also well respected as one of the best places to source pre-loved homeware. And for reasons best put down to their beloved position on the local highstreet, they reliability receive a steady stream of our once beloved household gems. For this story we sourced a mix of glassware and tableware from their London stores. But the simplicity and appeal of their often ubiquitous household brick-a-brack is repeated the world over.

Kay Minchington Ceramics. Having fallen in love with ceramics, Kay discovered a local ceramics workshop and hasn’t looked back. Her utility inspired pieces are pure form and function, no fuss. Turning passion into a productive hobby is one of the most sustainable and enduring ways to craft objects for our home. Kay’s carefully considered work beautifully represents the potential creativity you can tap into when dare to explore making. There are hundreds of craft workshops and classes in each town and city near you. So instead of heading for the shops, head to a class and craft something beautiful for your home.

All the labels featured in this Home Story have a commitment to sustainability and a common desire: ethics and aesthetics to co-exist within the modern world.