How to Buy Artisan-Made, Ethical and Sustainable Homewares While Travelling

The thing that has changed from our early travelling days to now, is that the pieces we now choose to bring home - also bring home their story and meaning. .

While we have always been drawn to seeing a street artist painting and choosing to take home one of their pieces, or watching as an artisans hand carves wooden bookends with incredible detail and ease, we didn't originally stop to think about anything more beyond that piece. 

Now, as we have experienced more and continue to travel more, we have started to spend time learning about the artisans, their culture, what the country itself is historically known for producing, and who it is behind the hands that make each piece. 

You might be surprised to know that even in smaller countries where their 'retail' is a nightly market - not all of the pieces sold there are made or from that country. In fact, many import and export from one another. 

So if you've ever wondered how to buy authentic artisan-made homewares while travelling, we hope this guide helps. 

Locally Made or Imported 

This one might not worry you if you find a piece you adore, or know the country or origin is not a place you see yourself getting to. We also don't disagree with purchasing items imported, as it does go back to helping those running their business and providing for their family. 

One of the easiest ways to know if a piece of homewares is locally hand made is to simply ask. We find so many people are welcoming and open to letting you know where the pieces are from. In fact, those that import are proud to talk about their business and where they source their homewares or furniture pieces from. 

Another is to look at the type of shop you are buying from, and the location of it. Often in high-tourist areas you will find brick and mortar stores that will import pieces from other countries and often be there for other reasons such as fitting our resorts and private villas - with the tourist market being secondary to that. 

Our tip here is to travel around to remote villages and towns. Or, visit those local nightly markets and see if there are multiple stalls selling the same wares - are they in bulk and piled high? Chances are they are imported.

Look for an artisan behind their stall, hand making the pieces they are selling. This also gives you the chance to learn about them, how long each item take to make, the materials, where they learned the skills from - spend time learning, even if you do not choose to purchase anything. 

The History of Materials

This one can be done before you depart for your trip and one we choose to spend time doing while we are deciding on the regions or areas we will visit. 

Simply searching for the history of traditional homewares, handmade crafts or artisans skills in the country you are visiting will give you a pretty clear idea of what that country was known for, or, if they have in more modern times, begun focusing on new materials and skills that they export to the world. 

While we don't only choose pieces made from materials that date back, it does give more depth to any pieces you do decide to pick up while on your travels. 

For example, Thailand is known for their rich Thai Silk and Thai silver. These days, the silver is mostly found in jewellery pieces and Thai artists have evolved to be incredibly talented painters and artists with a brush - so you may shift your focus to purchase an art piece directly from an artist you watched paint it, rather than buying a piece of jewellery just because of the history.

Sustainably Made Homewares

Finding out if a piece is sustainably made, and materials are sourced sustainably from local resources, is another one that can often be as simple as asking the artisan themselves.

If you come across any pieces made from natural materials like wood, grass or even hemp, asking how the materials are harvested and if they a regenerative is also a quick and easy way to answer this question. 

In saying that, language barriers and time if you're in a busy area, can sometimes be a roadblock here. So, take the time to search online for the material and country and if is it a plant that is naturally found in that area, and if harvesting it actually has environmental benefits. 

Our learnings here have been that local artisans choosing to hand make pieces only take what they need - and this is over a slow period of time. After all, they have to hand craft each piece so unlike mass-produced items made by machines, they have a limit of how much they need and can use of that natural resource. 

We have also learned that by them using natural materials, it positively impacts their environment which they also need to ensure remains healthy to continue to support their way of living. For example - in Indonesia, Mendong Grass is a sustainable materials harvested from local waterways to help stop this grass blocking water flow and other vegetation from growing. 

Another way to ensure your wares are sustainable, is to consider how you will use them in your home. Is it a piece you can see yourself having for a long time, through any changes to your current style? Is it a piece that you could adapt when your taste inevitably changes, or, one that fits your lifestyle with pets, kids or however you personally design your lifestyle at home? 

Ethical Homewares & Décor  

Making sure the artisanal homewares you choose to purchase are ethical can definitely be a little tricker to find out - and this does all come back to where you are choosing to buy them from. 

If the pieces have been imported, then you know you are supporting the local artisans who have setup a business, but, you don't know the conditions the people who are hand making them, are living in. 

By choosing to buy a piece that you know has been personally made from the person you are buying it from, or at least a member of their family that you have learned everything about those pieces from, you can close the gap. 

Another way we like to ensure the support we give to global artisans is ethical is by not bartering. Unless culturally it's seen to be rude not to, this has never been something that has sat right with us.

If you want to stick to a budget during your travels then we would recommend sitting and listening to the artisans stories - and not trying to reduce their costs down so far that it's insulting to them and their work. A simple reminder here is to think about your own work and time that has gone into building your skills - then some stranger coming along and telling you it's not worth what you are asking for it.

We need to celebrate the generations of skills before each artisans today, who choose to make things the hard way; who choose to make things by hand.

So whether we are purchasing pieces from like-minded businesses or directly from local Australian artisans, we use these areas as a guide to ensure our home remains full of stories, culture and reflects our values.  

We hope these tips during your own travels help to bring home pieces that live with you and add to your home for many years to come. 

Or if your passport is tucked away for now, there are still meaningful ways to bring the spirit of travel and artisan craftsmanship into your home. From ethically made homewares and handmade décor, to natural materials like linen, silk and cotton, every piece in our collection is sourced from real artisans around the world. Thoughtful, slow-made, and full of soul, our home décorpieces are chosen to live with you, for years to come.