For years, my version of “home with soul” was a graveyard of impulse ‘fuck it I’m on holiday’ buys: chipped ceramics from Istanbul, embroidered fans I never used from Bali, and a carved wooden elephant I definitely didn’t need from a market in I can’t remember where. I thought I was building a home that told stories. What I was actually building was a shrine to every regrettable holiday market purchase I’d ever made.
Eventually, I stopped buying for the memory and started choosing things I’d actually want to live with. Spoiler alert: that meant letting go of anything that gave me post-travel-guilt, and leaning into slow, intentional pieces, and not the souvenir that gets Bridget Jones stuck in a Thailand prison singing ‘Like a Virgin’ with inmates.
Here’s how I made the shift - and how you can too.
The Illusion of the “Authentic” Market Find
You know the drill. You’re in the souks of Marrakech, high on mint tea and the fact you’re OOO, and suddenly everything looks handmade and special. Until you bring it home, realise the colours clash with your sofa, and clock that your “artisan-made” rug smells faintly of polyester and disappointment.
Most of what’s sold to travellers isn’t about cultural preservation, it’s like airport-adjacent consumerism. Real sustainable homeware isn’t an impulse buy. It’s a choice made with context, respect, and preferably no haggling over a fake Berber pouf you didn’t even want.
How to Create a Home Inspired by Your Travels (The No Clutter Edition)
1. Trust Your Taste, Not the Market Hype
The rule is simple: if every market stall has the same version of it, it’s likely not handmade. But you know this already! So here’s the solution: try sourcing from brands that collaborate directly with artisans and make sure you can trace the story behind the piece. The process matters as much as the product.
2. Don’t Collect. Curate.
Let one or two pieces speak for a whole trip - a handwoven wool rug in rust and charcoal from the Atlas Mountains, or a single soapstone tray carved by a maker in Kigali. The rest? They will just have to be ‘the one that got away’.
3. Form Follows Function, Always
One of the biggest mindset shifts: choosing pieces I’ll use every day. A handblown piece of glassware that’s become part of my morning routine feels more connected to my memories than a shelf of unused, impractical trinkets. Utility = more connection.
4. Know What You’re Supporting
If a brand can’t tell you where something is made, how it’s made, and who made it, ask yourself if you want it in your home. Transparency is the baseline. If it’s vague, it’s probably mass-produced. If it’s truly ethical, the details are generally part of the story.
Where to Find Ethical and Sustainable Homeware
We’ve found a handful of go-to European sources for sustainable products for you and your home that you can order online:
The Artisan Lab (Spain) - Colourful, handcrafted homeware that balances tradition and modern design.
Bitossi (Italy) - Bitossi’s home decor items are eclectic but not in a ‘that’s a bit too much’ kind of way, by combining traditional craftsmanship with a modern aesthetic
GUR (Portugal) - Handwoven rugs made in Portugal using randomly chosen recycled materials from textile factories
Maison Numen - Focused on preserving cultural history, they offer artisan home decor from a statement centrepiece in iconic Barro Negro from Oaxaca, to modern ceramics crafted in England with traditional Japanese techniques
Iittala ****(Finland) - Known for their sustainable approach to manufacturing, Iittala offers a range of home decor items, including handblown glass tumblers, designed by Jasper Morrison
Vita Kin (Ukraine) - A fashion label known for its colourful and intricate embroidery on modern clothing pieces, employing ancient artisanal techniques
Muzungu Sisters - Founded by Dana Alikhani (Iranian) and Tatiana Santo Domingo (Brazilian-Colombian), they produce handmade clothing and accessories, working with artisans across four continents
Daphnis and Chloe (Greece) - Artisan herbs and spices sourced from Greece’s islands and mountains
Your Home Should Tell Your Story
This shift to ethical sustainable homeware isn’t to instil perfection. It’s about moving from knee-jerk consumption to conscious curation.
Now when I bring something home, it’s because I know where it came from. I know how it was made. And I know exactly where it will live. That, to me, is the real definition of a meaningful space.
No panic buys. No ragrets. Just a home that feels like me, and the places I’ve loved.
