These low impact, sustainable materials might look ordinary, but they've got magical properties which help you cut down on plastic, waste and harmful chemicals.
Our top surprising materials...
Recycled Paper
The softness of paper is totally ideal for creating structures and patterns for homeware like vases and plant pots, as well as being super lightweight, durable, and biodegradable if left in nature.
The Danish sustainable designers over at Lübech Living reuse all their paper leftovers from their main production, turning it into new paper internally, creating no paper waste in their production and no transport of their waste material.
Check out our Lübech Living collection, including their recycled paper homeware.
Bamboo
Bamboo’s a tropical grass that’s soft and silky with a natural sheen that looks effortlessly sophisticated.
It’s also an uber sustainable, fast-growing grass that needs no fertilisers and self-regenerates from its own roots, so doesn’t need to be replanted. When compared to cotton cultivation, which requires large amounts of water, pesticides, and labour, the advantages are pretty clear.
Shop our organic bamboo bedding here.
Jute
While cotton takes the title of most-produced plant-based fibre, jute is a close second. Jute is a pretty tough fibre and is super resistant to abrasion and stains, making it perfect for all sorts of household favourites like rugs and baskets.
Like all other natural textile fibres, jute is totally biodegradable. Where it really competes with other natural fibres is efficiency as a source of renewable material, being ready to harvest in just 4-6 months. Plus, unlike its less sustainable cousin cotton, jute relies on natural rainfall, rather than extensive and hugely consuming irrigation systems.
Take a look at our jute baskets by Respiin.
Olive Wood
Olive wood is hard, very strong and durable with naturally antibacterial properties that make them ideal for making everything from kitchen utensils to jewellery to soap dishes.
Although olive trees live for hundreds of years, they eventually stop producing wood and are then classed as ancient. The age of the tree helps create the gorgeous unique grain products that make their products so individual, with extraordinary texture and veins.
We love these gorgeous olive wood soap dishes, take a look!
Plant Wax
Renewable and biodegradable plant wax, usually made from soy, rice, coconut and rapeseed, makes a fab vegan alternative to make candles. It’s clean-burning and when mixed with a few drops essential oils can smell absolutely fantastic too, with no need for artificial fragrances.
In the dim distant past, candles made from animal fat were in widespread use, and after that paraffin candles became the norm. Today, as choosing non-toxic and renewable products becomes more popular (dare we say, mainstream?!), plant wax is even becoming the norm.
Check out our plant wax candles.
We hope you enjoyed our quick introduction to five awesome natural homeware materials! Any other surprising homeware materials spring to mind? We’d love to hear all about them! Let us know in the comments below.