Pears and Figs and their beautiful tones inspire our upcoming colour palette.
Wiggly Lines envoke the strength and directness of bold stripes, but add a touch of softness and organic elements through the curves and waves.
We love monochromes, and will be heavily featuring monochromatic bedsheets and quilt covers for 2023.
Share your thoughts below, or email us at hello@bulbulhome.com.au
]]>Every piece is a story - it is the story of the woman who wove it. It is a laborious, time-consuming task. The baskets are beautiful not just in their material selves, but also in the connection they bring to a world far away.
We hope to continue making a difference in these communities through our 20% profit donation program (learn more).
]]>My younger self was always endlessly fascinated by the history of mass industrial production. I remember a Professor of Industrial History retelling the story of the Ford assembly line, and how the automation of previously handmade items allows great speed, greater precision, and of course - greater consumption - all the while me marveling at the possibilities created from this era of modern industrialization.
Never before in our history have we consumed with such veracity, creating a world where we keep wanting more and more ... it was endless, and it was endlessly exhausting.
At the back of my mind, was the nagging recollection of a different Professor offering the thought that in this whirlwind romance with large scale industrial production, perhaps we lose the true sense of connection we get from a thing made from start to finish by one person, and joyfully collected and treasured by the other.
The True Value of Things?
Fast forward to 2022, and the world is slowly creeping back to the intangible value of a hand-crafted homewares. Interior style is evolving, and I am excited to note it is evolving towards building a calm space, consciously creating greater meaning, and building an understanding of the true value of things. Interior styling trends increasingly value handmade, imperfect, natural and eco-conscious.
For example, Interiors Online notes that we should all be making an effort to "make your home unique by eschewing “fast furniture” and embracing the timeless beauty of artisanal crafted or one-of-a-kind beauties".
Homes To Love (Aus), quotes interiors stylist and founder of Chelon Design, Fiona Gould. "We're also embracing vintage pieces. It's all about treasured investments that tell a story and make a home unique, rather than fast furniture."
Our collection of baskets, mats, and cushion covers is all that - steeped in rich tradition and community.
Bulbul Home is a business with a social mission at it's heart - to create a community deeply connected. The goods we source in our Handmade Corner are made by women in remote, rural, and underserved locations in Pakistan. This is a far cry from the factory assembly floor, and the fast paced urban lives that we know so well.
Every piece is a story - it is the story of the woman who weaved it. It is a laborious, time-consuming task. The baskets are beautiful not just in their material selves, but also in the connection they bring to a world far away.
Our Lotus Baskets are a seamless weave, taking on average one woman 7 days to complete.
Buying from scattered communities is an oft inefficient pursuit, but we value the impact it has. Women who sell their crafts from home are often living in rich cultural traditions which restrict their ability to seek employment outside the home. By buying from them, Bulbul Home empowers these women and offers opportunities of financial independence.
In 2014, CNN covered the basket weavers in Zambia, and how the income allows them to pay for school, medicine and clean water - Basket Weaving Empowers Women.
Very seldom in life do we get the opportunity to have a direct impact on the lives of others. Bulbul Home jumped at the chance to do so.
We hope to continue making a difference in these communities through our 20% profit donation program (learn more).
]]>The Basket Weavers in Bannu - Bulbul Home
The home décor space has been growing significantly in Australia, and we bring in some of the best textile produce from across the world. You may have noticed a growing number of products with the green GOTS label (eg. our Bulbul Cotton quilt cover sets).
Consumers today are more aware of where their products are coming from, and the exciting space of ethical consumerism continues to understand more about the social and environmental conditions in which the product is developed.
We are incredibly excited that the industry is increasingly moving towards an eco-consciousness. The latest interior trends focus on seeking out sustainable options (don't take our word for it - we're collecting a list of interior trend features just for you - coming soon).
The gold standard for textile production is Global Organic Textile Standard. When a product has been labelled as GOTS certified, as a consumer you are assured that the textiles in your home are:
So, in a nutshell, GOTS gives consumers the power to choose truly organic products sourced from a green supply chain.
Keep an eye out for that green tag, because believe us, if a retailer has sourced GOTS certified textile, they are proud and will want to share that with the world.
Like, you know, us! That quilt cover right there - 100% organic cotton, GOTS certified ;)
]]>Pietre Dura is a specialized decorative art, using cut and highly polished gem stones as inlay in hard stones like marble. The art form started in Italy, was supported by the Medicis' and gained a completely new home in Mughal architecture across the sub-continent.
Bulbul Home's pietre dura collections are one-of-a-kind, and we do not plan to ever repeat our designs. We work with an amazing mom-daughter team to deliver our designs into physical products for the home. Meher and her mum have spent the last 11 years building a small workshop and team of extremely skilled artisans who together bring designs to life in awe-inspiring detail.
Meher's team comprises of Afghan refugees and displaced persons around Peshawar, Pakistan - an ancient city close to the border with Afghanistan. Set around the Himalayan mountain range, Peshawar has access to some of the finest marbles and gemstones in the world.
From there, we created a colour palette of gemstones that would come together to build our first collection - Lemon Series. Working on the base of individually sourced white Ziarat Marble, and Black Marbles, we created lemon motifs using Serpentine (which is also used as a healing stone), calcite, and stained onyx. Each piece is individually hand-cut and set it place like a jigsaw puzzle by the master craftsman.
Bulbul Home is proud to be the sole partner with Studio Lel in Australia and New Zealand, bringing something truly unique to Aussie homes.
For more on Meher and her work, please visit her website at: https://studio-lel.com/
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