Woven Travels Blog
Now We Are FIVE
It feels like only yesterday that we were sat here with mugs of tea, scribbling down ideas for our fourth birthday blog post and here we are, surrounded by baskets (what's new..?!) as we prepare a pop up shop space at our new HQ in Chipping Norton - though more on that later. Our fifth year of basket selling has seen more big changes for The Basket Room, so here's a whistle-stop tour of the last twelve months in our wonderful woven world...
COME AND VISIT OUR BASKET POP UP!
We are extremely excited to announce that next week we will be opening a full-time, bricks-and-mortar basket shop within our warehouse in Chipping Norton!
Teal Crush... For Real
As the days get darker and temperatures continue to drop over the coming weeks as we edge into November, many of us are seeking a deeper sense of warmth and comfort in richer textures and tones. And with ‘party season’ and the cosseting Christmas period just around the corner, slightly decadent, jewel tones like teal, amethyst, emerald green and fuchsia might be finding a place in our homes as well as our wardrobes.
PAINT IT BLACK
… or if you’re not *quite* that daring, keep things interesting by introducing a few dark accents into the home. The #styleitdark interiors trend is one that’s never really gone away in recent years, and now we’re facing down the official end of British Summertime, it feels kind of right to be embracing some of that darkness to create a warm and indulgent home.
Woven Travels in Ghana
“We do not know each other like we know our family or friends, but we are connected by a thread that their ancestors have woven, beginning hundreds of years ago and travelling right through to the present day." Back in December last year, Holly and Camilla took their first trip to Ghana to meet with some of the weaving cooperatives that The Basket Room has partnered with since 2015. Read about their adventure, experiences and memories.
How to be an Eco-Festival Goer!
With so much in the news recently about the environmental impact of festivals – we’re looking at YOU, tent-ditchers - we’re thinking hard about how we can enjoy festival season without placing any unnecessary strain on our land and seas.
TREND ALERT: Mid-Century Maximalism
Mid-century interior style has quite the cult following these days – and with good reason! It’s a retro trend that’s compatible with virtually every type of home, from contemporary apartments to period houses.
Embroidered Motif Baskets – An Intercontinental Collaboration
TREND ALERT: Rust Rose
How Kenyan Women Are Weaving The Future For Gender Equality & Independence
The Greatest Burden. The Least Reward. #SheDeserves better.
This year, the Fairtrade Foundation is telling the stories of female cocoa farmers through its #SheDeserves campaign. We’re delighted to see the spotlight on women for Fairtrade Fortnight since the vast majority of our incredible weavers are female farmers. Like the cocoa farmers in West Africa, our weavers are juggling the demands of family life with the ups and downs of agricultural work and drought – weaving their wonderful baskets when and where they can for a more dignified life.
Give Presents with Purpose
Christmas and Black Friday: forever the cause of a moral dilemma for ethical retail businesses like ours. Encouraging people to quickly and mindlessly buy things they don’t need doesn’t sit well with us at all, but nor are we exactly in a position to demand abstinence when it comes to shopping… we’re a retail business after all!
