Tag: tk maxx

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Design Homewares Shopping

Ethical homewares brands: Amy’s top six!

One Another

In the context of Marie Kondo, the unbridled purchasing of cheap, mass-produced homewares seems a little out of step at present and just as people started to think harder about ‘fast’ fashion, many people are turning to more ethical options for their homes. From woven baskets to rugs and cushions, here are our picks of the most stylish yet ethical homewares.

Oon: Working with a team of Nepalese artisans, Sydney based homewares label Oon is committed to fair working conditions for its makers while contributing to the social and economic wellbeing of their communities. From rugs to cushions, baskets and throws, the brand’s products are made from natural, eco-friendly, renewable materials.

Oon

Oon

Oon

TK Maxx: A new look for the brand, TK Maxx has just launched a new Uganda homewares collection comprised of colourful handmade baskets and bowls made by remote communities in Western Uganda. The exclusive range is part of TK Maxx’s initiative to help disadvantaged families increase their incomes.

TK Maxx

TK Maxx

Klaylife: We’ve sung the praises of Klaylife before and it’s definitely one of our favourite ethical homewares brands. Initially, the clay beaded chandeliers were crafted exclusively by a community of South African artisans whose lives had been impacted by HIV but over time, as the brand’s popularity has grown, more and more women with differing circumstances have joined the team.

Photography by Armelle Habib and styling by Jacqui Moore
Photography by Armelle Habib and styling by Jacqui Moore
Photography by Armelle Habib and styling by Jacqui Moore
Photography by Armelle Habib and styling by Jacqui Moore

Amigos de Hoy: Gorgeous designs aside, the Amigos de Hoy rug and cushion line-up is also accredited by Good Weave International which gives customers peace of mind that no child labour was used in the making of the range. And by purchasing the brand’s homewares you are supporting programs that educate children while ensuring decent work for adults too.

Image photographed by Armelle Habib and styled by Julia Green and Noel Couglan for Greenhouse Interiors
Photography by Armelle Habib and styling by Julia Green and Noel Couglan for Greenhouse Interiors
Styling by Sarah Ellison

One Another: With backgrounds in graphic design, photography and fashion, Rick and Annette Carter combined their love of design with artisanal techniques to create their homewares label One Another three years ago. Since launching, the duo have expanded to working with collectives located in India, Nepal, South Africa, Uganda and Central America, helping provide safe, stable employment with fair pay to over 60 artisans.

One Another

One Another

Oh Happy Home! “Ethical trading has always been at the forefront of my mind. I’m conscious of fast fashion and fast homewares and I always want to do whatever I can to support the maker and the weaver,” says Amy Eaton of the decision to launch her ethical rug label Oh Happy Home in 2017. On-trend designs aside, we love Amy’s commitment to fair trade – something that sets it apart from many of its competitors. The company is partnered with Good Weave International too.

Oh Happy Home! rug

Oh Happy Home! rug

How to buy contemporary Aboriginal art in an ethical way

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Homewares

How I styled my home with TK Maxx’s latest Indian homewares

Sponsored by TK Maxx Australia

First of all, please get rid of any preconceived, clichéd ideas you have about Indian homewares! As this post will prove, all manner of styles and colours of homewares now come out of India and, thanks to their massive buying power and unique business model, TK Maxx can tap into this. During February, their stores are full of beautiful and interesting pieces from this exotic country. Keen to show how these pieces can work in any style of home, I popped into my local store (Chatswood) and selected some pieces (it was hard to know where to stop!) to have a play with at home.

Everything on these shelves, bar the books, is from TK Maxx, priced from $9.95 to $16.95. Amazing!

If you’re not familiar with TK Maxx (they’ve been in Australia for less than a year, but in America and Europe for ages, and I was a regular shopper in the UK), they’re all about selling big brands at small prices. Not only that, but they can bring in quality fashion and homewares from all around the globe. I personally think it is one of the best places to buy expensive-looking decor that’s different to what everyone else has (and we have become guilty, as a society, of buying the latest mass produced stuff, so our homes are starting too look a little too similar!). You don’t go to TK Maxx with a plan; you go with an open mind and in the mood to search for the perfect cushion/pair of shoes/mirror/jeans you never knew you had to have!

This wool rug is just $29.95

The favourite items I’ve found in store are decorative objects; you know, those beautiful things that have no real purpose other than to look nice?! It’s also great for cushions, throws, smaller rugs and photo frames. And there are plenty of examples of all of these in the latest handmade Indian drop. I’d describe my own interiors as classic and colourful with a modern edge. I’m not really a neutral girl and I love gold accents. I found plenty of things that worked with my existing pieces and love that they look like I could have collected them over the years.

I’m a sucker for navy. I love the animal print cushion ($29.95) and box ($9.95) which fit right in in my bedroom! The timber frame is just $6.95, the brass ornament $9.95 and the beaded cushion $39.95.
These perspex and brass bookends are a favourite of mine and a steal at $16.95 each

I have the largest shelving unit ever in my lounge room and I’m always looking for things to fill it (I sometimes call it Jen’s homewares store!). My impressive collection of design books aside, it is all about the decorative and the odd framed photo. I loved adding my TK Maxx goodies to this display and found they worked really well.

The details and fabric of these three cushions ($29.95 to $39.95) are very high quality.
There were lots of single and multiple hooks to choose from and they could be used for so many things. This was just $9.95.

I enjoy making an effort for dinner parties and I loved the placemats, napkins and tea towels (does anyone else have tea towels they keep for best/display? Yeah, I thought so!) I found. They worked really well with my existing gold cutlery.

Placemats ($29.95), tea towels ($9.95) and brass ornament ($9.95)

What struck me about all my picks was the amazing quality for the price. You really can’t beat it, especially when you’re looking at handmade and therefore one-off pieces. There was a really eclectic mix too, rather than one or two particular looks.

I tried this rug in the dining room too and I love the brass ornament ($9.95) and beaded linen cushion ($39.95) on the buffet.

TK Maxx’s huge product range includes fashion for women, men and kids, shoes, accessories, luggage, beauty, toys, lingerie and homewares for every room. Opportunistic buying and a no frills operation means they can pass significant savings onto customers. The average TK Maxx store receives several deliveries per week with thousands of new items arriving on shop floors, meaning stock is consistently fresh. This creates the treasure hunt shopping experience they’re known for.

I hope you like my picks and how I styled them. Have I inspired you to pop into your local off-price department store TK Maxx and see what it’s all about? I promise, you won’t regret it!

So, don’t hang around! Visit your local store to see what Indian treasures they have, as stock won’t last long!

Find your local store.

Categories
Homewares

My new homewares shopping obsession: TK Maxx!

Sponsored TK Maxx

TK Maxx has arrived in Australia and I couldn’t be more excited! You see, I was a regular TK Maxx shopper for years in the UK and loved the thrill of finding a designer bargain. I love how stock changes all the time and you never know what you’re going to find. But that’s half the fun! I basically never bought jeans or sunnies anywhere else!

TK Maxx is huge in Europe and TJX Companies Inc have almost 4,000 stores worldwide. That’s a lot of global buying power! Now Australia has 38 stores since the brand came here in April, buying out Trade Secret (and since converting them) but also opening in four brand new locations. I got to check out the Top Ryde store last week (one of the new stores based on the European stores’ design and layout) and it was just like I remembered from home. As a bonus, the home section (they also sell fashion, toys, kid’s stuff and bath and beauty, luggage, footwear and accessories) was much bigger. Winning!

Check out these gorgeous decor items from about $20

While I was there to join other influencers for a fun gift wrapping workshop with Vivienne Anthon from The Daily Wrap, I must admit I was most excited to check out what was on the shelves, and from a gift shopping perspective, it was fantastic. (The odd gift to self is also allowed at this time of year though, right?!). If you haven’t bought your decorations yet, or you want to add to them, you will find some amazing baubles from Europe at a fraction of the price you’d expect to pay. There were so many beautiful glass ornaments but I dare not buy them with a boisterous toddler in the house. One day…

Just a few of the cushions I discovered!
Expert gift wrapper Vivienne and I

The TK Maxx model works as follows: a network of buyers negotiate deals to buy excess stock from manufacturers and department stores, among others, both overseas and here in Australia, and bring it to stores. Every store will have something different and once it’s gone, it’s gone. Thousands of new items arrive weekly. It only takes four hours for new arrivals to get from delivery to store to the shelves, so you could really visit morning and afternoon and find different treasures! Many of the products are designer labels and the prices are seriously discounted.

Another thing I love about TK Maxx is you’re more than likely to pick up something you can’t find in any other stores, and when it comes to gift giving, this is a great bonus. Who wants to get the same old same old candles (speaking of which, they have lots!)?

Other bloggers and I were given $100 to spend in store and the haul I picked up was crazy: various Christmas baubles, string lights, and two beautiful glass and brass boxes (hello, gifts to self!) for less than half what I’d expect to pay elsewhere. We were then given tips from Vivienne on how to disguise them under the Christmas tree.

I always have the best wrapping intentions but more often than not leave it last minute and end up with a supermarket wrap and sticky tape scenario! But top tip from Vivienne: use double-sided tape! It immediately looks 10 times better! I am inspired to do better this year (watch this space). TK Maxx also have an amazing selection of Christmas wrap and ribbon: again, if you want to be a little different, head here for your wrap as well as your gifts!

For obvious reasons, you can’t shop online, but you an find out more about TK Maxx and your nearest store here.