Five Ways to Create an Eco-Friendly Bathroom Oasis

Between loads of laundry, endless bottles of toiletries, gallons of water, and small appliances, bathrooms can be major resource hogs. They are also often the most frequently used rooms in the house so, first and foremost, they need to be functional. By making a few simple changes to your bathroom decor you can help reduce clutter and chaos while creating a clean, serene, eco-friendly oasis in your home. 

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1. Bamboo bath mats help keep water away from floors and, unlike solid mats, allow air to circulate to dry them off quickly. Plus, they can be easily rinsed-off in the shower without adding to the laundry pile. 

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2. Air-purifying plants help filter moisture out of the room to keep surfaces fresh and clean. Look for low-light loving indoor plants, or go ultra low-maintenance with a simple air plant hanger.

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3. Beautiful baskets pull double duty as convenient storage containers and decor, minimizing the need for additional clutter on shelves, counters, or floors. 

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4. Quick-dry fabrics like lightweight Turkish-towels are often made of sustainable cotton or bamboo materials and require less time in the washer and dryer. Keep hand towels or washcloths within guest's reach by displaying them in a decorative bowl.

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5. Buy bath products in bulk or DIY all-natural alternatives and decant them into decorative jars to save $$$ and reduce the amount of waste that's produced on a regular basis. Keep makeup or travel-sized items in a pretty pouch that can be easily tossed into a gym bag on the go! 

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Enjoy the process,

Hailey

Four Things to Consider While Souvenir Shopping

One of my favorite things to do while traveling is to visit thrift stores and antique shops. There's something so much more fascinating about wandering through rooms filled with other people's belongings from another part of the world. Maybe that makes me creepy, or just curious, but I have always been a treasure hunter at heart. One thing most humans have in common is stuff and it always intrigues me to see what other people have chosen to part with. Sometimes, if I'm having anxiety about decluttering (I'm equal parts purger and sentimentalist) I'll go to a second-hand shop and look around. Somehow simply seeing the shelves and racks of things that people have gotten rid of gives me motivation to donate the things we don't need anymore, as well as buy less, much less, in the future. 

Our own house is a small two-bedroom bungalow and hasn't changed much in terms of decor since we moved in, but I am always on the hunt for beautiful and unique items to add to the Habitation Co. shop. On our recent trip to South Africa we took a drive along the Eastern Cape through the eclectic harbor town of Kalks Bay and discovered a row of antique shops that blew me away. The first shop we went into almost completely did me in- from a huge copper bathtub, to the Edmond Fortier print of the Senegalese woman smoking (above), to the mid century end tables, I was seconds away from ordering a shipping crate. In hindsight, I probably should have. There's nothing worse than having non-buyer's remorse, especially while shopping abroad. Since this has come up a few times on my recent trips, I wanted to share a few tips on minimizing non-buyer's remorse while traveling.

I spy our "Swazi Girl" Tretchikoff Pillow! 

My main reasons for hesitating while shopping abroad seem to be that I am simply overwhelmed with the selection or unsure if I'll find similar items at a better price point once I've gotten more familiar with the country or culture. Everything feels so foreign and exciting at first glance. To try to minimize my non-buyer's remorse on a tight traveling schedule and budget, I take a few different factors into consideration:

1. Where did I find the item? Obviously, if I'm shopping in a large market targeted at tourists, the likelihood of me coming across similar items at varying price points throughout my trip is pretty high. If I am in a small shop, art gallery, or sidewalk market chances are really good that the merchandise is better quality, more unique, and at a higher price point so if I really love something, I usually go for it. Honestly, I would rather worry that I slightly overpaid on something super unique than spend my vacation trying to hunt down a similar item or better deal.

2. Who made it? Our world is big, but I am always amazed at how many times I've picked up something while traveling and discovered it was made back in the US, or even in my own state. Alternatively, I've taken a business card or photo of a tag while traveling, in hopes of buying it later, only to find out that the artist/company doesn't ship overseas or have a website. If you find something amazing that is made locally, especially while traveling overseas, my advice is to buy it because the logistics of trying to buy it or order it again may be nearly impossible.

3. What's the backstory? This is rarely my motivation for buying something, but the general mentality behind souvenirs is that it is less about the actual object and more a memento of a time, place, and experience. The thing with most souvenirs is that the thrill of buying them fades quickly after the trip is over and the people you give them to aren't as interested in the item itself as in the stories of why, where, and how you acquired it. I would say, in general, try to avoid impulse souvenir buys at airports or major shopping centers, and instead look for simple tokens or uniquely beautiful or useful items that serve as a physical connection to the person or place you bought it from. For instance, the simple teak rolling pin I bought for my mother-in-law at an open-air market in India is practical and has a unique story behind it.

4. Would I buy this back home? Some of my very favorite and most-used souvenirs are more subtle- like a vintage dress from a consignment shop in New Zealand or a scarf in India. By looking at them, you'd never know where they come from but it's fun to be able to tell a unique story when people ask "where did you get that?!". On the other hand, a more overt purchase- like a beaded kudu head from South Africa or embroidered pillow from Guatemala, speaks for itself. If you would likely buy it back home if you saw it in one of your favorite stores, buy it while you're traveling, because chances are you won't find it again, and it will haunt you in photos on Pinterest or you'll see similar items pop up in stores a few months later but they won't compare to the original. 

Happy travels and successful treasure hunting on your next adventure! 

Hailey

Our Process: Starting from Scratch

Perhaps the most difficult question to ask an artist about their work is "how long did that take you to make?", because in many ways, the process cannot be defined by minutes, but rather has been evolving long before there was any physical evidence of its existence. Like many creative projects, this business has been developing over time, and in ways, without a defined beginning, but has finally grown into a small yet tangible object - a place, a thing, a process.

For a decade, Habitation Co. was simply an idea, nameless and nebulous, like a liquid that conformed to whatever shape it was temporarily poured into. I only knew that I wanted to eventually start my own business and create a product or place that would connect and empower people. As the idea was mulled over and refined, it became clear that my ultimate goal was some type of shop, but I quickly got lost in the logistics, worrying about the where, what, when, and how to make it happen. Last summer I (finally, stubbornly, excitedly) realized that there would never be a perfect time to make this dream a reality and the longer I waited to have enough money, time, resources, or experience, the less time, and momentum, I would potentially have to devote to something new.

Over the last few years, I had tested out various names and taglines in my head, envisioning logos and business cards for imaginary businesses, often doing a web-search for available domains but nothing stuck. I remember being at home one day last summer when the word "habitation" came to mind. I looked up the definition: "(n) the process of living in a particular place, a place in which to live. a home" and I knew in an instant that it was the name of my future business. 

While starting a business on any scale has its own set of benefits and challenges, I realized that if I wanted to start this business quickly and with limited resources, I would need to consider an alternative to the brick-and-mortar shop on an adorable city block that I had daydreamed about. Although I have been a longtime follower of small online shops, starting and operating a web-based business was (is) somewhat foreign territory for me. Instead of merchandising shelves, setting the tone with music and lights, and punching numbers into a register, I am creating a shop, and telling a story, from behind a screen. While my hope is to someday have a physical store, this space will always be the place that Habitation Co. will call home. 

So far, sourcing products and adding them to the shop has been an exciting and enlightening journey and finally being able to share this first chapter with you is the greatest reward. I am so grateful for your support and enthusiasm during these first few weeks as I have navigated the wild world of setting up shop, and I can't wait to see how Habitation Co. continues to grow and evolve in this space and beyond.

Thanks for being a part of our process!

Hailey