Good news on the home front

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Sustainable materials and practices are now top of mind when it comes to personal care and decor products.

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Have you heard enough sad stories about the damage COVID-19 has done to independent businesses? I’m happy to report, then, that a handful of the lifestyle brands I’ve described on the pandemic are doing well, thank you.

All, by the way, are run by women who recognize superior design, all have a strong online offering, and all favor sustainable material and / or practices.

Colombian textile entrepreneur Sheryn Saab had just launched the bed and bath linens brand. get olderwww.envello.com when COVID-19 hit. He quickly won fans over with designs like striped chambray sheets and duvet covers woven in Portugal from long-staple cotton, especially in cheery yellow.

Now Saab turns its attention to the old linen fabric, which it makes from a 100% flax plant. Linen consumes less water and energy than regular cotton, and is biodegradable and recyclable, Saab says. As a bonus, it becomes softer with use and washing.

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The colors have again been chosen with skill. There is a universally useful Natural option and a soft blush that, depending on the light, comes in as cream, oatmeal, or a delicate rosewater pink. Both work very well with the company’s calico informal sheets in Sage.

Duvet cover set, pillowcases and a fitted sheet are available in the washed bedding. There is no flat sheet, but I’m not sure it’s needed. In hot weather I used the duvet cover that was sent to me as a top sheet / cover.

It worked wonderfully as such; linen is breathable and moisture wicking to keep you cool and dry. When the night temperatures drop, I’ll insert a comforter into the cover and add the sage top sheet.

Designed by Saab and inventoried here, the bedding is made with hand-cut patterns and traditional techniques in northern Portugal, an area with a long and respected history in the textile trade.

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The company strives for ethical and environmentally friendly manufacturing practices and is Oeko-Tex and ISO certified for responsible sourcing, fair wages and safe working conditions.

In Montreal, there is Maison Tess, founded by Laura Nezri Chetrit, one of the first to enter (2017) the bedding market that used a fourth-generation factory in Portugal to produce long-fiber percale cotton and linen sheets. OEKO certified hypoallergenic wash. .

Now it comes Tess livingwww.maisontess.com, a line of homeware with fragrances, accents and tableware for the home designed to add small but meaningful moments to the home.

Terracotta vases handmade in Portugal, for example, are modestly elegant. In slightly textured earth tones of brick, clay or green, they can hold everything from flowers to kitchen utensils, or stand alone as simple sculptural elements.

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Scented candles in glass containers come in Fresh Fig and Eucalyptus fragrances. Made in Montreal from hand-poured soy wax and 100% cotton wicks, they burn for about 50 hours.

Linseed flower scented flax water would make a well-deserved gift for yourself or a thoughtful and affordable gift for a friend.

Founded by Marie-Claude Roulier, Private volwww.volprive.ca is a Canadian brand that manufactures premium travel items, including shawls, blankets, and pillows. As people spun for travel / escape vibes at home, some have become fan favorites. They include an adjustable and weighted meditation sleep mask made from superfine merino wool.

Duckwww.duckish.ca, a Halifax-based women-led skincare company that I described earlier this year, just expanded its line with waterless shampoos, conditioners, and body bars. All are pH balanced and made with ingredients like coconut, rapeseed and essential oils, cocoa butter, and plant-based moisturizers. Carton packaging reduces plastic waste.

Finally, the young girls who run Everistwww.helloeverist.com They are preparing to launch a 100% vegetable bath gel concentrate on the market. They suggest combining it with their Konjac sponge, ideal for a gentle yet effective and fully compostable exfoliation.

There now, don’t you feel a little better?

Vicky Sanderson is the editor of Around the House, www.aroundthehouse.ca. Check him out on Instagram @ athwithvicky, on Twitter ATHwithVickyand
at facebook.com/ATHVicky.