This weeks AU Edit centres on how to best look after marble, travertine, glass, linen, onyx and sheepskin. Treat investment pieces correctly and they will grow more beautiful with age and last for years to come.

A Rainbow of Marble

The formation of marble is metamorphic; carbonate minerals subjected to enormous amounts of heat and pressure transform into a stone that – in its purest of forms – is completely white.

Ruscha Keramik – West German Art Pottery

The most appealing ceramics have one thing in common: each object starts as an experiment in clay at the hands of a potter.  This was true of Ruscha Keramik, an integral part of the West German Art Pottery movement, which strove to create new shapes, innovative glazes and vibrant colours, all without the use of moulds.

AU Edit | The Minimalist Home

Minimalist style evokes images of living spaces with restrained colour palettes, simple and uncluttered environments where everything has a use and its own peculiar beauty; rooms that are pared back, uncomplicated and understated.

The objects we place in our interiors aren’t just decorative; they can also teach us much about humankind.  Antique tables or vintage lamps might be selected because of their aesthetic, but such finds come to us already possessing a story of their own and taking a closer look at the provenance of an object teaches us much about the place from which it originated. 

Such is the case with tribal pieces.  Hand made by indigenous communities with expertise passed down through generations, each unique piece is infused with history and culture. Tribal art and crafts not only provide inspiration for our interior spaces, they are also a tangible reminder of ancestry and heritage.

Hand dyed batik, bold geometric fabric patterns, woven baskets, hand carved stools and seats; these are just a few items that can bring tribal elements to an interior.  Raw and organic with a focus on a connection with nature, tribal art and craft can include decorative elements such as shells, feathers, leather and bone inlay. Beading, fringe work and hand stitching is common, as are exuberant flashes of colour, although warm, tones and natural textures remain fundamental.

Thought provoking therefore and beautiful, a tribal home offers the scope to remain minimalist and pared back or more colourful and dramatic.  To see AU’s collection of vintage tribal pieces - including Kuba cloth cushions and hand carved tribal seats - visit www.annaunwin.com 

Lending our interiors resonance and depth, exceptional ethnic pieces are handcrafted using natural materials and unique processes which value ancestral know-how above all else.

Most often made with raw materials and natural colours, the addition of an ethnic piece to an interior helps create a warm and serene space.  But such pieces do so much more than that. 

The result of generations of skill and practice, ethnic objects are rich in character and truly unique. Hand fashioned using techniques that both reflect the natural environment as well as being respectful of it, each has its own story to tell. 

Displaying culturally significant pieces in our homes offers us a way in which we can consider the layers of our own history and heritage.  But it can also be a conduit through which we gain insight into other countries and their peoples, other practices and beliefs. We are thus granted access to the lives of others whilst being permitted to honour our own roots.   

An expression of our own national character - that is, a continuation and a safe guarding of meaningful traditions and rituals – ethnic pieces are also a reminder to open our eyes to new experiences: an invitation, as it were, to learn more, travel more and in doing so, gain insight those different from us. 

Ethnic pieces allow us to be custodians of the past and to decide who we really want to be in the present.

Vintage Leather |

The length of time a material has been used and reused throughout history is a measure of how sustainable it truly is.

Take leather.  What was perfect for the task thousands of years ago continues to be perfect for the task today and the ancient skills and craftsmanship still relied upon to produce this material enable it to retain its centuries’ long, earthy appeal.  Today, manufacturing processes are far more environmentally sound than they once were and production is much more efficient. Leather’s longevity and worth are even more alluring.

Breaking Bread |

A hundred years ago, homes in all parts of the world would possess a dough bowl; a vessel in which dough was mixed, it then also provided a warm place in which it could rise before being baked.  Bowls could be made from any wood as long as it was free from knots and other defects and were commonly handed down through generations.