Nesting at Home | Meridian Gift Guide

Our Elephant Bottle Stopper is created by a woman-owned, boutique manufacturer in Cape Town, South Africa. Using an eco-conscious production method, the artisans cast each bottle stopper from zinc and coat the exterior of the molded elephant with an antique brass finish. Each purchase empowers our artisan partners in South Africa.

Our Cheetah Bottle Stopper is created by a woman-owned, boutique manufacturer in Cape Town, South Africa. Using an eco-conscious production method, the artisans cast each bottle stopper from zinc and coat the exterior of the molded animal with an antique brass finish. Each purchase empowers our artisan partners in South Africa.

Our Hippo Bottle Stopper is created by a woman-owned, boutique manufacturer in Cape Town, South Africa. Using an eco-conscious production method, the artisans cast each bottle stopper from zinc and coat the exterior of the molded animal with an antique brass finish. Each purchase empowers our artisan partners in South Africa.

Our Giraffe Bottle Stopper is created by a woman-owned, boutique manufacturer in Cape Town, South Africa. Using an eco-conscious production method, the artisans cast each bottle stopper from zinc and coat the exterior of the molded animal with an antique brass finish. Each purchase empowers our artisan partners in South Africa.

Our Banana Bark Basket is the statement basket your shelves, walls, and tables have been waiting for: Handmade by Fair Trade women artisans in Uganda, this basket bowl has endless uses. Place it on a shelf or desk for additional storage, use it on a cocktail table to hold essentials, serve fruit or bread at the dining table, or hang it on the wall using the hand-stitched loop on the back.

Our Banana Leaf Table Runner has been handwoven by Fair Trade rural weavers from Southern India. Woven on a traditional handloom, artisans twist banana fiber strips to create the weft and use yarn-dyed organic cotton as the warp. Based in rural hinterlands, most weavers involved in this enterprise weave as a family tradition from the comfort of their own home.

Historically, a banana plant bears fruit only once in its lifetime. Treated as agricultural waste, remains would head to landfills once the fruit was harvested. Instead, our partners have been able to transform what was once a wasted byproduct into a beautiful and natural handmade craft. Weaving has yielded these artisans a consistent source of income, and fewer members of the family, if any at all, seek casual labor work outside of the home.

Handcrafted from sisal by a Fair Trade women’s cooperative in Rwanda, this drop ornament is a petite and natural addition to your holiday celebrations. Featuring a half white and half natural sisal-colored design, this woven ornament adds some texture to your tree or garland. You can also add it to the ribbon on your gift wrap or use it as a festive tie around your napkins on a table setting.

Our Floating Tealight Holder has been crafted by a family-owned artisan business in the Philippines. Made of fine porcelain china, each piece is made in a long and complex process by a team of skilled artisans.

Cast by a slow and steady, trained hand, the Tealight Holder has been moulded into an organic shape inspired by the hibiscus flower. The hibiscus is a tropical flower known for its large, trumpet-shaped leaves and bright natural colors. Native to Asia and the Pacific Islands, the hibiscus has many cultural uses and symbols. In Tahiti, for example, the hibiscus flower is traditionally worn by a young woman behind the ear. If worn behind the left, the woman is married or has a boyfriend. If worn on the right, she is single and available.

We love this Tealight Holder as part of a collection of pretty accents on a side or coffee table. When holding a lit candle, it exudes a special aura. Float a few of these together in a bowl of water for a tropical and fresh centerpiece.

This natural fiber hand towel has been hand loomed by a talented group of spinners and weavers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Fair Trade group employs an art form that has been a part of Ethiopian crafts since ancient times. Our partners spin and weave 100% locally grown cotton and use AZO free dyes.

Our artisan partner ensures that their craftspeople are supported in the health, education and economic stability of their families. The group provides training and a reliable income, empowering the artisans to succeed. Our partner makes a particular emphasis on sustainability, and uses water recycling systems, biofuels, solar heating and composting in their everyday processes.

We love the neutral, natural fibers of this towel. Use it in the kitchen or bathroom for an organic, modern take on a traditional hand towel. It’s easy-to-care-for instructions mean that you can use it anywhere.

This natural fiber hand towel has been hand loomed by a talented group of spinners and weavers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Fair Trade group employs an art form that has been a part of Ethiopian crafts since ancient times. Our partners spin and weave 100% locally grown cotton and use AZO free dyes.

Our artisan partner ensures that their craftspeople are supported in the health, education and economic stability of their families. The group provides training and a reliable income, empowering the artisans to succeed. Our partner makes a particular emphasis on sustainability, and uses water recycling systems, biofuels, solar heating and composting in their everyday processes.

We love the neutral, natural fibers of this towel. Use it in the kitchen or bathroom for an organic, modern take on a traditional hand towel. It’s easy-to-care-for instructions mean that you can use it anywhere.

Our Horn Bowl has been handmade by artisans in Vietnam. Using traditional and sustainable methods, our partners have shaped ethically sourced buffalo horn into a beautiful and functional bowl. Each bowl features a cool, smooth finish and a unique and striking mix of neutral brown, cream and beige hues.

Use this Horn Bowl as a natural accent on a table or shelf – or fill it with snacks (we’re partial to Marcona almonds) as part of an elegant tabletop spread.

Our Stoneware Spoon Rest is hand finished by third-generation artisans in rural Vietnam. Each piece is fired in a gas-powered kiln, which is an environmentally friendly alternative to coal power. Featuring subtle differences in shape and finish, no two are exactly alike.

Our Olive Wood Spoon has been hand carved from sustainably sourced olive wood in Kenya.

Olive wood is a warm wood with detailed grain patterns that is known for its durability. The carving of olive wood is a craft native to Eastern and Southern Africa, and touches upon many countries in the region. Our Fair Trade artisan partners reside in a small, rural community in Southwestern Kenya. The group is completely self-taught and relies entirely on this craft for their sole source of income. They are known throughout Kenya for their prized and detailed woodwork.

Treated with food-safe sunflower oil, these spoons are safe to use in the kitchen and with food preparation. They are also beautiful on their own and make for a natural sculptural element when displayed on the counter, especially in groups.

Add some style to your everyday with this pretty coffee scoop. Featuring a hand carved and sustainably sourced bone handle, it has been crafted out of natural olive wood by Fair Trade artisans in Kenya.

Olive wood is a warm wood with detailed grain patterns that is known for its durability. The carving of olive wood is a craft native to Eastern and Southern Africa, and touches upon many countries in the region. Our Fair Trade artisan partners reside in a small, rural community in Southwestern Kenya. The group is completely self-taught and relies entirely on this craft for their sole source of income. They are known throughout Kenya for their prized and detailed woodwork.

Treated with food-safe sunflower oil, these scoops are safe to use in the kitchen and with food preparation.

This simple spreader will style up any cheese board or your jam and butter breakfast routine. Featuring a hand carved and sustainably sourced bone handle, it has been crafted out of natural olive wood by Fair Trade artisans in Kenya.

Olive wood is a warm wood with detailed grain patterns that is known for its durability. The carving of olive wood is a craft native to Eastern and Southern Africa, and touches upon many countries in the region. Our Fair Trade artisan partners reside in a small, rural community in Southwestern Kenya. The group is completely self-taught and relies entirely on this craft for their sole source of income. They are known throughout Kenya for their prized and detailed woodwork.

Treated with food-safe sunflower oil, these utensils are safe to use in the kitchen and with food preparation.

These salad servers have been hand carved from sustainably sourced olive wood in Kenya. Artisans have accented the handles with batiked cow bone, which has been sourced in an ethical manner. Each salad server has been treated with food-safe sunflower oil.

Olive wood is a warm wood with detailed grain patterns that is known for its durability. The carving of olive wood is a craft native to Eastern and Southern Africa, and touches upon many countries in the region. Our Fair Trade artisan partners reside in a small, rural community in Southwestern Kenya. The group is completely self-taught and relies entirely on this craft for their sole source of income. They are known throughout Kenya for their prized and detailed woodwork.

Our Marble Nesting Bowls have been hand-carved by master artisans in Rajasthan, India. The craft of carving three-dimensional forms into solid marble is one of the world’s oldest arts.

Traditionally reserved for statues, sculptures and architecture, carved marble can take on any form. Carving marble in India dates back to the 7^th Century BC, where it was considered the royal stone used to build temples, tombs, palaces and monuments. Most notably, the Taj Mahal is a magnificent work of marble located in nearby Uttar Pradesh.

Using a technique that has been passed down through multiple generations, each bowl is hand crafted in a meticulous and detailed process. A team of artisans contributes to each step of the process, beginning with the use of hand chisels and machine tools to craft the general shape. A second artisan is responsible for finishing the design and a third polishes the completed stone figure.

The material of choice for these master artisans is marble native to their region. Its pure white color with deep veins looks natural in any climate. This durable piece will take on character as it is exposed to natural elements.

Our Marble Nesting Bowls are a classic and stylish way to present spices or nuts on a table or countertop.

The organic accent and rustic finish of our hand-carved Village Reclaimed Wood Bowl will elevate your everyday. Each bowl features marks, scratches, cracks and color variations that speak to the patina and uniqueness of these one-of-a-kind, vintage bowls. For decorative use only.

Our Olive Wood Soap Dish has been handmade by a family-owned business in Tunisia. Crafted of rich and durable olive wood, this soap dish features striking grains and vibrant, dark patterns native to the olive tree. Tunisia is one of the top five olive oil exporters in the world, and our partners sustainably harvest this wood from older trees that no longer produce olive crops.

Use this soap dish as a warm accent in your kitchen or bathroom. Makes for a great gift!

Our Olive Wood Bowl has been handmade by a family-owned business in Tunisia. Crafted of rich and durable olive wood, this bowl features striking grains and vibrant, dark patterns native to the olive tree. Tunisia is one of the top five olive oil exporters in the world, and our partners sustainably harvest this wood from older trees that no longer produce olive crops.

Use it to serve olives or snacks on the table -- or as a beautiful, natural accent on a shelf or table.

Our Taj Table Runner has been handmade by Fair Trade women weavers in Eastern India using cruelty-free organic silk. This cooperative of over 150 indigenous women work together to create a fair and steady income in a rural area that has been mired in conflict and is prone to monsoon flooding.

The cooperative is known for weaving in a compassionate and non-violent method in order to produce the silk. The women use hand-spinning techniques, natural dyes and organic materials to create each individual runner by hand. No pesticides, chemicals, or modern machines are used during any point of their process. The silk is woven on traditional zidagar frame looms made from bamboo.

We love the sustainability behind these minimalist and luxurious table runners. Use them everyday to lend a down-to-earth feeling to your dining table, or layer them as a decorative accent on a credenza or console table.

This set of four coasters was handwoven by a women’s cooperative in Uganda in the plateau basket style. Each coaster has been woven using locally sourced sisal fibers, raffia grass and natural dyes. 

The complex and meticulous process to create each coaster produces vibrant colors and intricate designs. The artisan crafts each piece by hand, using a needle and thread to wrap hand-dyed strands of sisal around bunches of sweetgrass. The result is a tightly coiled, durable coaster that when grouped in a set takes several days to complete.

Our coasters are a modern way to add a little global chic to a coffee table, desk or bar cart. Every purchase directly supports our partner organization in East Africa that provides training and fair wage jobs to promote sustainable and scalable opportunities for their cooperative of women weavers in rural villages.

This sweet Alpaca Ornament has been handmade in the Arequipa region of Southern Peru. Each ornament has been adorned with hand-sewn details and covered in luxurious, soft and natural alpaca fiber.

Alpacas are members of the South American camelid family. They are indigenous to the highlands of the Andes where their breeding is a vital component of the economy for a large sector of the population. Alpacas are prized for their natural, silky and soft fiber that is biodegradable and hypoallergenic.

Alpacas are famous for their durable fiber. They are natural vegetarians and graze on vegetation typically found on high altitude moorlands. Fewer than one alpaca exists per acre; their impact on the environment is minimal. No harm is caused to the alpacas during the sheering process, which occurs only once every 12 months.

These small Alpaca Ornaments are a natural and cute holiday decoration. They can also be used as a sweet table decoration.

This sweet Alpaca Ornament has been handmade in the Arequipa region of Southern Peru. Each ornament has been adorned with hand-sewn details and covered in luxurious, soft and natural alpaca fiber.

Alpacas are members of the South American camelid family. They are indigenous to the highlands of the Andes where their breeding is a vital component of the economy for a large sector of the population. Alpacas are prized for their natural, silky and soft fiber that is biodegradable and hypoallergenic.

Alpacas are famous for their durable fiber. They are natural vegetarians and graze on vegetation typically found on high altitude moorlands. Fewer than one alpaca exists per acre; their impact on the environment is minimal. No harm is caused to the alpacas during the sheering process, which occurs only once every 12 months.

These small Alpaca Ornaments are a natural and cute holiday decoration. They can also be used as a sweet table decoration.