Europe’s biggest Homewares Trade Show is back with a vengeance! We were all looking forward to the day it opened and we weren’t disappointed, it was great!
Flying out from Heathrow on a direct BA flight to Frankfurt the girls really were excited to get back on the road to greet and meet old friends, and find new, after such a long break! Just look at those happy faces!
Black+Blum Online – Click here
Our first port of call Friday morning was to the Black+Blum stand, renowned for their high quality thermos flasks and mugs plus their stunning and functional lunch boxes. A great seller for us they have now added a stylish range of metal bodied and plastic topped lunch boxes that go from freezer to microwave (yes microwave even though its metal!) to table to dishwasher. Designed with the usual Black+Blum attention to detail, let alone quality, this practical and functional new addition to their range will definitely be joining the homeArama stable in the coming weeks.
Bosign Online – Click Here
We have worked with Bosign for more than 10 years now, a Swedish company run by brother and sister, Ulf & Helena. They design the most beautiful and functional products that never cease to delight and this year was no exception with amazing additions to their Kitchen and Bathroom ranges as well as the most gorgeous, and practical, LapTrays that you will ever find. We didn’t even have to think about it, our order was placed on the spot and the new stock will be winging its way to us within days. Very exciting!
Bottlelight Online – Click Here
We only started working with these guys back in September and already their product is wowing people at home as well as commercially in restaurants and hotels. Peter, the company owner along with his wife Odno, have created the most amazing, technical and efficient LED light source that will simply, and aesthetically, turn any bottle into a table lamp. Not only saving you money by repurposing your empty bottles into lamp bases but also saving you money by massively reducing the electricity used. Safe too as there is no naked flame to risk fire or give off dirty, and often smelly, smoke! We are massively increasing the range adding not just more light sticks but also bottles Peter has curated as well as the ultimate bottle design and sophistication from Murano glass, simply stunning!
Bredemeijer Online – Click Here
If you want a teapot then look no further as Bredemeijer have the largest, and dare we say best, range in the world! From traditional to modern, from single wall to money saving double wall, from stainless steel to porcelain to glass to cast iron, from neutral to brightly coloured, there is a teapot for everyone. And not just “a” teapot, all Bredemeijer teapots are known for their high quality, their drip free pour and their elegant design. There were new shapes, colours, finishes and also an ever growing range of stylish tea boxes in bamboo, black, white and even grey to come. Watch our Bredemeijer pages for new arrivals!
Hachiman Online – Click Here
We are so proud to have worked with Hachiman of Japan for over 5 years now. It is a family run business with a strong ethos of looking after the environment whilst making plastic products that last, and when we say last we mean last, in fact looked after they can last a lifetime! They take pride in their design, their production, their staff, their products, their company and the beautiful village around them. It is an honour to be part of their team. They are launching new products but we are sworn to secrecy until early summer but, trust us, it will be worth the wait!
Hachiman Gardens Online – Click Here
The Garden Range from Hachiman continues to grow adding new corner pots for this Spring. Made from either a combination of plastic & recycled paper or plastic & recycled wood pulp the range is not just incredibly environmentally friendly and sustainable but also completely frost proof, a great bonus when putting out early Spring planting in the UK! Plus the collection offers unusual colours such as yellow, green, blue, grey, white, black and a natural and terracotta look.
Handed By Online – Click Here
Handed By, a well established Dutch company, is relatively new to us, we started with them last Spring as we loved not just the products but also the way they were made and the community values behind the brand, the company and the team. Using only recycled and repurposed materials all the items are handwoven by families living in remote villages, not in main cities and not working in factories, in China and in Vietnam. Everyone gets involved and, as a result, the production becomes the main family, and even village, income. You can see from the top images how happy people are and how “by hand” the weaving of each and every bag is, a true case of giving back to both people and to the planet, we love them for it!
Hoptimist to come – No link yet!
A friend from the 60’s that we are sure many will recognise! Hoptimist was a bestselling and fun toy enjoyed from executives as a toy on their desk to kids as a friend in their room. Simple in form the large head simply rests on a durable bouncy spring so, when tapped, it happily bobs from side to side. It lost its way for many years but was resurrected a couple of years back and its re-birth is proving extremely successful. We are sure it will find its way into our world shortly, keep you eyes open for the happy chappie.
Hukka Soapstone Online – Click Here
Carelian Soapstone, created by nature some 2 billion years ago, is the best soapstone in the world (it really is and it’s due to the geography and topography of the planet) and we have known and partnered Sepi, the owner of Hukka, for over 10 years now and his passion for his local Finnish stone remains inspiring and unabated. This 100% natural, smooth, inert, non-allergic, organic, safe material is simply perfect for food containers and plates as it does not absorb smells nor stains. It also accepts extremely high, oven, or extremely low, freezer, temperatures so can be used to serve ice cold vodka right through to red hot BBQ steaks. For beauty too it’s a winner, one of our bestsellers are the Orbit Eye Refreshers, simply pop them in the fridge then, when nice and cold, rest them on your eyes, no mess, no waste simply refreshed eyes ready for the day ahead!
Leopold Vienna Online – Click Here
From the Bredemeijer Group comes also the Coffee and Barware range of Leopold Vienna which constantly grows and challenges existing styles, colours and designs. We love their new Marco Double Wall Coffee Pots as well as the new Glass Coffee Maker. In fact both will be hitting our shelves this week we just love them so much. For pure sophistication then the new Black finished range of wine coolers and ice buckets takes some beating and, again, they will be on our shelves at any minute! Watch out!
Mepal Online – Click Here
As humans with our own families and worries we fully understand the arguments and concerns about the use of fossil fuels and, of course, the production of oil based plastic. However, used properly, we are convinced plastic is the best material for certain activities and, if correctly cared for, does not need to be the environmental enemy people believe it to be. We have intentionally partnered with Mepal, a Dutch company with virtually all their production in Holland so no large carbon footprint shipping stock around the world. They design and produce to the highest possible standards and, in our view, their products are worth that little extra not just to know you are buying something with traceable provenance but also to be sure you are buying the best products of their type that are safe, are functional, are durable and that, at the eventual end of their life, be fully recycled. Linda, who takes care of us, proudly showed us round the new collections and stunning 2023 colours, we are certainly adding more to our range!
Pappelina Online – Click Here
The photograph shows a happy team, at either end Jasper and Kristin from Pappelina with our ladies Michele and Caroline in the middle. We have worked with both for over 10 years now and they are amongst our favourites :-). The whole ethos of the company and everyone who works there is just so positive, so balanced, so caring, so professional its simply a joy to partner them. Their rugs, which we continuously rave about, are the best, we wont bore you with the full details here, that’s all on the website, but we will tell you they are worth it and there are some even greater designs to come later this year! The new Spring 2023 collection is already online!
Philippi Online – Click here
Jan Philippi, the owner of Philippi, has built his amazing brand over 20 years to gain a reputation for stunningly designed products in the highest quality materials using mainly silver, black, grey and neutral colours. His products are recognised worldwide as statement pieces in the home, or office, their simplicity and functions combine to bring sophistication to any space. Once again Jan didn’t disappointment with his new launches and we have found many great new lines to add to our ever growing collection.
Remember Online – Click Here
Remember (of Germany) simply means to us colour…colour in every shade and mix possible! Every product they design and develop must have a bright, multicolour feel and look to it and we love them for their vibrancy, their choice and just their “happy factor”. We started with a small range in the Autumn of 2022 and, as a result the success of that small toe in the water collection, we have now almost tripled our selection and will be launching the amazing, and yes colourful, new additions during the coming months! Exciting times.
Rosti Margrethe Online – Click Here
We have been selling the iconic Margrethe Bowl for many years now, it started off in the 1950’s as a famous Danish design, moved to Dutch ownership and has now recently returned to Danish ownership. In the recent year or so there have been stocking and delivery delays due to an issue over the use of melamine, the original material used in production. We are pleased to now discover that the new owners have finally found a new material that looks, behaves and feels exactly like Melamine but is not Melamine! It is far, far, far better and safer being fully sustainable, food safe and even freezer and microwave safe. As soon as the new stocks arrive we will be adding the new colours so keep the page bookmarked as they say!
Yamazaki Online – Click Here
We caught up with Kengo and Mark to run through the new lines being launched for Spring Summer 2023 and can only say “things get better!” Supplied only in black or white, with a few natural wooden items thrown in, the sheer functionality, compactness, quality and usefulness of all Yamazaki designs continues to impress. All of us in the team now have at least 2 if not more Yamazaki products in our home. We have already sent a list of the many new items we want to add to our existing collection and we can’t wait to get going with the new lines!
Zone Online – Click Here
We started with Zone of Denmark when the pandemic started as we have always loved their stylish, functional, durable soap and sanitiser pumps and thought every home, and business, should have one. Sales have, of course, slowed now the pandemic is becoming more of a distant memory but we still love the pumps, hands still need to be cleaned and we are adding more and more of their elegant, smart, durable bathroom range and other accessories for other rooms around the home.
Walluf on the Rhine River – Click Here
Whilst we love Frankfurt, it is a city, it is crowded and it is expensive so we prefer to stay outside the city and have, for 20 years, stayed in a tiny village called Walluf on the River Rhine, at the start of the Rheingau wine region. Our hotel, the Zum Neuen Schwan, has looked after us during all those years and, as you can see, there are good restaurants with plenty of good, local, red wine to relax us in the evening after a long days tramping the Ambiente Exhibition Halls!
This Blog covers just the Brands we know that were exhibiting, we did find lots of new exciting ones that we will be launching over the coming days, weeks and months, so do keep checking the site 🙂