A low, wide teak armchair with a caned back sits on a tiled verandah surrounded by a white painted rail on spindle posts supported by a tall white column. Blue and grey pillows sit on a grey rug on the tile floor. An Indian-style hexagonal side table topped with books and a coffee cup sits net to the teak chair, which is topped with a white pillow. White planters filled with tall green palms sit behind the chair on the verandah. Tall green trees surround the porch.

Can Teak Wood Be Sustainably, Ethically Sourced?

Teak is a long-wearing hardwood that resists water and rot. It has long been the wood of choice for top-quality outdoor furniture and yacht decking. However, much of the teak wood on the US furniture market is illicitly sourced from Myanmar, the Southeast Asian country once known as Burma. In 2021, Myanmar’s democratically elected government […]

15 hanging and dozens of folded examples of colorfully patterned Indonesian batik fabrics are displayed on wooden shelves

Caring for Batik and Other Deeply Dyed Fabrics

Q: On my travels, I’ve picked up some amazing hand-dyed fabrics around Asia, the Americas, Africa, and Australia. I’ve found colors and patterns outside of the US that were like nothing I’d ever seen. I want to use some of them to decorate my home. But when I prewashed them before sewing, thd lost so […]