Courtesy Willful Goods
Willful Goods, the home goods brand known for its modern, made-in-the-U.S. line of wooden cooking utensils and bowls with brightly colored rubber detailing, is going in bold new directions with its new collection for spring. The Minneapolis-based brand originally founded as Wind & Willow Home in 2012 by former kitchen-and-bath designer Araya Jensen has expanded its product selection to include one-of-a-kind woven home goods, handmade by artisans in Morocco, Guatemala, and Turkey.
Rendered in vibrant shades of cherry red, lemonade pink, dandelion yellow, julep green, electric blue, and amethyst, the “Connected by Color” collection includes vibrant, hand-embroidered throw pillows made in Guatemala; brightly striped Turkish towels that are fast-drying and handwoven; woven colorful handled baskets made in Ghana; and rainbow-colored kilim rugs featuring geometric patterns made in Morocco. Prices range from pillows for $42, to handwoven kilim rugs for $510.
Plus just in time for Easter, you can also scoop up Willful’s new color-dipped wood eggs and egg cups. (Also worth checking out: Jensen’s colorful, hand-cut acrylic jewelry.)
We caught up with Jensen to find out more about her new collection.
What inspired your new spring collection?
“I have been using the hashtag #connectedbycolor for a couple years to describe the mix of goods that I make in addition to goods I have been designing and having crafted by artisans partners around the globe. This season I wanted to further explore the notion that color can seamlessly bring together people from different geographic areas and cultures in many different mediums and can live together in a cohesive, happy collection.”
Can you tell me more about the Guatemalan rugs and pillow covers?
“The wool pieces in my line are crafted by a single family in Guatemala. They are single-source goods, which means one family creates them the entire way through, from raising the sheep to gathering the wool, spinning and dying it with natural plants, berries, and minerals on their land, and weaving the pieces, all done by the same hands.
“The colorful, embroidered pillow covers from Guatemala are one-of-a-kind pieces made from recycled huipils (a traditional garment worn by indigenous women in Central America). I have sourced these covers from local markets in Antigua, Guatemala.”
And what about the Moroccan rugs?
“These pieces are one-of-a-kind, vintage pieces, presumably created by women in the Atlas mountain region with recycled fabric in beautiful bright colors in traditional story patterns.”
Can you tell me more about the Turkish towers-where are they made, and by whom?
“The Turkish towels are made in Izmir, Turkey, by a single gentleman who weaves on a single loom as a hobby. The quality is beautiful and he is open to unique colors and patterns, which makes him a great partner.”
What else have you been up to recently?
“I have also been exploring creative direction/styling and art photography which can be found at @arayajensen on IG. I am excited to be working with some local brands on their imagery and hope to have the chance to use my creativity in a variety of ways in the near future.”
Find Willful Goods exclusively online at willfulgoods.com.