Shop the Collection
Bring the signature aesthetic of the Karin Bennett Designs Collection into your home with neutral colors and organic textures of the artisans’ handcrafted goods.
NEUTRAL COLORS
Featuring wooden products finished with the artisans’ innovative all-natural soot finish.
ORGANIC TEXTURES
The locally-grown wood is carved into vessels perfect to bring organic interest to your home.
LOVE THE SPACE YOU LIVE IN
From their hands to your home, add to the love and beauty of your space with ethically-sourced pieces from our artisan partners.
About The Designer
Meet Karin Bennett
Karin is the owner and principal designer at Karin Bennett Designs, a Toronto-based interior design firm. Karin says, “We believe in designing homes that reflect our clients’ lifestyle while incorporating the much-loved KBD signature aesthetic of blended neural colors and organic textures.”
Karin’s family sponsors four children in Malawi through World vision. The family’s first visit to Africa meeting three of their sponsored children ignited Karin’s passion for the people of Africa. Partnering with Azizi Life was a natural fit. Karin named her product designs after the children they met in Malawi: Elube, Zanaibo and Yamikani.
Karin shares, “We are always looking for textured bowls and trays with a handmade feel in varying stains for our projects. We imagine these custom pieces in any room of the home, placed on bookshelves, coffee tables, dressers and console tables.”
About The Artisans
Designed For Impact
Wood carver Jabiro Jean de Dieu is a member of the KIIUKA carving cooperative.
Jabiro worked through many rounds of samples to refine the shape, size, and finish of the bowls and trays in the Karin Bennett Designs Collection.
When Karin presented a design concept with a dark finish and an organic look, Jabiro stepped up with an amazing innovation: soot finishing! The dark and medium finishes of the KBD bowls is made using soot from wood and charcoal cooking in local outdoor kitchen houses.
The bowls are crafted from the wood of the Musave tree, a local plant which re-grows after it has been cut. The bowls are carved using hand-hewn carving knives at the artisans’ workshops.
Pictured Above: Faustin Nemeyimana of Inganzo Cooperative
-
Our Artisan Partners
We partner with 760+ skilled Rwandan artisans, connecting local crafting cooperatives to global markets.
-
Our Products
Ethically sourced, handcrafted home decor and accessories made from local, natural, and renewable materials
-
Our Mission
A fair-trade non-profit creating economic opportunities and supporting community impact initiatives in Rwanda.
