Mindful ways to repair broken homeware
In an age of mass production and disposal, where image filters and AI are augmenting reality and concealing flaws in our physical appearance, there’s something refreshing about embracing imperfection. Learning to accept and celebrate imperfections is not only a powerful life lesson, but a healthier, more sustainable approach to our way of living and consuming, too.
We can extend this philosophy by celebrating the signs of wear and tear in our homes and making a feature of it. A well-loved and lived in space is not a presentation of perfection, after all, but more a realistic image complete with frayed edges and chipped corners and all the hallmarks of a happy home with stories to tell.
Celebrating imperfection
This way of living is known as 'wabi-sabi' in Japanese culture and has been observed for centuries. 'Wabi-sabi' is a view that centres on the acceptance of flaws. It refers to living simply and acknowledging the beauty in ageing authentically. Imperfections can be looked at differently within the home by taking the cracked bowl, scuffed chair or worn-out upholstery and using various techniques to address or repair them in a way that embraces the flaw rather than hiding it*.
Turn flaws into features
1. Fix broken ceramics with kintsugi repair
Kintsugi, meaning ‘joining with gold’ or ‘golden seams’, is an ancient Japanese technique of mending broken or damaged ceramics. An extension of the philosophy of wabi-sabi and seeing the beauty in the imperfect, it can bring new life to plates, pots and vases, saving treasured pieces from the rubbish bin.
Instead of throwing out a broken pottery or china item, glueing it back together with a gold or coloured kintsugi (or epoxy) glue that gives the item a visibly mended finish makes it a unique piece that can live on**.
What you’ll need:
Broken ceramic item
Kintsugi Repair Kit
2. Customise a stain with a patch
If you've tried to wash out a stain on a throw or cushion and been unsuccessful, you could try covering the mark by adding a contrasting or customised patch. There are plenty of readymade iron-on and sew-on patches you can choose from to bring new life to your stained textiles. If you’re a dab hand with a needle and would prefer to cut your own patch from a piece of material, make sure the patch fabric is similar in texture and weight to the fabric of the item you’re repairing and hardwearing enough to withstand how the product is being used.
3. Mend textile tears with embroidery
Turn holes in cushion covers, tablecloths and other textiles into decorative focal points using a Japanese sewing technique called sashiko. Choose a fabric square for the patch and tack-stitch it behind the hole. Then use a running stitch of short strokes over the front to create a repeating pattern up and down over the hole to reinforce it and create a unique new design. Find out more and see how you can use the technique for mending holes in clothing too.
Customers should speak with our CS Team before making any repairs if a return, refund or exchange is needed.
**Repaired items are to be used for decorative purposes only and are not suitable for contact with food or drink.