The Atitlán Project, a limited edition collection celebrating Lake Atitlán, Guatemala. Exclusively West Elm, where we had the privilege to work with amazing Roar + Rabbit (Wendy Wurtzburger + Mitzie Wong) and Meso Goods on the design of these limited edition products that will benefit Pintando Santa Catarina Palopó. West Elm is donating 50% of the sales to reach a goal of $100K. You can learn more + shop the collection at westelm.com/TheAtitlanProject. “It is about great design coming togetherwith a vibrant culture to bring about empowermentand a better understanding between communities.” — Harris Whitbeck, Project Founder of Pintando el Cambio Association.   

1. Guatemala City, 4 Grados Norte Cuatro Grados Norte, also know as “El Barrio más Bonito” is the new creative hub of Guatemala City. This neighborhood has characterized itself for the past 10 years to be the hip barrio of the City. The culinary scene has emerged from this neighborhood and now holds the best restaurants in town! Don’t miss out: La Esquina, Mercado 24, Gula, Mola and Tres Elefantes.Home to social entrepreneurs, designers, architects, artists, design and culinary academies, art galleries and cultural spaces collectively they create a unique positive and cultural vibe in the center of the City. Click the link...

We partner with The New Denim Project to create our sustainable goods collection. More than a process, it is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide us in changing our practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use. Solely intended to create sustainably designed textiles, focusing on upcycling textile excess to create premium natural fabrics. Collecting pre-consumer industrial waste from various textile mills, grounding these scraps back into fiber, to spin these once again and fabricate new yarns as well as both woven and knit fabrics. Shop...

Market access is the key to sustainable growth for all artisan businesses, but it’s not always easy to achieve. It follows that trade shows can present an excellent platform for emerging artisan brands to leverage as a means to reach prospective clients while showcasing their newest designs and innovations. The age-old art of conversation and face-to-face interaction allows buyers from around the world to touch and feel handcrafted techniques and to learn the personal stories and cultural traditions that set artisan products apart in the very crowded sea that is a trade show. More of the interview here.   Thanks to Nest for the space.

Words and Layout by Jenny Wonderling | Shop Meso now! Enthusiastic, accessible, and deeply committed to what they are growing, the owners of Meso have elevated crafts to mainstream design with a conscience, and they have a lot to be proud of. As Gonzalo, one of Meso’s founding partners explained, “Since we started, we immediately disrupted the handmade sector. It was like our trademark, doing things completely differently.” Impassioned by the positive change they are bringing to hundreds of artisans and their families in many villages of Central America, (and many more through the non-profit programs they have helped support) three young...