Behind the Brand
"Those who seek beauty, will find it"
Crates of Beauty is a bespoke furniture and home decor collective, born during the pandemic from a broken heart that would be rewarded for walking away from what no longer served me. I (Bernadette, the founder) was teaching English in Korea at the time, but due to the painful end of a 10 year relationship, and the fact that I was lucky enough to teach online at the time because of Covid, I tricked myself into leaving, slipping out the back door to go teach from Bali, where I was able to execute our flagship designs.
What got me up out of ruin in the morning was the pursuit of Beauty, and Bali's attitude of 'bisa' (meaning possible). Healing and transforming, I brought our first Crate of Beauty back to South Africa, and after our first Decorex, with so many people asking me if our products were locally made with starts in their eyes, I realised that that was the next step for us. If I truly wanted my business to be in line with the Tri Hita Karana, I needed to go local with manufacturing. As a core Balinese belief, the Tri Hita Karana is a philosophy of three pillars of wellbeing: our connection to the Spiritual realm, our Community, and our Environment. If we were to be truly 'Bali inspired', we needed to create in a way that serves our local artisans first, work with sustainably sourced materials in the lowest possible impact on the environment, and that Beauty, in its magic ability to connect us to the Divine, would take care of the spiritual.
And so, Crates of Beauty was truly born, as a locally made bespoke home decor collective, celebrating the healing that Beauty offers in all its calming, harmonising might.
Always the light between us,
Bernadette
Founder and Designer
About Us
I'm Bernadette, the founder of Crates of Beauty. I run all things except the actual weaving which I leave up to our skilled resident artisans on our weavery in Joostenbergvlakte (Cape Town). We are a 100% locally made lighting and slow commerce collective. Born during COVID, I believe very firmly in empowering our local economy, that the power of Beauty is its ability to connect us to the divine, and that Beauty in its purest form is always sustainable.
Are you VAT registered?
Are you VAT registered?
We are VAT registered, and being locally made, our offering is completely customisable, with local production capacity for bulk orders.
Do you make custom?
Do you make custom?
We welcome custom needs, renders, and concepts.
Do you offer trade / wholesale?
Do you offer trade / wholesale?
We certainly do. Reach out to us at cratesofbeauty@gmail.com for trade catalogues and pricing. For the past 3 years we have provided Checkers with our Teardrop pendant in their remodelled butcheries. We are VAT registered, and being locally made, our offering is completely customisable, with local production capacity for bulk orders. We welcome custom renders, concepts, and collaborations.
Do your pendants come with cord sets?
Do your pendants come with cord sets?
Cord sets are available as an add on, so as to ensure that every client's custom needs are met. These can be tailored in terms of cord color, hardware color, and ceiling cup size. Standard E27 ‘giant Edison Screw’ lamp holders with 2 shade rings to hold the pendant’s bulb ring on both sides are required. The giant Edison Screw is a larger version of the E27, measuring 39mm across the cap diameter.
Do you ship internationally?
Do you ship internationally?
Absolutely, we do ship internationally. We have an export licence and offer worldwide shipping to ensure customers around the globe can enjoy our bespoke pieces. Please note that shipping times and costs may vary depending on the destination country and type of freight. International customers may also be subject to customs fees or import duties imposed by their country's customs authorities.
Are your products outdoor friendly?
Are your products outdoor friendly?
For our pendants we make our frames at a local steel factory on precision engineered, stainless steel allowing for durable fittings with precision and symmetry across designs, while ensuring longevity in indoor, outdoor, and remote environments
Our natural materials are from KZN and are able to sustain moisture
Will my order get damaged during shipping?
Will my order get damaged during shipping?
We offer robust, sophisticated packaging to ensure protected nationwide and international delivery.
What distinguishes Crates of Beauty from other brands?
What distinguishes Crates of Beauty from other brands?
What distinguishes our elevated, African, yet modern look is that we use authentic bamboo instead of more wonky, pervasively seen vine canes, making our pieces ideal for bringing warmth and authenticity to luxury interiors.
Visit our V&A Watershed stand
Need to see our Beauties up close before committing? Come visit us at our Watershed stand at the V&A Waterfront.
Visit our Weavery
Interior Architects and Designers are also welcome to meet our weavers and visit us to discuss custom needs at our workshop on appointment in Joostenbergvlakte (Cape Town).
Discover
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Slow commerce
"Buy less, choose well, make it last"...each piece uniquely hand crafted and made to order just for you
Environmentally conscious
Our pieces are built to last in robust indoor and outdoor environments from carefully selected sustainable materials
Locally made
True beauty means supporting our local communities, our local artisanal talent, and our country's exceptional design quality
Trade / Wholesale
All our pieces are customisable in size, shape, finish, with add on hardware, and trade pricing available