Soapstone is a beautifully tactile material with an appearance similar to that of marble, it is a metamorphic rock that is composed primarily of talc. Because it is composed primarily of talc it is usually very soft to the touch. Soapstone is typically grey, blue-ish, green, or brown in colour and is often variegated. Its name is derived from its "soapy" feel and softness. Because of its softness, soapstone is easy to carve into all different shapes and designs. It is also non-porous and heat-resistant, making it a great material for a wide range of uses.
All of our contemporary soapstone products are hand carved in Nairobi by Tabaka Chigware Youths Self Help Group. The group was started in 1996 and has 40 members. The young men and women craft our soapstone products, with mostly the male members being responsible for carving the stone using knives and the female members mostly taking on the role of washing and sanding the products as well as being part of the design process. The aim of the group is to "chase away poverty from our group and entire community by ensuring there is food, shelter, clothes, clean water to drink, medical facilities and better education to our children." All of the soapstone is sustainably sourced from a quarry in Kenya. We have recently expanded our soapstone collection, adding new, fun designs as well as new colourways - marbled pink and smokey grey tones to compliment our existing 'natural' coloured products. Our collections features a range of more simplistic, timeless designs as well as some more playful, fun products so there really is something for everyone! Many of the items in our soapstone collection have multiple uses too, so they are particularly great for gifting.
Our beautiful tealight holders give a fabulously luxurious touch to any room, with their sleek, modern design and marbled texture they are sure to compliment any decor. We have designed them to fit a standard tea light candle, with a 4cm hole at the top. They are available in the natural colour-way as well as marbled pink and grey. We love styling them in the bathroom as the added height keep the candle flames safe from any accidental splashes in the bath! They also add a wonderful touch of understated elegance to a dinner table, whether it's a special romantic meal for 2 or a late afternoon lunch for all the family. Our matching dip bowls mean you can coordinate your tableware perfectly to add that extra special touch to the dinner table.
Our new soapstone soap dishes are brilliantly simplistic in design, meaning they will compliment any bathroom! They have 5 holes to drain the water so there is no messy soap scum hanging around with these soap dishes. The soft colouring of the soapstone and the natural material adds a tranquil element to the design of any bathroom. Our soap dishes come in the natural colour, marbled pink and grey. Not only are these soap dishes obviously great for holding your bar of soap next to the sink, they are also brilliant for storing solid shampoo bars to help keep the bathroom neat and tidy. For the perfect gift, why not pick up a deliciously scented soap to accompany one of our soap dishes? We love the ARTHOUSE 'revitalising' soap for its luxurious and rich fragrance of Tahitian vanilla and revitalising chilli pepper, providing warm and spicy notes. The beautifully designed packaging was created by a collaboration of artists with complex disabilities at ARTHOUSE. These soaps are paraben free, vegan friendly and packaged in recyclable boxes.
For the perfect addition to the kitchen, look no further than our soapstone oval plates that come in 2 sizes and 3 colours! These hand-carved soapstone plates are a gorgeous accompaniment to your current china or earthenware. They are perfect for use with starters and snacks for your dining table or dinner party, adding a touch of elegance with their simple, sleek design. We've had a lot of customers tell us that they also love using these oval plates as spoon rests on their kitchen counters which we think is totally ingenious! Due to their simple design, these plates can be used for a huge range of purposes - the only limit is your imagination!
These super cute hippo dishes have been a firm favourite in our soapstone collection for a while! Available in a black and white geometric design, natural as well as our new marbled pink, grey and dotty designs! This fun design is great for soaps and bits and bobs in the bathroom, but works equally well for popping your jewellery in on the bedside table or even for nuts and nibbles when you are entertaining guests. One of our best sellers, these sweet little hippo dishes are sure to delight the whole family. We have also added some lovely elephant dishes to the family to accompany our hippo friend which are available in marbled pink, grey and a cute dotty design!
To shop our full Kenyan soapstone collection, simply click here.