Rice DK is a Danish company that is so full of joy that they even have their own song!
'Add some spice to life with Rice.'
Rice DK designs the kind of homeware that brings colour to your home and a smile to your face. They have a strong design style that is always fun and imaginative. The collections are modern and charming with a nostalgic and slightly bohemian edge. We love Rice and their pieces have been in our homes for many years, so we just
had to include Rice in the Sisters Guild Boutique. Each season Carla & I swoon over the new collection and it's such a pleasure to pick things for the boutique and add some fun and colour to the
decor,
parties and picnics,
gifts and
imagine and play categories.
Rice DK is well known for their colourful tableware, kitchenware, picnic pieces, storage and accessories. Of such high quality, this is homeware that is made to be used everyday and last a lifetime.
Rice DK brings new inspiration each season - AW10 was 'Cool & Cozy, SS11 is 'Peace, Kiss and Glamourama.' They create new words and new colour ranges each season with wonderful names such as this
set of mixing bowls in colours called the 'naughty mix,' a
candelabra in 'sunshine yellow' and a
Tiffin Box in 'sunkissed' colours. These things really are kissable!
Rice are very passionate about Peacocks, and so are we - such a colourful and ridiculous bird! Peacock designs appear everywhere in their collections. Flowers, butterflies and other nature motifs feature too!
The fabrics are beautiful with checks and florals, cottons and velvet, with embroidery, applique and crochet - divine! There's patchwork quilts, floor cushions, LOVE and KISS pillows, fabric covered boxes, bunting, bags, purses, napkins and fabric frames, all in stunning fabrics and detail. There are hand-painted objects too - clothes hangers, candle holders and candelabras. Rice really know how to take an everyday object - a box, a bag or a cup - and make it joyful!
So, how did Rice Start?
Rice was founded in 1998 by Philippe and Charlotte Gueniau just months after the birth of their son Max.
The creative inspiration after having a child is a powerful thing!
Charlotte says:
The idea of launching Rice was in our heads for a while - my french husband Philip and I wanted a change in our lives. We lived together in Paris for almost 15 years. We both had a good job but felt the need to live differently - to have a life where we could travel together to enjoy a calmer day ...My old classmate Hans was based in Thailand - and was already working on interior products. At a VERY long lunch in France Rice was born! Today, more than a decade later, there are over 35 people working at Rice in Denmark - where we have very nice offices and showroom in an old building on the canal bank of Odense (the former shipyard Maersk).
The Rice Design House in Denmark sounds like an inspiring place to be.
Things from Rice are not only colourful and beautiful but they are practical and functional too. This is why we adore Rice - these are beautiful objects that can be used everyday. The things for children are designed with thought and imagination too, again keeping practicality in mind. The Raffia Storage Baskets are some of our favourite pieces of children's design. They make a child's bedroom colourful, help to keep things tidy and they are play things themselves. My son Gabriel has the Zoo basket which he fills with his animals (and dinosaurs of course) and it is the perfect size for journeys and holidays too.
The Rice team are such a pleasure to work with and it is easy to see that their fun and positive ethic carries right through from the products to the people. Their philosophy is NO ONE CAN HELP EVERYONE, BUT EVERYONE CAN HELP SOMEONE. We like that!
Rice DK say that their wish is
'to surround you with homely objects – down to earth but still funky, fun and functional'. Rice DK definitely achieve this in leaps and bounds PLUS they do it in a FAIRTRADE way. Rice DK has such an inspiring and positive vision in the way they work. Rice is fairtrade certified to SA8000 and they work closely with the communities that produce and manufacture its products to ensure that a safe and healthy work environment and their manufacturing is carried out with respect and social responsibility. Their products are produced with a clear conscience. All Rice products are designed and developed in Denmark and are produced in countries such as Thailand, India, Madagascar and China, with respect for people. Rice have a big heart and a strong social ethic. You can read more about
Rice special projects around the world here
Rice themselves say:
'Our designs are inspired by the “good old days” and are very down to earth with lots of detail. We hope to colour you happy when you are washing, cleaning, baking and relaxing in your home.'
We are certainly hooked on this brand that has gained cult status.
Rice is a true celebration of all things we love - home, colour, fun, nature, flowers, fabrics, food, parties and play! Rice really does bring a smile and we are so happy to offer the Rice collection in the boutique to spread those smiles and let Rice
add some colour and joy to each corner of your home!
all images courtesy of Rice DK
This is part of our series of blog posts about the
Story Behind our Collections - why we've chosen the designers that are in the boutique and how those designers came to be.
To see a bit more of what Sisters Guild is all about take a look at the
A-Z of Sisters Guild here.
