The art of noticing - truly noticing - the small things is something innate for some, and a learned behavior for others. But once you start paying attention, you begin to realize how much story and context there is in seemingly arbitrary details.
On one side you have the makers who design with a meticulous eye for texture and on the other, the observers who pause to take it all in - those who notice the weight of the linen, the hinoki notes in the soap, the way the light hits the terracotta floor at golden hour.
But this kind of appreciation goes beyond aesthetics or even taste. It’s about reverence. It’s about honoring the journey behind an object. The materials, the hands, the time it took to make it. To slow down enough to feel the process behind the product.
I love getting out of the shower and reaching for a towel that’s not just beautiful - but woven with intention. I love eating a delicious meal on a beautiful plate, with a napkin and placemat that carry personality. You can sense when something holds a frequency. There’s an energy to handmade products and natural materials - it just feels better. Lighter. Right.
There’s joy in the discovery too. Like flipping over a pretty plate to find the initials of a small ceramics studio. One of my recent favorite discoveries is a handloom textile company called Siafu. Based in Nairobi, Siafu creates beautiful, vibrant and durable cotton fabrics. All their textiles are made with locally sourced cotton from Kenya and Uganda, and woven slowly by hand by a small team of weavers.
What began as a passion project for founder and creative director Gladys Macharia, inspired by her own roots in Northern Kenya and creative education in Florence, has blossomed into a mission to revive a nearly lost art, train new generations of weavers, and offer the world a fabric that’s not only beautiful, but also holds story, skill, and soul.
Every Siafu piece is an invitation to slow down - to feel, to touch, to wrap yourself in something real.
Just like slow textiles, slow travel invites us to value quality over quantity. The common thread? Intention. Whether you’re choosing a stay on Seeking Ro or a throw from Siafu, it’s about connecting to something rooted, human, and meaningful.
Both say: this matters. Time matters. Craft matters. Your senses matter.
