Meet The Maker: Our Rattan Supplier

As some of you may already know, Dutch Warehouse was founded by Annemarie in 2016 after realising she had a true passion for sourcing and creating unique items. Her beautiful and ever-growing collection now offers an eclectic mix of homeware & lifestyle items for you and your home. Some of the range is handcrafted with love here in Australia by Annemarie and her husband, and some of the items are created by an amazing team of talented artisans from all around the world.

Over the last couple of years Annemarie has carefully hand picked these wonderful creators to help bring her dreams and designs to life in an ethical and sustainable way, and Dutch Warehouse is now proud to have suppliers based in all corners of the world such as Indonesia, Morocco, India and Vietnam… and even more to come! The partnership we have with our suppliers is so important to us and we would love to share with you the story behind the makers of your products, which is why we have decided to do a series of “meet the maker” blog posts to introduce you to them!

Have a read of our first meet the maker interview below with Annemarie to find out all about Ali, the amazing rattan supplier for Dutch Warehouse.

To view our full rattan collection, click here.

Who is your rattan supplier and where are they based?

Our rattan suppliers name is Ali and his factory is based in Cirebon, northern West Java, Indonesia. Cirebon has established itself as the rattan trade center and subsequent rattan manufacturing center over the last few years.

How did you discover Ali?

Ali actually contacted me through Instagram! I am always open to talk to new suppliers and listen to what they have to offer. We started talking about what his business was about and what I was looking for.

At the time I was importing rattan products through a Dutch supplier who sourced her products from Bali. She would have her shipment flown back to Holland and then back to me in Australia. This all became very costly and I knew there had to be other ways to create my own collection of rattan goods and have them shipped to me without a middleman. Exactly around that time Ali contacted me with his ideas and offered to make samples and have these shipped to me. From that moment we had daily contact about my ideas of creating a beautiful and unique rattan collection. I always share my ideas with him first to see what is possible and how to perfect the design. This way of communicating has helped building a strong and good business relationship.

What makes this supplier unique?

Ali has been supportive, loyal, honest and reliable from the start. It is a scary process when you need to trust someone you have never met with your money, ideas and also hoping they understand the designs and create exactly what you have in mind. He can make pretty much anything I set my mind on and his teams' skills and very high quality products amaze me time and time again!

What do you love most about working with Ali?

You need someone you can rely on, who will be there when you need questions answered, to keep the working pace up. I usually have an idea in mind, draw it out or take photos and send it to Ali to see if he will be able to produce it. He always messages back the same day and this is how I am able to add new products to the collection every few months. The reliable person he is, his dedication and the quick and easy way of communicating is why I love working with him most.

Which beautiful products do they create for you?

All the rattan items you see in our store are designed by us and made by Ali and his team of artisans.

Which is your favourite product from them?  

Our personally designed Sol bassinet has to be my favourite. It is such a stunning piece with a unique design I have not seen anywhere else! Made with so much care and precision, I think this is one of those pieces that could go on from generation to generation. We have also been working on a new little project which we can show a sneak peek of… a mini version of the Sol bassinet for dolls!!

Above: The brand new and very first image of the Sol Bassinet for Dolls! This will be available for pre-order soon, so watch this space!! 

Above: Annemarie's favourite - The Sol Bassinet, styled and photographed by Bek Halliday.

Check out some more of Dutch Warehouse’s beautifully handmade rattan items below from Ali and his team of artisans. Click on any of the images to shop the product!

Our rattan mirrors at Ali's workshop pictured above. Below are the products beautifully styled back here in Australia!