With the rising consumer trend of knowing where products come from — like if that peach you’re eating was grown organically or if the chicken in your sandwich was raised free range — there is also a rising awareness in the world of interior design. Fabrics and furniture are being made from recycled materials and dyes that are better for the environment.

The people behind these products are shaping the fair trade movement.

Ten Thousand Villages is one of the oldest and largest fair trade organizations in the world and has had a store in Rice Village since 2000. Fair trade’s mission is simple, really: To help under- or unemployed artisans across the globe market their products and receive fair wages for their work. This allows them, their families and their communities to improve their lives, education, health and overall dignity.

In the process, Western consumers are able to make the purchase of a pillow or chair mean more than just adding a pretty object in their homes.

Store manager Cassandra Martin says fair trade is very much about building long-term relationships between artisans and buyers. Buyers research markets in Chicago, New York and LA to see what design trends will be coming next season. They then visit with more than 130 artisan groups in 38 countries and share storyboards with them to begin brainstorming what to design.

“Artisans are vitally interested in what consumers want to buy,” Martin says.

Although everything fair trade is not necessarily ethnic or tribal in design, it’s hard to ignore that ethnic textiles and prints are everywhere right now, from fashion to home furnishings; just check Crate and Barrel, Anthropologie and West Elm. Choosing fair trade items still allows you to keep your own sense of style, from the simple and contemporary to the tribal and ornate.

Try these simple ways to incorporate unique, handmade fair trade items into your home décor:

Pillows, pillows, pillows

Throw pillows are the perfect way to try a new color or style in your bedroom or living room without redoing the entire room. For summertime there are plenty of pillows with hand-embroidered floral patterns in primary colors and ocean-inspired blues and greens.

If you want to give your bedroom a quick pick-me-up, try the duvet and pillow set in soothing blues and cream.

If you’re someone who believes anything is prettier with a bird or owl on it (see Portlandia: Put A Bird On It), you’ll find the Himalayan bird pillow just as unique as it is trendy.

Make a statement

If you’re inspired by bold colors and interesting textiles, choose one or two items to be statement pieces in your room.

For walls, choose a hand-embroidered tapestry from India or West Africa, many of which are decorated with a popular “tree of life” motif.

A dramatic lamp can also make a statement in any room. Be bold and choose a retro rectangle lamp upholstered in rich purple and gold fabric, which adds both light and color to the room.

A simple bed or couch can get a beautiful burst of color by draping it with a reversible sacred sari throw. Women that have left the red light district in Bangladesh patch the throws from recycled saris.

Keep it outdoors

If you’d rather put a little TLC into your backyard, add some whimsy to your garden with an assortment of animal shaped planters. Think rabbits, foxes, roosters and pigs.

Give the patio furniture a facelift with a bamboo table set topped with a tropically inspired turquoise pot that instantly transports you to island living.

Stay contemporary

If you’re a lover of clean lines and contemporary design, keep it simple. Try serving salad, pasta or dips in a set of white ceramic bowls with pops of green, red and orange inside.

Choose lamps and vases in interesting geometric shapes and solid colors, like the Peruvian lamp and vase made of Chulucanas pottery.

Recycled materials can find a second home in your design scheme, like a mirror made from recycled magazines or picture frames built from old bicycle chains.

And for maybe the most unexpected fair trade item, a reshaped glass bottle tray like something you’d find in a modern art museum gift shop — but is instead made in Bolivia — can be an out-of-the-ordinary cheese platter and a great conversation piece at your next dinner party.

Because after all, the objects in your home are more interesting when they tell a story.