Jan 22, 2020

Globetrotting: Singapore

Heading through Singapore in 2020? Our resident expert, Indi, has the low-down for you. A whopping 30% of Singapore’s population are non-residents, so it’s a pretty multi-cultural place. You’ll fit right in. Here’s how to do it like the locals…and the not-so-locals…

Jan 15, 2020

From Sophie: Reflections and Resolutions

Well here we are in the Roaring Twenties!

I’m still Happy-New-Year-sing all over the shop. It’s so fun to say. And while we’ve been hard at work planning 2020, I’ve been musing over what I learnt in 2019. One of my new year’s resolutions is to not plan my life away, so in the spirit of preserving the moments, here’s my distilled list...

Dec 18, 2019

Your Kalinko: Christmas!

When you're doing your best to feel festive in a slightly un-Christmassy place, there is untold JOY in seeing the cosy Christmas scenes unfolding through social media. And the joy is particularly strong when there are Kalinko products involved...!

Here are my favourites. Thank you so, so much for sharing. They are beautiful.

Dec 11, 2019

7 Top Tips for Lonely Corners

Christmas can be lonely for some. So we're here to make sure there are no lonely corners at home. You know the ones... full of potential, but currently a dumping ground for the box the hoover came in, or six pairs of shoes.

Here are seven ways to make them shine.

Dec 04, 2019

Kalinko Living: Christmas Playlist

Despite Burma being a 90% Buddhist country, Christmas has arrived in Yangon in force. Creepy saxophone-playing Father Christmases are wiggling their hips in every shop window, and xylophone-based Christmas tunes are pinky-ponkying through the halls of the shopping malls. This is all rather odd in 30 degree heat, and doesn't quite generate the frisson of festive excitement that you might get walking down Piccadilly Arcade on a cold, crisp December day.

So we've been creating our own Christmas vibe in the office with our Kalinko Christmas Playlist. It's a classical one, for that classic Christmas feel.

Nov 27, 2019

Your Kalinko: DeLIGHTful Lampshades

Rattan lampshades have been all the rage for months now, and for good reason: they look amazing, they're natural, sustainable, they cast a warm light... there are so many reasons to love them.

But so often they have big gaps in the rattan which can be a bit stark on your eyes. So we designed ours to hide the lightbulb, and let the light filter through gently.

Here's how some of you have expertly styled them. SUCH cosy corners, ready to hunker down in for the winter.

Nov 21, 2019

Globetrotting: Kampala

We're talking afro-jazz, edible rolexes and hairnets: here's our guide to East Africa's "green city in the sun", the gateway to Uganda's rolling hills. Our Woman in Africa, Verity, has come up with the top spots, bites, and places to stay.

Nov 15, 2019

Burma Calling: Taunggyi Balloon Festival

Q: What happens if you attach fireworks to a hot air balloon?

A: The most bonkers festival on the planet.

Read all about the Taunggyi Balloon Festival...

Nov 01, 2019

It's Our 3rd Birthday!

Three years ago today, we launched Kalinko at a big Christmas Fair in London's Olympia. It was the culmination of a year of working out how to start a company, how to sell things, how much to stock. How could we get the things we'd been working on in tiny villages across Burma delivered to customers in Europe, in perfect condition? How would we spread the word?

Yangon Post