Against the machine. For the maker.
Understory is a store in Dorrigo, New South Wales. We stock small-batch, atelier-made, and carefully sourced vintage goods from independent makers around the world. We carry these things because we believe the objects that surround us should be honestly made, honestly sold, and worth keeping.
Every object here was made by a person. Not a process, not a factory line, not an algorithm optimised for margin. A person — with a name, a workshop, a material philosophy, and a reason for making things the way they make them.
We are not a marketplace. We do not stock everything. We stock what we believe in.
Just Arrived
The Lanikai Beach ceramic lampshade is one in a series of five different ceramic chocolate lampshades handmade by Great Ceramics in Holland. The shade is half-glazed on the outside, and the inside is fully glazed.
They are beautiful to hang as a series in any room or space. Every lampshade comes with brass parts and two metres of matching chocolate fabric cord. The ceiling cap is made from the same clay.
The shape of this lampshade was originally thrown on the pottery wheel with clay, and a mould was made, so this lampshade is lightweight, delicate and thin! Not too heavy to hang from the ceiling.
The chocolate is the colour of the liquid clay.
Discover the perfect blend of comfort and style with the "Sonoma Sweatshirt." Crafted from 100% cotton, this sweatshirt offers an ultra-soft feel that keeps you cozy while making a fashion statement. Its relaxed fit and ribbed hem provide a casual yet flattering silhouette, perfect for layering over your favorite tees or wearing solo for a laid-back look. The rich, earthy green hue adds a touch of sophistication to any outfit, making it an essential piece for your wardrobe. Whether you’re running errands or lounging at home, the Sonoma Sweatshirt is your go-to for effortless style and comfort.
Fabric: 100% Organic Cotton
Made in United States
Care Instructions
Machine wash Cold / Warm
Tumble dry on low
Cashmere Jersey Jacquard. Heavy weight. Regular fit. Cashmere 10%, Wool 30%, Viscose 30%, Polyamide 30%.
Made in Europe with sustainable materials. Humpier ®
Made from a premium 8oz wax canvas, which is treated with bees wax to give it that classic worn patina, it's also both strong and durable with a high quality YKK zipper.
This pouch is built to last and will be at your side for many years to come!
Dimensions: 20cm X 13cm X 6cm
Made in United Kingdom
in the spotlight
Knitted bath towel featuring our colorful Worm pattern. Terry on the front side, knitted structure on the back.
Made in Berlin, Germany
100% Organic Cotton
70 × 140 cm
470 GSM (grams per square meter)
Care Instructions
Machine wash at 40°C or lower to preserve the fibres and the planet.
Do not bleach.
Stretch gently after wash when it's still wet to retain the original form.
Line dry or tumble dry at low temperature.
Dry clean with mild process.
Steam iron at max. 120°C.
If a Terry loop comes out, cut instead of pulling.
A towel is not a complicated object, which makes it all the more remarkable how rarely one is made well.
Towel.Studio work from a workshop in Berlin, knitting organic cotton in a process that generates almost no waste — not as a marketing position, but as a consequence of how they think about making things.
The result is a towel with weight and texture, the kind that improves with use rather than degrading with it.
Ritual - things you reach for daily
There is a small set of objects you touch every day, often without thinking: the soap at the sink, the oil you reach for to replenish your skin, or a candle to create a peaceful atmosphere while you soak in the bath. Because they’re ordinary, they’re usually made carelessly — anonymous, mass-produced, designed to be used up and forgotten.
Here are the objects of the daily ritual — made by people who took them seriously. Soap that was actually made by someone. Oils and balms from makers who knew what they were putting in them. None of it promises to transform you. It simply does its work, every day, and does it honestly.
Target: Hydrating, Moisturising, Plumping, and Calming
Skin Type: Normal, Dry, Mature, Combination, and Oily
Gentle, ultra quenching facial moisturiser. This is a lightweight but deeply hydrating facial lotion harnessing the best of nature's actives to nourish and comfort skin, grown by our Mother and bottled by us.
Drenches skin with a high level of moistening humectants and softening emollients which soften and moisturise skin. The addition of premium botanical extracts will soothe and support your complexion, leaving skin healthy and comfortable, never tight or greasy.
Well-tolerated by sensitive skin and the perfect base for our facial oils.
Used daily, this product should last you 3 months
Uses natural, organic, ingredients of the highest quality available
60ml amber glass bottle with lotion pump and cap, boxed
Made in United Kingdom
Calm offers your child a daily dose of emotional wellbeing! It’s been formulated to support your child’s ups and downs by helping them digest their feelings and food. It also helps to quell anxiety and quieten nerves in older kids.
Emotional turbulence and upset tummies are a part of a child’s life experience as they learn how to interact with the world around them. Calm is a mushroom and herbal remedy made entirely from plants, so it’s a natural (non-synthetic) supplement, making it safe for regular use.
Helps to reduce overexcitement
Lowers blood sugar levels
Nourishes the nervous system
Promotes relaxation and sleep
Aids in reducing anxiety
Settles the stomach by assisting digestion
Lion’s Mane is the chief herb (also considered a functional food) that can help heal the organs that make up the gut-brain axis! Lion's Mane mushroom is a ‘prebiotic’ because it contains non-digestible fibres that feed two particularly beneficial gut bacteria, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. These two bacteria play a role in the gut microbiota to ensure gut barrier integrity and reduce gastrointestinal inflammation. Lion’s Mane also contains compounds that stimulate the production of nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to repair and protect brain cells.
Balances neurotransmitters to improve mood/stress response
Protects against neurodegeneration (e.g., Parkinson’s, which is linked to gut dysfunction)
Enhances gut barrier function (mucosal repair to heal leaky gut)
Reduces intestinal inflammation (calms IBS/IBD)
Modulates the microbial balance of the GI tract
Improves gut motility (prevents constipation/diarrhea)
Target: Smoothing, Exfoliating, Clarity, and Brightening
Skin Type: Normal, Combination, and Oily
Botanical, lactic acid exfoliating gel wash. This is a plush foaming facial gel using the best of nature's actives to soften and re-texturise skin, grown by our Mother and bottled by us.
Gently exfoliates dull surface build-up to boost glow and brighten your complexion. Preps skin for your next steps, allowing your skincare ritual to layer beautifully.
The blend’s high content of lactic acid is supported by a host of botanical actives to soften any irritation and further clarify. Oil-free and alcohol free.
Used daily, this product will last you 3 months
Uses natural and organic raw ingredients and gentle lactic acid
120ml amber glass bottle with a pump in a cardboard box. We use amber glass to protect the precious plant extracts from oxidisation. This keeps them more potent for longer.
Made in United Kingdom
Tinker & Tallulah. England.
A lampshade is usually an afterthought — bought flat, fitted, and forgotten. Tinker & Tallulah make theirs by hand in England, designed by Nina Watson.
Each glamorous lampshade is finished with fringing, tassels, and velvet. Not a shade you stop seeing. One you chose on purpose.
Skar Organics. England.
Most candles are paraffin — a petroleum wax, scented with synthetics, made by no one in particular. Skär are the opposite.
Chloë and Fraser dip them by hand in Yorkshire from certified organic beeswax, with unbleached cotton wicks and, in the aromatherapy range, certified organic essential oils.
Skär means pure in Old Norse. The candles keep the promise.
Wearing - Clothing made by the person who designed it.
Most clothing is made in factories by no one in particular — sold by a brand that never touched the fabric. The people we carry work the other way. What you’re buying isn’t a trending style and a colourway. It’s a share of the hours someone spent making it.
Joolee sews every piece herself in Chicago. Megan Ilene works from a zero-waste pattern in North Carolina. Yarmouth Oilskins has dressed fishermen in waxed cloth from Great Yarmouth for well over a century. Each maker’s story is uniquely their own.
To Market, to Market to buy us organic kumquats!
We call this the Market shirt because, like all of Megan-Ilene designs, you can quickly throw this on and you’re out the door on your next adventure. Who has time to think about getting dressed?
This piece easily transitions from summer to winter due to the loose, drapey shape which encourages layering and nubby 100% silk noil which keeps you cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
All dyes used are either natural or low-impact synthetic and safe for both your skin and our water supply. These are dyed using a low water immersion technique ensuring that our water waste is as scant as possible. Our dye process is organic and we encourage adventure.
Made in North Carolina.
Size 1: Pit to pit: 23-25" laid flat Shoulder to hem: 21-23"
Size 2: Pit to pit 28-30" laid flat Shoulder to hem: 24-26"
*Due to the zero-waste pattern, there is some play in the sizing.
The card pattern for the Hooded Smock is taken directly from the Yarmouth Oilskins archive – in the recreation they’ve used a modern lightweight waxed fabric not available when it was originally created but perfectly suited. Produced in Dundee by one of Britain’s oldest wax cloth mills, this emulsified wax finish cloth is lightweight breathable and weather repellent. It offers a soft tumbled appearance, keeping all the character of natural cotton.
The patina will develop over time and just get better and better. This fabric is washable, line dried and light iron. After a number of washes the waxed finish may deteriorate, so we advise washing your smock as infrequently as possible. You can also purchase a specific wax spray for this fabric, should you wish to rejuvenate the waxed finish of your smock in time. The Hooded Smock is unlined, with an internal waist draw cord, and a sturdy brass zip. It has generous deep welt pockets with a buttoned storm flap, and a three piece hood.
Yarmouth Oilskins have manufactured oilskin clothing for well over 100 years, originally the go to workwear for fishermen, the merchant navy, agricultural workers and miners. Oilskin dressing was applied by hand to calico cotton in-house in their factory in Great Yarmouth. It’s documented that in 1953 the factory would produce around 2000 oilskin garments per week.
Made in Great Yarmouth, Great Britain
Care information
Machine wash at 30 degrees or hand wash with similar colours.
Hand made by Joolee with 100% linen with side pockets. Comfortable oversized fit. Length about 47 inches from shoulder.
Size info
S is AU 8-10.
M is AU 12-14.
L is AU 16.
XL is AU 18.
This product is a little oversized fit.
If you wear between size, we recommend a smaller size for this product
Made in United States
Fabric: 100%linen
Hoodless sweatshirt made of 100% organic cotton.
The model is 1.75 m tall and wears an L.
Made in Europe with recycled materials. Humpier ®
Inside - The objects a room actually lives with.
Most of what ends up inside a house was bought to fill it quickly — a set from a catalogue, a shape chosen because it was available, not because anyone thought about it. It looks fine for a season, then it doesn’t.
We carry the alternative: ceramics thrown by hand in a Dutch studio, towels knitted from organic cotton in a Berlin workshop, lampshades finished one at a time in England. Nothing here was designed to be replaced next year. It was designed to be looked at, used, and kept — the kind of object that gets better as a room grows around it.
The Burgos twill apron is the perfect accessory for any kitchen lover! With adjustable straps and its thick fabric, it is the perfect complement for the kitchen. Innovate your dining experience and join the kitchen in style.
Unisex
Size: 80cm x 8cm
Adjustable neck with metal ring
Black cotton knot straps at the waist
Front pocket in black canvas
Composition 80% cotton 20% polyester
The William Morris Golden Lily Fringed Lampshade - Linen is elegant, intricate and richly decorative. The William Morris Golden Lily Fringed Lampshade celebrates one of the most recognisable Morris & Co. designs.
Originally created in 1899 by designer John Henry Dearle, Golden Lily features swirling stems, unfurling leaves and abundant blooms inspired by an English summer garden.
Paired with our signature swishy fringe, the pattern becomes a striking decorative shade that transforms an everyday lamp into a focal point.
Handmade in Nottinghamshire, this lampshade beautifully combines historic British textile design with contemporary artisan craftsmanship.
Why you'll love it
Handmade William Morris Golden Lily lampshade
Iconic Arts & Crafts floral pattern
Creates a warm, atmospheric glow
Handmade in Nottinghamshire, England
Designed to elevate table lamps, statement bases and ceiling pendants
Styling notes: Golden Lily pairs beautifully with brass lamp bases, marble surfaces and richly layered interiors.
Lampshade Diameter: Medium (40cm)
Lampshade Use: Table Lamp / Floor Lamp / Ceiling Pendant
Knitted bathrobe or kimono robe in our Bold Grid pattern. Made of 100% organic cotton beige and forest green yarns in Berlin, Germany. Size L-XL.
Care Instructions
Machine wash at 40°C or lower to preserve the fibres and the planet.
Do not bleach.
Stretch gently after wash when it's still wet to retain the original form.
Line dry or tumble dry at low temperature.
Dry clean with mild process.
Steam iron at max. 120°C.
If a Terry loop comes out, cut instead of pulling.
Roasted fresh in-house!
Region: Ethiopia & Nicaragua
Elevation: 1050-2241
Notes: Milk Chocolate, Mild Aciditty, Black Tea
12 oz Whole Bean Coffee
Light/Med Roast Blend
Shipped after being freshly roasted!
Roasted at our HQ in Columbia, TN
Stories from beneath the canopy.
The things we carry have stories behind them — about the people who make them, the places they are made, and the thinking that preceded the making. This is where we tell those stories.
What We’ve Been Looking At.
