About Tilnar Art

We are a small team of people who do their utmost to give you the best. We try hard to ensure that you receive a product that is hand made, unique and profoundly different to others in the market place. Over the last 20 years Besmo and now Tilnar Art has revolutionised the perception of home accessories from Africa, or inspired by Africa, into one that can be mainstream without losing its place in today’s home. When designing a product and eventually adding it to our collection we do our best to visualise it in the modern home. We never lose sight of the eventual consumer and the retailer. We travel thousands of miles every year to find you products that give you the edge and maintain our increasing number of artisans by providing them regular and sustainable trade. All our products are hand-made and fairly traded. We check all our products for quality at source. Sizes, shapes and colours (of stone in particular) of our products may vary slightly because they are hand-made using natural materials. Tilnar Art was formed in 2005 by Tom Hawes. Tom gave up a career as a successful London Solicitor to form Tilnar Art as he wanted to help many of the artists he had met on his various trips to Zimbabwe. Tilnar stands for 'This Is Life Not A Rehearsal' and Tom passionately believes you should, where possible, work in areas that you are passionate about and enjoy. Today, Tilnar Art continues to expand and support more disadvantaged producers. Read their story