Five Indian furniture designers remake three of their existing pieces in American hardwoods
Five leading Indian furniture designers have unveiled the finished pieces made using
American hardwoods as part of REMAKE - the first design collaboration in India led by
the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), the leading international trade
association for the American hardwood industry. The project challenged the leading
designer-makers to each select three pieces from their existing furniture range and to
remake them using American hardwoods. REMAKE was conceived as a response to the
need for hands-on experience with American hardwoods in India’s evolving furniture
manufacturing sector.
The designers involved with
the project, which was
launched late in 2020, were
Bram Woodcrafting Studio,
Esvee Atelier, Kam Ce Kam,
Studio SFDW and Studio
Wood. In response to the
brief, the designers were
asked to choose three of
their own existing pieces and
remake them using American
red oak, white oak, cherry,
hard maple, tulipwood or
hickory. AHEC supplied all the
lumber for the project from a
stock of American hardwood
species held in India, which was donated to AHEC by Allegheny Wood Products.
REMAKE explores how these designers champion a beautiful and sustainable material -
American hardwood - in a market that holds tremendous potential.
“It was an enriching experience for me to work with American hardwoods. As exciting
as it was to work with these woods, it's been quite a learning experience to see them
adapt to our designs. I particularly enjoyed working with American oak, because of its
exceptional grain patterns and quality. It was an interesting collaboration to explore the
potential of American hardwoods and express them through my designs,” said Srikanth Varma, Founder and Principal
Designer, Esvee Atelier.
“Furniture, here in India, is designed and built to last generations. Wood is one of the
most shape- shifting & malleable materials to experiment with, giving us the opportunity
to play with forms, yet durable & sturdy to sustain our evolving lifestyles. AHEC provided
us with an array of woods, each unique in its properties and scope of exploration, many
of which were a first for us,” added Navya Aggarwal, Co-founder & Partner, Studio
Wood.
Commenting on her experience,
Jehanara Knowles, Founder of Kam Ce
Kam, said: “Working with these
incredible timbers has been an
amazing experience. India has a
limited variety of timbers available and
so it has been a great opportunity to
use these materials in our pieces. They
strongly support our aesthetic, with the
natural depth of the material
enhancing our designs. Furthermore,
the quality of the timber from both a
tooling angle and the end product has
been admirable.”
Despite the challenges posed by the
global pandemic and the inability to
travel to India, AHEC was able to
remotely launch REMAKE with the five
designer-makers. The onset of COVID19 and the enforced lockdown actually
enabled AHEC to spend a lot of time
conducting in-depth research into
India’s furniture manufacturing sector
and to identify a significant number of
companies previously unknown. Many
of these companies are already using
imported temperate hardwoods for
their production, which is primarily
targeted at India’s domestic market.
“American hardwoods offer us a variety of choices in terms of the grain and finish and
are suitable for a wide range of applications. American hardwoods are also sustainable
and given that the timber, despite the transportation from America, is carbon negative
upon arrival in India, makes it an attractive option for India, which is currently a net
importer of timber. I personally believe that American red oak and cherry have the
potential to be big in India. As a company, we place great importance on the
environmental credentials of the materials we work with and find in American
hardwoods a way to continue fulfilling our timber requirements while consuming
responsibly,” said Bram Rouws, Director, Bram Woodcrafting Studio.
“Working with cherry was a new experience for me; it was quite fascinating as the
wood is quite dense and the grains gorgeous. This inspired me to explore CNC milling
with it for objects with finer
“Working with cherry was a new experience for me; it was quite fascinating as the
wood is quite dense and the grains gorgeous. This inspired me to explore CNC milling
with it for objects with finer
American hardwoods have a way to go
before becoming very well-known and
understood in India and only a handful of
manufacturers have hands-on experience
with working with them. The wealth of
legally-harvested and sustainablymanaged hardwoods that the United
States has to offer is of increasing interest
to India’s furniture manufacturers, as they
seek to explore new materials, look for
long-term alternatives to traditional
furniture hardwoods and also widen their
appeal to their intended markets, be they
in India itself or overseas. AHEC hopes that this collaboration will inspire the next
generation of furniture designers and help the Indian market discover the untapped
potential of U.S. hardwoods.
About AHEC
The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) is the leading international trade association for the U.S. hardwood industry, representing the committed exporters among U.S. hardwood companies and all the major U.S. hardwood production trade associations. AHEC runs a worldwide programme to promote American hardwoods in over 50 export markets, concentrating on providing architects, specifiers, designers and end-users with technical information on the range of species, products and sources of supply. In addition, AHEC also produces a full range of technical publications.
For more information, please visit: www.americanhardwood.org