Once upon a beam: architects design furniture from reclaimed wood

At Smaram in Kozhikode, architects design no-fuss furniture from reclaimed century-old wood

Many brands today are creating furniture from reclaimed wood. But at Smaram, a Kozhikode-based firm, the terms ‘traditional craftsmanship’ and ‘timeless pieces’ are given importance. The word ‘smaram’ itself means memory in Malayalam (while ‘maram’ means wood) and the team pays tribute to the heritage and lived experience of old wood through the furniture it makes.

Launched four years ago by Stapati, an architecture firm founded by architect Tony Joseph in Kozhikode, Smaram has been promoting the joys of working with reclaimed wood and salvaged materials. Its tidy range of furniture, which includes compact benches, cots, tables and chests of drawers, is distinct and experimental. Being architects, the principal designers of Smaram, while documenting ancient houses in Kerala, saw the possibility of repurposing the wood into furniture. “Most of the wood used for our furniture is over 100 years old. The idea is to reduce the need for new raw materials by making the most of materials around us,” says Akshay Salil, architect and designer at Smaram. 

Smaram’s existing collection has been fashioned out of wood sourced from an old mansion at Haripad, in Alappuzha and another in Pala, Kottayam. In both cases, the wood was dismantled carefully by skilled workers. 

Each piece comes with a story and the design lets the wood narrate it, though set in a different context. For instance, Shayya, a 6 ft-8 inch x 5 ft-5 inch wide cot, is a contemporary take on the traditional Kerala style of furniture. The wood, finished in plant emulsion, has a headboard made from the rafters of a grand old house in Kerala. Placed edge to edge, the vintage design on the rafters brings back the essence of a traditional Kerala house. Similarly, the Arah chest of drawers standing on powder coated metal legs gives the traditional granary storage system a modern spin.

The tables, benches and storage solutions in the collection were all once part of a pillar, beam, beading, door or rafter of a home. And that is what makes it unique, says Salil. “Old wood may need basic treatment in order to extend its life, but the advantage it has over new wood is that it has been naturally seasoned over the years,” he adds. 

While in some cases, parts of the wood may have chipped, or cracked, Smaram interprets these defects as the character of the material. The design evolves according to the nature of the material. Some wood may even be converted to a decor item, adds Salil. 

Smaram has a team of skilled and experienced carpenters, who are familiar with local varieties of trees such as jackfruit, mango, teak, venga (Indian Kino tree). “Working with the wood of these trees demands a certain level of expertise,” Salil says.