World Wood Day: Meet India’s homegrown artists crafting everything from wall decor and furniture to jewellery and toys with wood Premium

India’s homegrown artists are using salvaged wood and traditional crafting techniques to fashion wall art, jewellery, toys, and furniture. On World Wood Day this March 21, we look at a few brands that have been creating functional art out of wood

Launched in 2021 to support artisans impacted by COVID-19’s first wave, the Hyderabad-based Indian Haathi takes pride in its quirky creations that depict mythical and folk characters: Surabhi, a white cow, Ambhra the elephant, and Dawon the lion, among others.

Their latest collection of dancing deities (upwards of ₹600) is a tribute to the divine, says founder Krupanand Karthik Rambhakta, adding that he works with around 60 artisans from the craft community of Etikoppaka, Andhra Pradesh, who are famous for their lacquerware toy craft, locally known as Lakka Bommallu. “From the cheekiest Ganesha to Vishnu and Lakshmi, the stories, myths, and the symbolic representation of these deities have always been an intangible part of our life since childhood,” he says of the collection launching in collaboration with Bengaluru-based store Greenhouse.

Also part of their new launches is a range of earrings (upwards of ₹350). Krupanand explains how a skilled artisan can chisel and assemble each piece within an hour, but the “meticulous part of the production is the hand painting of various facial features and the finer details which usually takes up to six hours”. “We are working with various freelance storytellers and illustrators across the country to come up with a range of mythical storytelling books and activities, and also looking at launching our website and expanding our offline presence through various stores in South India,” he adds.

@indianhaathi are on Instagram

Launched in 2015, Piyusha Singhvi of the Jaipur-based Ulta Pulta Designs draws from life’s complexities and “simplifies them by creating quirky products that bring joy”. The artist works with different mediums such as wood, paper, waste boxes (match boxes, phone boxes), and fabrics to create hand-painted and illustrated wooden plates, art prints, collectibles, and block-printed apparel. Launching this month is a range of wooden collectibles — Kaath Ki (meaning, of wood) — based on Rajasthan’s famed Kathputli craft, and a collection of quirky clay figurines of Gods and Goddesses. “We are also planning to launch a range of hand-painted wooden plates that will be available for sale from July,” says Piyusha.

Upwards of ₹200. @ultapultadesigns on Instagram

Known for her functional coffee tables, dining tables, chairs, wooden upholstered sofas, etc., crafted from salvaged wood, Aakriti Kumar believes all her products “are somehow inspired by Nature”. If not in its physical appearance — the Topographic Coffee Table has been inspired by terrace farming in the Himalayas — then definitely in the natural feel and texture of the wood, she says. For example, the way she accentuates a tree’s annual growth rings or the live edge (natural curve of trees and branches) of the planks cut from fallen tree stumps.