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.
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 COVID-19 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 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 sustainably-managed 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.