In The Spotlight: Artisan Furniture From Kirei Home
Travel-influenced interiors remain as popular as ever. One of our suppliers, Kirei Home, founded in 2017 by Tracey and Neil, offers a collection of furniture and home accessories comprising Indian, artisan, hand carved and one-of-a-kind pieces, all of which are inspired by their love of beautiful interiors from travels around the world.
Kirei Home focuses on artisan furniture and handpick interior accessories for a timeless and individual home.
Amongst the collection, you’ll find exquisite, hand-carved furniture sourced from India, created using ancient, artisan techniques originating in Rajasthan - in particular, Jaipur.
“Comprising functional, but beautiful furniture items which are designed to add soul and character to any home”
The collection combines useful and high-quality pieces in a variety of styles and finishes.
They are built to last, but more importantly, built to love. Armoires, sideboards, cabinets, bedside tables, storage boxes and chests, chests of drawers, TV units and console tables are just some of the pieces that Kirei Home can offer.
Furniture Making in Rajasthan
Rajasthan has a rich culture, which is famous for its arts and crafts, design, sculptures and monuments. Ruled by various kings throughout the ages, wood carving has a long-standing heritage and many examples of it can be seen on the doors and in the interiors of many temples and palaces throughout the region.
The climate in western Rajasthan is particularly dry and hot, which makes it ideal conditions for solid wood to dry.
Coupled with that, Jodhpur is a well-known export hub, filled with all the required support facilities such as kiln timber chambers, timber merchants, hardware and material manufacturers who take care of compliance, plus a dry port for shipping and customs clearance.
For all of these reasons, Rajasthan is an exceptional place to source solid wood furniture.
Most importantly of all though, its entrepreneurial communities and long-established skilled workforce of industrious artisans (known as The Marwadi), make it one of the most trusted places for furniture manufacturing in the world.
Artisan Methods
The artisans that skilfully create the collections, from cabinets to coffee tables, are masters of the ancient Indian art form of woodworking.
Most of these highly skilled workers come from specific communities, where their forefathers would hand down the skills of a previous generation.
Trained as youngsters for around four to five years, they inherit traditional techniques that will last a lifetime and eventually be passed down to their children too.
Rajasthan, in particular, is known for its sculpture and monuments. The details you will see many of the designs are taken from Rajputana and Mughal (Islamic art) and are based on historical references to Rajasthan and its surroundings.
Mango Wood
Most of the furniture is made from sustainable wood from mango trees, which grow in abundance in the Indian subcontinent.
This solid wood with dense grains is hard-wearing but lends itself perfectly to the intricate carvings of its homeland. Mango trees are grown for their fruit and harvested over a number of years.
When the fruit trees are no longer active and bear fruit, they can be responsibly cut down and re-imagined as wood for the furniture industry.
Before being cut into suitable lengths for production, the wood is dried in a kiln facility, which takes up to two weeks depending on the thickness of the wood and the current weather conditions.
With a growing cycle of around 12-15 years, the relatively high turnaround allows farmers to plant more trees to provide them with a supplementary income.
Honouring Traditions
As well as bringing one-of-a-kind pieces that are different to the norm, we are proud to work with a supplier whose collection supports the work of skilled artisans and their traditional methods of production.
By importing these authentic pieces, we hope to preserve and honour the long-standing practices that define communities in the Indian subcontinent.
Today, some of the process - such as wood cutting and joinery - is carried out by machine but the final details, such as carving and polishing are always completed carefully and individually by hand.
A hand-carved wardrobe can take up to three days to complete from beginning to end.
The design skills and knowledge of carpentry in the region of Rajasthan are second to none and highly regarded throughout the world.
It's a style that’s emulated, but in our opinion never better than the pieces that are created at the hands of these talented people.
Why Choose Handcrafted?
Handcrafted and artisan furniture holds a unique appeal that sets it apart from mass-produced alternatives.
Choosing these carefully crafted pieces allows you to express your individuality, enjoy exceptional quality and durability, embrace sustainable practices, personalise your home, and make a long-term investment.
By supporting artisans and their traditional craftsmanship, you contribute to the preservation of cultural heritage and create a more meaningful and beautiful home environment.
You can shop our Artisane collection online, or visit our Shrewsbury or Tyseley showrooms to see the collection on display
