Rough around the edges
In the 1600’s, when a group of early settlers started to establish their colony in America, they found need for furniture that are functional, the raw materials for which are easily available and one that can be made quickly. The factor of time having found precedence over the rest, they started leaving wood at its natural form- specially around the edges. As progress started to seep in, furniture started to look a lot more polished and over the period of time, live edge and rustic furniture were completely eliminated from the scene.
Then, in 1946, a young Japanese wood worker and architect in his furniture series for Knoll, deliberately left the wooden pieces unfinished. He also chose wood with knots, burrs and grains which not only served as his muse but he also found it to be moral to let the grains shine. His name was George Katsutoshi Nakashima and along with Tage Frid, James Krenov, Wharton Esherick and Arthur Espenet Carpenter are considered to the first generation of studio furniture makers whose design and style influenced what we know as contemporary woodkworking.
For the longest time however, and I’d go as far as to say until 2015, rustic and live edge furniture were not too hot here in India. Beautiful, bare boned wood table still graced the small shops by the road but we were too bourgeois to consider it in our homes. Thank God for a select few who braved introducing rustic furniture to the Indian market and as cafes and restaurants opened up to the India, so did we! Haha, probably a very bourgeois thing to do but I am not complaining if its a good thing!
Today, we get beautiful live edge and rustic furniture here in India and I am going to introduce you to WeWood, from the house of Starwood- one of the leading global exporters of ethically sourced Burmese Teak veneers and lumber from India, who specifically works with live edge and resin furniture.
Now what’s resin?
If you have been near a pine, you have seen resin. A highly viscous liquid that hardens when exposed to air, resin can be naturally occurring or synthetic and other than coasters (not even in the same league here) the most common use of it as we know today are in furniture. Specifically, live edge furniture. Two pieces of gorgeous live edges can be brought together into a harmonious piece of furniture with resin and some of them look absolutely gorgeous.
Wewood is that one place where you can buy all kind of live edge and resin furniture and at a great price. They have stunning headboards, center tables, coffee tables, end tables, clock and also wall art. Among the collections, do check out ocean pour if you love coastal decor.
Where can you find WeWood
They are available on their website: www.wewood.co.in
Alternatively also on instagram: @wewood.india