Often dealing with what is left over seems to be so time consuming that most of us choose to look the other way. Yet, for some ‘waste not, want not’ is the driving force behind their work ethic. We look at how Bengaluru-based Sudha Mahalingam and Kiran TN have taken to giving residual bits of wood a new lease of life.

Lovely, dark and deep

While a tarred road brings a certain ease to life, it also the harbinger of civilisation’s woes. Sudha says her home in North Bengaluruwas surrounded by farms and forest but once the road was laid two years ago, the area began developing into a layout.

“Trees were being cut and everywhere I looked gnarly, knobbly pieces of wood were strewn about. I would bring them home and clean them up, trying to figure what they could lend their shape to,” says Sudha. “I’d also pick up wild calabashes that were abundant in the area. They would dry up and fall right there where they grew. I felt these had interesting shapes that could work well for lamps. ”

Sudha went online, looked up tutorials and taught herself how to affix wires and switches. “I began using these lamps at home; they were highly appreciated by guests who came by, which encouraged me to make more.”

Apart from the bulb, wires and fuses, Sudha tries her best to make these products as natural as possible and uses linseed and tung oil to polish them. Soon she branched out into crafting mirrors, clocks and hangers. “There is no end to what you can do with a little bit of creativity and soon I began making tables from irregular-shaped slabs of wood.” Sudha held an exhibition-and-sale of her products last year to offload some of her inventory that had grown substantially.

Now in her mid-70s, creating an instagram account seemed challenging, but Sudha did so to showcase her work. She has long been the poster-child for the adage ‘age no bar’, having penned her first book at 70.

“I am always looking for things to do by hand and learnt studio pottery for six months. My furniture too, is handmade. I like having natural things at home, and these pieces crafted from cast off wood fit neatly into that philosophy.”

Sudha is into photography and has held a few exhibitions, apart from having a coffee table book and two titlesto her credit; she also creates lamp shades from bottles. “I believe these things I fashion should serve a functional purpose and not be merely decorative.”

Samples of Sudha’s work can be viewed at @vana_vriksha on Instagram

Made In India

Kiran TN had an Aha moment during a trip to Bali a few years ago where he noticed how natural root shapes were utilised to craft decor and other functional items. “I was fascinated by their creativity and impressed with the manner in which the original silhouette was retained.”

Kiran admits that though their initial plan was to import these products from Bali, the realisation that India was teeming with raw material hit him. “There is discarded wood all around us — from trees felled and left by the roadside to scaffolding used in construction and more.”

His family coffee estate too, was a source of raw material, says Kiran, adding coffee wood is naturally attractive in shape and colour. After researching and toying with a few initial ideas, he began with setting molten glass bowls atop pieces of wood in 2018. “I would travel to Firozabad to get this done, and since the feedback from vendors was favourable, I gradually began making table and floor lamps too.”

From coffee wood, Kiran began sourcing from sawmills which would discard logs with holes inside.

“We began cutting these into slabs and creating designs around it. Soon, we were making mirrors, hanging lights and other products we developed based on ideas from friends, customers and others,” says Kiran, adding how the designers from a well-known decor store in the city helped them. “They shared valuable inputs on how the naturality of the wood should not be touched, and how a product should be built around it.”

“We only had the raw material and a few ideas, their know-how and techniques, helped us immensely.”

Today, Kiran says his firm called Fuzed Crafts is still open to customer ideas and requests. “People come in with some pieces of wood and ask if we can make centre-table. Apart from finished products, our studio has logs and other cut pieces, which people can customise to their requirements. We take the risk of fashioning it and making something new.”

Needless to say, every piece looks different as each piece of wood is unique. Kiran says the Fuzed Crafts’ catalogue serves as a reference point to give customers an idea of what can be created.

“We are a sustainable unit and do not cut trees to make our products. We only use what has been discarded and this includes roots which are usually used for firewood. If properly maintained, these pieces can last a long time.”

While Kiran sources wood that has been discarded, Fuzed Crafts also upcycles pieces such as traditional, ornate doors into dining tables or wall hangings, to keep them from being destroyed.

Pieces by Fuzed Crafts can be seen at @fuzedcraftstudio on Instagram