The wonderful creators of the architectural practice, Stapati, has introduced a new line of furniture — Smaram. Smaram in Malayalam translates to a memory or recollection, and this new series uses reclaimed wood and vintage elements that undergo unique design transformations to become one-of-a-kind furniture. The products honour their former materiality while assuming new shapes and roles. Each work delicately strikes a balance between the previous and the present, between the told and untold stories. Smaram’s debut collection includes seven furniture pieces: Bhojan (a dining table), Aduku (chest of drawers), Asthiti (coffee table), Samanya (multi-use furniture), Pidi (console), Arah (chest of drawers), and Yug (coffee table).
The eight-seater dining table, Bhojan, rests on transparent acrylic legs and seems to float effortlessly in space. Its sleek wooden top is crafted from solid wood members of reclaimed wood. The markings of age on these wood members make each table surface unique and renders a sculptural quality to it. The chest of drawers, ‘Adukku’ is unique in its design — it has a hand-crafted drawer assembly, stands on wooden legs, and the drawer pulls are fashioned such that the handles align vertically with the legs. Together they form a single linear element that gives the piece a distinct contemporary look.
Asthiti is a captivating coffee table with its legs forming a dynamic pattern on the wooden table top. The legs are designed as a removable element and are locked into position below the table surface with wooden pegs. The unusual and unique positioning of the legs lends a suggestion of vitality to this distinctive piece. There is a fundamental principle in Ayurveda, often referred to as the principle of Samanya (similarity) and Vishesha (difference). Samanya denotes similarity and as such brings unity and causes an increase. The highly versatile ‘Samanya’ can fit comfortably into any space, such as a coffee table, center table, or additional seating. The finger-jointed sleek wooden panels that make the units of ‘Samanya’ are supported on a mild steel frame. The side panels of the units have the patterns of traditional jaalis worked on them. When placed together, these modular units form a striking whole. Individual units can be used separately and in unison with any other of the Samanya units.
The Pidi console table with its sleek lines and contemporary styling is a dramatic accent piece. A masterfully joined collection of long wooden members is cradled on metal plates and appears to levitate off the ground. The age-old wooden members add a unique history and personality to this elegant console. Arah is a modern take on the traditional granary storage system in Kerala. “Ara”, in the traditional Kerala home was an enclosed wooden storage area, raised above floor level, often used for storage of threshed grain. Arah is a modern take on the traditional granary storage system in Kerala. These chest of drawers have a sleek wooden top, with a series of three drawers and three shutters, standing on powder-coated metal legs. An additional quirky storage space hides at the base of the piece.
The Sanskrit root word Yuj means ‘to join’ or ‘to unite’. The Yuj coffee table is a modular unit, which can combine to form bigger units, to suit individual requirements. The modules while complete in themselves, can also join seamlessly to form larger tables to fit larger spaces, with a perfect harmony of design. This versatile design thus lends flexibility of usage in a seamless and simple manner. The wooden squares which are the key element in the design are fashioned from age-old wood and fit flawlessly into the square grids of the powder-coated mild steel body. These wooden squares can be rearranged or removed to make your own tabletop design.
Curated by: Deepa Nair
Photographs: Courtesy Smaram
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