Teak has grains that make it look like a piece of art by itself, says Serin Elza John, a designer who works with the wood. Her designs try to bring out the inherent beauty of the wood, she says. While teak is usually associated with ornate furniture, Serin’s range of products include serve-ware such as trays, cake stands, coasters; home-decor pieces and even small accessories such as baggage tags in teak. “I feel the wood has a lot of potential that is yet to be tapped,” says Serin, who also works with rose wood and mahogany.
Her design sensibility veers towards creating something functional, rather than an unmoving piece that serves no purpose. The teak platters in her collection come with glass cloches, so they can double up as dessert platters too. “These are light and serve the purpose while still being a thing of beauty.”
Serin is an assistant professor of law, teaching at the Kerala Law Academy in Thiruvananthapuram. While she started designing furniture a decade ago, as a hobby, she launched her label t.e.a.k (The Eclectic Artisan Kraft) a year ago. Her family is into timber business and it helped with contacts in the industry. For over 40 years, they have dealt with different kinds of timber from Kerala forest teak to rosewood, mahogany, peltogyne (purple heart), and imported timber such as pyinkado. She used to run a business in furniture; but closed it down eventually as the industry had become predominantly driven my mass-manufactured furniture.
“Though I don’t possess a degree in designing, I have been working with a team of carpenters for years now. While I give them the designs, they give their inputs as well. It is a great exchange of ideas.” She also derives inspiration from her travels. Hand-crafted, the products often have surprise elements such as metal handles or with marble chips inlaid.
The carpenters, however, had to be re-educated on the potential of teak. “Many of them are experts in their craft, but they were only used to carving heavy pieces with teak. The fact that something minimalistic could be made was a new idea to them.” She works with a team of seven skilled workers. Rajesh and Suresh, the chief carpenters, along with the others — Vineeth, Vinod, Gopi, Reji — who help in polishing and finshing work. Serin’s team of artisans are from Thriuvananthapuram and she has been working with some of them for years. “I don’t outsource labour. The wood and the craftsmanship I rely on is from Kerala.”
She uses ethically-sourced teak (wood sold through Government auctions are ethically-sourced as opposed to that bought from private parties). Few designers venture into teak as the wood is expensive and working with it is time-consuming. “I, for instance, ensure that my artisans get the pay they deserve, which means my products tend to be a little more expensive.”
The process of making is labour and time intensive, says Serin. Wood tends to contract and expand based on the changes in weather. The wood has to be cut and left out to dry. Readying the wood alone could take about three months. The work then involves making the product, polishing and getting it printed, if the design so demands.
Serin’s products are available on Amazon and she retails through her instagram page as well.
