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Our furniture is predominately manufactured from teak, known as the king of all woods. Teak, which despite been a fast growing deciduous tree, is incredibly durable and workable. It has a high oil content which allows it to withstand inclement weather and the effects of decay, insects and bacteria. Its ability to with stand the elements and hold its finished form have made it the king of timbers, and prized by both boat builders and cabinet makers alike. Left untreated, teak wood will weather to a fine silvery patina, and can last up to 75 years, or sometimes longer.
Teak was first introduced into Indonesia 300-400 years ago with more than 1 million hectares planted in the island of Java alone since the mid-nineteenth century and is now considered a naturalized species. These old forests were originally managed on rotations of 80-100 years. In the original logging of teak, some 150 plus years ago, trees were ring barked and left to stand and die for up to 3 dry seasons, before being felled and carted by elephants to the milling site. It is this process that produced a wood with very unique characteristics, such as rich colour, and incredible durability and strength. Some of our furniture is made from this teak, which can now only be found in recycled timber such as doors and window frames. These days however, it is the sustainable plantation teak that is most commonly used in indoor and outdoor furniture making.
Our manufacturer uses either recycled "long rotation" teak or plantation grown teak now managed on 25-30 year rotations. These plantation forests are regulated by The Forest Trust, a government agency that works to maintain and enforce the harvesting standards of the Forest Stewardship Council, an international organization that has developed forest management and chain of custody standards, deliver trademark assurance and provide accreditation services to a global network of committed businesses, organizations and communities. Plantation forests are designated areas of land dedicated to re-growing milled timber. As it takes approximately 30 years to grow a mature teak tree, 1/30th of this dedicated land is milled and replanted each year to ensure sustainable growth.
After many weeks of scouring Indonesia, it is with some great fortune that I eventually discovered a delightful family business in West Java. Not only are they incredibly talented crafts people, but are kind and generous hosts who have invited me into their home and are willing to share their family festivities and culture with me. This family business of talented artists and carpenters use time proven skills and quality materials to design and supply everything from individual pieces to full house lots of furniture including such things as kitchen cupboards and drawers.
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