Who Will Save The Slow-Furnishing Industry?

With a fast-furnishing trend influencing consumer purchase of cheaply made and inexpensively priced home fittings, a demand for a more eco-sustainable, value-driven way of decorating our homes simmers on the back burner, awaiting its (re)turn to the forefront again. Enter the scrappers, grassroots DIY’ers, experienced artisans, seasoned wood-crafters, and novices of slow-furnishing in the making.

Like fast-fashion, fast-furnishing offers seemingly fashionable furniture that is quickly produced using cheap materials. Often times it is manufactured overseas where exploited workers from underprivileged countries are paid pennies to produce, and the price tags left hanging once stateside offer a great look at a great price, along with a guilt-free disposable mentality.  What more could a style conscious consumer on a budget want, right?

The Sistine Chapel Of Fabric

To some, art is about mastery of a craft. To others, art is anything created by an artist that causes the viewer to feel some emotion. The fabric produced by K. Dakshinamurthi done in India’s hand block printing tradition meets at the intersection between those two schools of thought: the craftsmanship that goes into a piece of traditional Indian fabric is unparalleled and its beauty has inspired royalty.

jandoindianfabric

Dakhinamurthi is one of the outstanding artists that is taking the time to bring this craft back to life.