The furniture industry in India is booming, and thus, the dependency on local factories and industries has increased manifold. Manufacturing furniture directly impacts the environment—including depletion of natural resources, pollution and generating waste. So, it makes sense now, more than ever, to take a sustainable route in material choices and fabrication techniques.
This is exactly what luxury furniture studio, Quba Homes, is doing. For its latest collection, the Delhi-based brand has created a range of high-end furniture from an environmentally friendly material, the marquee straw.
Sourced from local farmers in bulk, the waste is reused to create furniture as well as lifestyle products in the company’s Gurugram factory. The straw is cut into thin pieces and dyed in various colours by skilled craftsmen, who then anchor the coloured stripes on a wooden base by hand, eliminating the need for machinery. As a result, carbon emissions emitted during a product’s manufacturing process are done away with.
Marquee straw is not just a sustainable material, but also opens the doors for endless creative iterations. By dyeing it in numerous shades to create myriad patterns, these discarded heaps of straw can produce chic yet ecologically sound products. Expanding on these attributes, Quba Homes plans to ideate and curate more products both in the luxury furniture and lifestyle accessories segments.
As of now, it has launched two pieces—the Multi-coloured Marquee Straw Table and the Golden Marquee Straw Table. The first is a collaboration of different shades and shapes of dyed straw anchored on a brass base, which enhances the vibrancy and quirkiness of the table. The second piece is created from brass and straw dyed in shades of gold and brown. Furthermore, the brand is looking to extend this technique to accessories such as tissue boxes, magazine holders and more.