Rooted in wood’s unique shapes

By Esther Williams

It’s possibly among the most exclusive furniture in the country. You can be assured that your purchase is the only one of its kind, for when working with roots, no item can be replicated exactly - the shape and wood grain being different in every piece. The On Root’s store, located in Mount Lavinia is impressive with beds, dining tables and chairs, dressing tables, centre tables and mirrors so unique that each piece is a work of art in itself.

“We guarantee furniture that is unique, artistic and comfortable,” says proprietor, Suresh De Silva. Matt finished to enhance the natural look, the furniture has a high quality finish by which Suresh seems to have set a new standard in casual furniture.

Returning to Sri Lanka after his electronics engineering degree in the UK, Suresh was speculating on business ideas when he came across a roadside craftsman by Viharamahadevi Park.

Thereafter, he invested in a factory and with a workforce of eight began with dining tables and chairs and sofa sets. As they worked with the teak roots from forests in Anuradhapura and Habarana with permits granted from the Forest Department for a fee, ideas for new products took shape. Incredibly shaped house number plates, ornamental mirror frames, clocks, lamp shades, vases were the result. The bathroom set complete with mirror, towel rack, wash basin, soap and tooth brush stands seems like a collectors’ item, of course, priced accordingly.

Design ideas apparently are mostly determined by the size and shape of the root. Award-winning craftsman Ruwantha Gomez contributes to the designs while customers themselves often make suggestions enabling them to expand their product line that has now produced over a hundred designs.

“We do not cut trees. By uprooting the root stumps left in the soil by other timber cutters, we simply clean up the environment,” Suresh says speaking with pride of their two-year-old totally Sri Lankan company. He admits that their prices are above average considering the laborious process involved in making the products, 80% of which are hand-finished. He however assures clients of value for money. The procedure includes uprooting without damaging the root, clearing the soil from crevices, removing moisture, adding preservatives and applying the final coat. While some items are made from a single root there are others that have a few almost imperceptible joints.

As products are made from mature roots with the thickness of surfaces varying from four to seven inches, the wood is hard and durable, guaranteed to last for generations. And after initial treatment, the furniture is maintenance-free.

Most of the items in On Root are custom-made as they cannot afford to keep any items ready-made. Suresh now hopes to take his ‘creations from roots’ overseas, although at the moment he is unsure if they can handle large quantities owing to the high expense and space restrictions.

From client feedback, Suresh is aware that many customers derive pleasure from simply looking at the elegant products. He remains modest about his ability to design such interesting furniture. “You don’t have to be an artist. I simply bring out the beauty of natural wood,” he says.