An interior design trend that has dominated for a while and now it’s here to stay. If you thought the interior can look good only through wood or marble, think again!
Cane furniture is an old crafting technique. Cane comes from the outer skin of the rattan stalk. A piece, or a set, of cane furniture to any room instantly relaxes the atmosphere of the surrounding. It is durable, low weight, easy maintenance and environmentally friendly.
Humble Beginnings
A start-up from Bharuch Gujarat is helping us recall the glorious 1980s era, where the furniture and accessories are crafted from Cane furniture. Based in Ahmedabad, IRA Furniture focuses on taking a trip down the memory lane and bring the essence of Cane Furniture that combines simplicity, comfort with a twist of high aesthetic appeal.
Vaibhav Gupta, the founder, always believed in purchasing quality products. However, he failed to find a seller for cane furniture. He wasn’t satisfied with what the furniture market was offering.
In 2016, after completing his masters, he was working for Public Sector Undertaking (PSU). To offer better quality furniture to the customers; he launched his own business in 2017.In his journey, he faced many obstacles in his way in setting up the company and other operations. In 2018, he quit his job and devote completely towards IRA Furniture.
Reaching new heights
One of the toughest challenges was to find artisans to possess and gain skills of cane furniture. He navigated his way through them skillfully. But another obstacle was that the artisans were happy in agriculture. But Vaibhav convinced them and promised monetary benefits in return for excellent product lines .IRA Furniture has grown from a base of 20 artisans now to 40 artisans. The artisans have travelled all the way from Uttar Pradesh, Assam and different states to create and deliver the best.
Some of the other big brands in the sector are Fab India, Jaypore, Bareeki, Assam Cane Furniture and Cane India.
IRA furniture brings a light, airy look that will not weigh down a room’s seating area. A world of uniquely created and skilfully constructed cane furnishings and hand-carved goods made of Andaman & Assam cane by famous indigenous artisans.The raw material is exported from Malaysia, and Vietnam and products are manufactured in Ahmedabad. The company has caught the spotlight in 2019 during the pandemic and attracted a lot of customers.
IRA Furniture has provided its extremely elegant furniture for the reality TV show Big Boss. IRA Furniture has also captured buyers in several resorts in Udaipur and Goa.
The high demand of cane furniture is from southern states, one of them being Kerala. With an immense response from Southern India, he plans to open a manufacturing unit there to reduce the delivery time.
IRA Furniture initially launched on Amazon and Flipkart. With passing time, they have launched their own website and have also partnered with 26 independent architects.IRA furniture is looking forward to diving into the exports market with hiring double the number of artisans. The export market helps to expand and increase profit margins. Vaibhav Gupta also aims to get listed on Amazon US.
You have the pleasure of picking from numerous exquisite designs in different shades which soothe your eyes. IRA Cane World creates furniture to fit your unique requirements and tastes, besides a plethora of styles in their catalogues. IRA Furniture aims to add a modern and trendy look to your entire décor.
You can also look up other inspiring startup stories.