Madu Lounge Chair

Abie Abdillah (Studiohiji)

Madu is the Indonesian word for ‘honey’. Inspired by the structure of honeycomb, the Madu Lounge Chair pushes the boundaries of rattan craftsmanship. The honeycomb structure (joined by wooden dowels and incorporating no nails or screws) expresses rattan’s flexibility while demonstrating its strength. Rattan is a sustainable and versatile material native to Indonesia – a country long regarded as a place to mine commodities. With Madu, it is Studiohiji’s mission to demonstrate how the country’s design and manufacturing industries have advanced – how they are capable of producing high-quality furniture with precise craftsmanship and thoughtful design using sustainable and eco-conscious materials.

The Madu Lounge Chair is 100-per-cent made in Indonesia. Its rattan is grown, harvested and treated in Indonesia and the chair is designed and crafted by Indonesians in a state-of-the-art factory in Cirebon, West Java. Crafted by hand with 26mm-diameter Manau rattan poles from Sumatra, Madu’s aesthetic emerges logically, conveying the material’s organic quality, and bringing a softness that belies its strength.

For over a decade, designer Abie Abdillah has been a keen advocate of rattan and rattan furniture. Studiohiji believes that designers have the responsibility to not only quench our thirst for beauty but also to explore what we can do for our environment. Since its establishment in 2014, Studiohiji has been following this route.

Rattan is a natural sustainable material (and a viable alternative to timber) in terms of the way it’s sourced and produced and the way it’s created and made into products. In this age, when everything is automated and fast paced, and when industries rely on machinery, rattan furniture is a solid way to preserve handcraftsmanship and sustain the lives of craftspeople in Indonesia. Through its design, Studiohiji is also campaigning for the improvement of the social economy and creative ecosystem in Indonesia.

Photography: Adi Prawira of Hira Imaji Studio