Exhibitor’s Stories

Developing the rural craft economy with bamboo furniture

Bamboo’s light weight, excellent flexibility, tensile strength, and compression properties make it an excellent material for furniture makers to work with. Reviving and innovating traditional handicraft by designers trained in holistic approach and design thinking led to a new generation of bamboo handicraft. Truss Me are modular home and lifestyle products that cater to consumers’ needs, develop the rural craft industry, and promote sustainability. Sandeep Sangaru harnessed bamboo supplied and crafted in Northeast India and developed an innovative series of furniture models, with which craftspeople can follow to make these strong and reliable products using existing skills and equipment. By laminating strips of glued bamboo together, these handmade furniture pieces are supported by strengthened trusses and feature contemporary, geometric forms that offer versatility and value for everyday use.