BohriAli is a company founded by non-designers. We have never attempted to hide that. We always felt a little out of place when people associated us with artists and design experts. Sometimes we were manufacturers, sometimes we were retailers- but there was something about these river tables, and the art of combining grand slabs of solid wood, with the fluidity and flexibility of the epoxy resin we had been selling for years.
As we started our journey, and began reading about homes and architecture- we learnt how many aesthetics there are.
From modern chic, to traditional, from rustic to minimalist- there was an audience for every river table we made.
We didn’t know where we fit, but somehow these river tables managed to fit in every home, so seamlessly that it was almost strange to watch.
Working with wood, is FAR from easy. Maybe that’s why we feel so attached to every river table we make. Each slab of wood, is carefully vetted. It has to be seasoned, it has to be strong. If the wood is wrong, the project is ruined. We spent several years studying and identifying woods. We saw the variety of colours, the variety of patterns and the amount of possibilities this seemingly basic raw material brings. It was incredible.
We made it to point to work with salvaged wood. Often we are asked how we make our products the most environmentally sustainable versions of themselves, and one of the primary ways we do that is by using repurposed wood. Wood that would have otherwise been cut and processed, is instead seasoned and rebuilt to give birth to a piece of furniture that adds to peoples homes.
Solid wood has a charm like no other.
In fact, the old BohriAli office, was at a wada, which is a wooden house extremely significant in Maharashtrian culture. You will still find many of these beautiful solid wood structures, in old Pune. These were so brilliantly built, that albiet over three decades old we were able to repurpose some of the windows and doors and create tables out of them!
The wood is truly the hero, and we have spent so much time studying and understanding how it works. We want to respect and honour that wood was once a living, breathing object and has its own set of features and flows. We add epoxy resin to out river tables to complement and complete the structure. We also try to bring out the elements and character of the wood.
Working with colour has also been a journey. The parent company (quite literally) of BohriAli.com, is the A.A Hakim Paint store. As connoisseurs of of pigment and hue, we loved using resin to add colour and a whole new dimension to solid wood furniture.
Each piece we create is handcrafted and finished to perfection. Every piece we create is intrinsically unique, we cannot recreate it if you gave us all the money in the world. Each piece has given us the opportunity to meet incredible families and see beautiful homes, that we hope to be a part of for a long, long time.
We love our river tables, and unabashedly so. The process, from conceptualisation , to manufacture, delivery fills our heart with the spirit of design, and always gifts us with a story to tell!
Check out the tables we have created here!
