In celebration of our 14th anniversary, we are extending our appreciation to those who have made significant contributions to the improvement of design in Indonesia by presenting Indonesia Design Best Design Awards. This is Abie Abdillah, a nominee in the Best Product Designer category.
Over 80 per cent of the worldwide supply of rattan comes from Indonesia, and yet, despite this huge market share, the rattan industry in the country still faces significant challenges. Abie Abdillah, who graduated as a product designer from Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), recognised these challenges and was inspired to get involved. He started by creating a design studio in 2009 known as Studio Hiji that was focused on creating rattan furniture.
He gives rattan a new, contemporary look in order to provide customers with options and to attract people’s interest. The Lukis armchair is a great example of where the centuries-old tradition of rattan processing meets with contemporary design. As a piece of indoor furniture, this armchair is handmade with strong stems woven together with such accuracy and attention to detail that it makes you think of a high-technology industrial product. Thanks to his outstanding design, Abie’s rattan furniture is now selling worldwide from Singapore (via The Common Goods) to Italy (via Cappellini).