Samsara furniture, located on Scarborough Beach Road in Osborne Park, was reportedly the first Australian company to join the Sustainable Furniture Council (SFC). The SFC is an official, not for profit organization that promotes sustainable practices among furniture retailers. Samsara sells furniture made with an awareness of sustainability of the environmental and of communities. Eastern inspired furnishings are made from recycled, reinvented and certified plantation timber. Much of the furniture has its own unique history, such as the coffee table with the table top made from an ancient Indian door, which is divided into sections and inlaid with miniature bronze peacocks.
There is also a set of six Legian dining chairs, made entirely from teak recycled from old floor boards, houses and rice grinders. Sitting low to the ground, their high backs are railed with horizontal iron bars, a modern design with a medieval aesthetic. Unlike most other pieces, they are not part of a collection but stand on their own. Each chair costs $299. In store, they are paired with the square Khama table; $1069.
Samsara stores stock limited collections periodically. Each collection is made from wood sourced from a particular part of the East, such as the Goa collection, with timber and designs individual to the area. For example, the Goa collection features metal studs, the Kashmir collection has intricate panels and cornices from houseboats in Kashmir and the Zen collection, made of mango wood, is as elegant as it sounds.
There are other individual pieces too – Chinese cabinets reminiscent of the Qing dynasty, characterised by graceful lines, mother of pearl inlay, glossy lacquer and metal handles locked with feather pins. Rather than naming them, Samsara lets the antiques talk for themselves, such as the red lacquered four door cabinet, $1999.00, with delicately painted butterflies on the twin doors.
***
