Handmade in Bangalore, India, the collaboration between Phantom Hands and x+l now comprises 16 pieces in total
October 05, 2024 – Phantom Hands, makers of handcrafted, design-driven contemporary furniture and x+l, a Dutch design studio, have announced the launch of their latest collection comprising four new pieces made, for the first time, in American red oak as well as in Indian teak. The new collection designed by x+l comprises the x+l 13 Full Circle Dining Table, x+l 14 Full Circle Coffee Table, x+l 15 Full Circle Stool and x+l 16 Cut Circle Stool. Handmade in Bangalore, India, the collaboration between Phantom Hands and x+l, which started 6 years ago, now encompasses 16 pieces in total.
x+l is the eponymous brand name of Xander Vervoort and Leon van Boxtel, a design duo based in Amsterdam, Holland. With a background in theater and art, they founded x+l studio in 1996, focusing on interior design. Through the years they have worked across several disciplines – product design, photography, advertising, stage design, fashion and exhibition design. With an ecosystem of skilled carpenters, wood polishers, cane weavers, upholsterers, and tailors from craft communities across the country, Phantom Hands have produced collections which include re-editions of modernist classics, as well as contemporary objects created in collaboration with acclaimed furniture and textile designers.
“x+l first contacted us in early 2018 as customers – they wanted to purchase some of our furniture. Soon after, they happened to be visiting Bangalore, and we invited them to our workshop. During their visit, we realized that there was a lot of synergy between their design sensibility and ours and we started collaborating. They designed their first product for us, the x+l 01 Coffee Table in 2018.
Since then, we have collaborated on 16 objects in all, including the newly launched 4,” said Deepak Srinath, Co-founder, Phantom Hands.
According to Srinath, this is the first commercial collection that they have built with American red oak. When they began prototyping the tables and stools, they had initially planned to make them only in teak, their standard choice since they began operations in 2014. The decision to try red oak was driven by concerns regarding the sustainability and environmental credentials of the traditional timbers that they were accustomed to. Given that the net volume (after harvest) of American red oak is increasing by 28.7 million m3 each year, and gaining a deeper insight into the ecological implications, it made sense for Phantom Hands to rethink their timber selection.
“A few months ago, we received a shipment of American hardwood lumber – cherry, maple and red oak – which was donated by The Rossi Group for another collaboration we are working on with the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC). During the initial testing process, we experimented with different kinds of stains on the lumber we received. Given its open pores, red oak absorbed the stains really well and we were happy with the results. We also learned about the established environmental attributes and its workability for furniture applications from AHEC, which made for a compelling proposition for us to try and use them in our new collections,” added Srinath.
Phantom Hands went back to x+l and shared some of the stained samples they had made with red oak. The design duo liked the colors presented, which led to the manufacturer proposing the idea of offering this collection in a selection of stained or painted red oak finishes. x+l eventually selected two colors – the dark red Indian Mud and the bluish Burnt Cobalt – for the collection and the pieces are currently available in red oak in these two shades. According to Srinath, they found red oak to be a great timber to work with, both from a carpentry and finishing perspective.
“The decision to trial red oak was made very early on in the design process. We had initially planned to make the pieces only in teak (which has been our standard wood thus far), but we had begun some experiments with American hardwoods a few months back and were keen to try them for some of the new products. We zeroed in on red oak, presented our concepts to x+l and they immediately agreed to offer the products in red oak as an option. Fast forward to a few months later and the pieces are now available in India directly from us and globally through our network of dealers in 27 countries,” added Srinath.
Roderick Wiles, AHEC Regional Director, added: “We are indebted to The Rossi Group for donating the lumber to Phantom Hands and we are delighted that Deepak, Aparna and their team of craftspeople have been able to experiment with cherry, maple and red oak for the first time. Key to their acceptance of these extremely versatile and widely-available species is their ability to gain hands-on experience with them. The results already speak for themselves and we look forward to seeing the outcome of our own direct collaboration with Phantom Hands later this year.”
Established in 2014 and with over a hundred skilled artisans in carpentry, wood finishing, cane weaving, upholstery, tailoring, this is the first collection that Phantom Hands have made using red oak. Looking ahead, they are positive of the potential for American hardwoods in India, especially in the high end furniture segment, where there are very few good alternatives to teak in India. American hardwoods could easily fill this gap and emerge as a credible alternative to teak. With the wide variety of species available, Srinath is confident that U.S. hardwoods could serve the needs of the market, particularly for furniture and interiors. Building an effective distribution system in India for American hardwoods however remains key. “We tried to make the tables and stools as basic as possible, contemporary, but building on the design of earlier pieces we created for Phantom Hands. These are inspired by the modernist design of Pierre Jeanneret and his furniture for Chandigarh (or Indian Modernism). Having the legs of the table and stools sticking through the surface, makes the construction visible and seemingly simple. A light brushing of the surface of the red oak emphasizes the beauty of the natural grain. The warm red finish was inspired by the color of the Bangalorean earth during the monsoon, hence the name: Indian mud,” concluded Xander Vervoort and Leon van Boxtel.