For Shruthi Prakash, each little factor can grow to be uncooked materials for an eco-friendly product. The founding father of Ombak — that means “a large wave” in Bahasa, the language spoken in Indonesia — is on a mission to seek out sustainable alternate options for on a regular basis wants, notably furniture and home decor.
“We make a lot of products using natural alternatives and materials. Our primary materials are banana fibre and water hyacinth. Then, we also use seagrass,” she explains. The completed merchandise from the Chennai-based model vary from furniture corresponding to chairs, sofas, and aspect tables to home decor objects like baskets, planters, and wall decor.
However, the most attention-grabbing materials Prakash is presently exploring is pine needles. “They are a very good alternative for a hotel or high-utility kind of business. Among eco-friendly options, it’s the most water-resistant. For example, banana fibre lasts about three years, whereas pine needle products can last a lifetime. They’re also better suited for sun and water exposure, as the chances of colour degradation and other damage are lower,” she says.
Shruthi Prakash
Ombak sources its supplies from Himachal Pradesh, in partnership with a couple of NGOs. “In Himachal, it’s an all-women team. In Kolkata, it’s 85% women. I want to create more spaces where women can come together,” provides Prakash.
After gaining publicity to sustainable and eco-friendly product-making in Indonesia, Prakash says she’s impressed by the method supplies are used there. “In India, if you take banana fibre, I would say 95% of what’s available in the market is in rope form. You extract the fibre into thin straws and weave them. But in Indonesia, I learned how to process the fibre into sheet form. It’s about knowing which part of the tree stem to extract to get that result. So while I wouldn’t call it innovation, I’d say I was able to create newer products and designs simply through different material usage,” she explains.
A couple of completed merchandise.
To bring a trip vibe into the home, Prakash suggests specializing in pure components. “We make amenities such as trays, toiletry trays, soap dishes, toothbrush stands, mirrors, lighting, and so on. Any plastic product can be replaced [with these],” she says. For home decor, costs begin from ₹600. For furniture, designs can be found from ₹12,000 and can go as much as ₹40,000. Natural supplies, Prakash provides, are likely to work higher in South India. And locations corresponding to Coimbatore, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru have responded to her model the finest up to now.
Ombak’s architectural shoppers embrace Poetics, a design construct studio in Bengaluru, which is thought for its fashionable, eco-friendly architectural design, inside furnishing, and creating pure edible home gardens; and Interior 360, an architectural agency that specialises in inside design.
Currently, Prakash is partnered with Toran, a Chennai-based furniture showroom, and is in search of extra such collaborations.
The merchandise can be found at ombak.life.
Be pine needle prepared
Dos
Air it often: Every few months, place it in oblique daylight for an hour to forestall mustiness.
Dust often: Use a comfortable brush or material to take away gathered mud. This retains the fibres clear and prevents buildup.
Treat with pure oil (elective): You could flippantly rub with coconut or linseed oil on occasion to revive flexibility and sheen.
Don’ts
Don’t use it to retailer moist or oily meals: Avoid inserting moist or greasy objects straight in it. Always use a liner if utilizing it to retailer meals.
Don’t depart it in direct daylight: Constant publicity to daylight can fade the color and make the fibres brittle over time.
Don’t use harsh cleaners: Avoid chemical sprays or alcohol-based cleaners. Use solely delicate, pure cleaners, if wanted.
Don’t crush or stack closely: Pine needle merchandise are sturdy, however can lose their form with improper stacking
Published – July 04, 2025 07:59 pm IST
