Joshua Simandjuntak is a passionate furniture designer with a promising future. His products are streamlined, clean and practical, fitting the user’s lifestyle. Simandjuntak received his BA in furniture design from the Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication in Kent and an MA in product design from the Royal College of Art. After graduation, he began his internship with Tom Dixon, a time he cherishes as an experience that entirely changed his view on design.
“Tom is truly [an] inspiring character,” he elaborates, “I received a great opportunity to learn how to work with a wide range of creative people and materials in such diverse processes. It was Tom who got me to look back at who I am, where I came from and what is valuable in my hometown.”
Karimun table
Simandjuntak later returned to Indonesia and discovered the potential of local craftsmanship that has been a part of his country forever. He founded Zylia Design with the ambition to build a furniture brand that would incorporate traditional craftsmanship, culture and good design as part of its design philosophy.
“When we think about a piece of furniture, we are talking about space; when we speak about space, we speak about architecture; and when we speak about architecture, we speak about people who live in [them],” says Simandjuntak on the core concept behind Zylia’s work.
Bayang console table
He points to the Bayang Console Table as a design that encapsulates this philosophy. “I discovered the changes in Indonesian architecture from [a] normal house located on [a] piece of land to high-rise buildings that are now limited to [a] small square space, [but] furniture is still designed to be in the same size [and] form and [with the same] functions, which do not respond to changing demands of modern dwellers.”
With that in mind, Simandjuntak uses glass as the main material to make a table that is half a size smaller than a normal console table, but which is still able to maintain the functionality and the visual appearance of a normal-sized table.
Craft in progress
One of Simandjuntak’s jobs at Zylia Design is to travel to small villages in Indonesia to study the local crafters’ techniques. “I was in Jepara and found carving skills which are distinctive and extremely valuable for the locals and [for] Indonesia.”
Chester chair
Chester bench
Not only does Simandjuntak pick out one of Jepara’s carving techniques called ‘near to real’ to create an interesting visual perception for works like the Chester Chair, a wooden chair inspired by the Chesterfield Cushion, but he also realises that such skills should be developed and preserved. He has gone on to establish Roemah Jepara, a hub where connections between contemporary designers and Jepara crafters are formed. Roemah Jepara is currently overseeing 5 ongoing carving workshops, with around 10 employees working for each project.
Making of the Chester
At first glance, Simandjuntak’s works may not manifest as the most eye-catching or the most technologically advanced designs. What differentiates his furniture from other products and makes them distinctive is the traditional content inserted into every step of the process, from the choice of materials to forms and functionalities. In the end, these creations resonate with people’s changing lifestyles without having to sacrifice the root of their conceptions.
Ombak seating
Zylia Design Studio
zyliadesign.com
Photos courtesy of Zylia Design; Portrait by Pripada Wattanapanee