Lekker Home Boasts the Largest Showroom of UP by Ethnicraft in the United States

Moon Table, Small $449, Large $799.

Ethnicraft is a Belgian design and manufacturing company that was founded in 1995. With production sites in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Serbia, their products are available in just three retail locations in the United States including Los Angeles, New York, and Lekker Home in Boston.

“We’ve been working together for I want to say 9 or 10 years now,” says Natalie van Dijk Carpenter, owner of Lekker Home. “Pretty much a year into our existence as Lekker we started working with [Ethnicraft], and it’s become a really great relationship.”

So when Ethnicraft wanted to bring the new UP by Ethnicraft collection stateside, it was a no-brainer to call Carpenter. “I know they wanted the right fit for themselves in the United States,” she says. “They went to ICFF with [UP], and they called me first to say, ‘We’re going to bring this to the United States, we’d like to partner with you—make sure you like it and you can represent it.'”

UP stands for Universo Positivo and it’s a partnership with the designer duo Jan & Lara. The collection also sports collaborations with Hertel & Klarhoefer, David Caspar Schäfer, Thomas Merlin, and Jonas Wahlström. The furniture is a fresh mix of teak and lacquered metal with some pops of playful color (check out more images below). Carpenter calls the collection a “fun, whimsical addition to the more grown-up pieces…that we have [at Lekker].”

Ethnicraft reclaims timber from neglected buildings and old warehouses without cultural significance mostly from Central Java, an island in Indonesia. The company also utilizes teak plantations that, as you may recall from history class, were set up by the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century. The Indonesian government agency that now manages the teak plantations enforces strict policies on annual replanting as well as the size and quantity of trees that can be felled each year. After the desirable planks have been used in manufacturing, the leftover tree is still put to good use. Sawdust is used as a fuel in their drying ovens, and log residue and leftover wood are used as finger joints for panels. Plus, you won’t find any staples, nails, or solvents in Ethnicraft’s products; they’re precision made of solid wood and use glue, screws, and dowels. All of these practices have allowed Ethnicraft distribution centers to be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

“My customers have been loving the design [and] the price point,” Carpenter says. “It’s a good add-on if you’ve already spent a lot of money on something, its an easy accent to add to your living space.”

If you’re interested in other Ethnicraft products such as beds and wardrobes, Lekker also has access to their entire portfolio.

Shop the UP for Ethnicraft collection at Lekker Home, 1313 Washington St, South End. Info: (617) 542-6464, lekkerhome.com.

Dowel Chair, $399.99.

Turtle Table, Small (yellow and white) $199, Medium (dark grey) $299, Large (white) $499.

U-Shelf Small, $159.

U-Shelf Large, $199.