Dev Sankheda Furniture

Our workshop, Dev Sankheda Furniture, is right in the heart of the Suthar Waga area, directly opposite the Vishwakarma Temple. Being so close to the temple means we hear the morning prayers every day, which is a nice way to start work. Sankheda is famous for its furniture, and we try to keep that tradition going in our own small way. The place is always full of wood shavings and the bright colors we use for the lacquer work. We have a few lathes that spin all day long, and the air is thick with the smell of teak and resin. It’s a messy job, but we enjoy seeing a piece of wood turn into a chair or a cradle. Our building is old, with thick walls that stay cool even when the Gujarat sun is beating down outside. We don’t have a big showroom. Most of our finished pieces are just lined up against the wall or wrapped in cloth to keep the dust off them. People come from all over to find us because of our location near the temple. We usually have a few pieces in progress at any given time, so there is always something to look at if you walk in. We don’t use a lot of modern tools; most of it is still done by hand with the same types of chisels our fathers used. It’s slow work, but it’s how it’s done here, and we take our time with every piece we finish.