Hi, I'm Sumher and this is my story
Once Upon A Time
Under the overcast pink sky during a casual stroll through the park with my father, he asked “Would you like to be an architect?”
“No”, I snapped, almost defiantly. A 14 year old really acts on impulse, and I am the way I am today only because of that impulse. I have been raised by architects, using models as dollhouses and T-Squares as swords but something about it just didn’t feel right to me.
Jump ahead 10 years and I’ve had a substantial education in Industrial Design, a tumultuous stint at a Los Angeles design firm engineering everything from hairdryers to medical equipment and yet there was an unscratched itch deep in the center of my head. After the long flight back from the United States I found myself having a contact high from the sawdust of carpentry in the homes my parents were always building.
I found that for the first time my brain wasn’t looking to create just for the sake of spec sheets and logic but for the intangible elements that remind us of cherished memories.
Memories like the rusty knockoff eames lounger I’d read on or like the french louvers that always pinched my fingers. In a world of injection molded plastics, the built environment has become a sea of plastic landfill that we once interacted with but hope to forget. I believe in a world where the discerning customer will come to us for luxury furniture made of noble materials that demand they be cherished for generations. Immortalised by the skilled heritage of Indian craftsmen we employ, into timeless forms that aren’t aspiring to be trendy now only to be forgotten soon.
ONCE isn’t a furniture brand. It’s the start of a storybook; a container of memories; an exercise in finding form in function. ONCE is an emotion.
Noble Materials
We use locally sourced, sustainable materials
Selection
We are very deliberate about the character and origin of the organic materials we choose, to the point where we hoard the good stuff for our clients
Finishes
We avoid using high VOC synthetic finishes. Natural finishes fade, age or patina over time and we feel it is core to the identity of timeless pieces that have pleasant character and flaws indicative of their use.
Made to Order
We will start building the objects of your desire once and only once you place an order. Every piece is special.