T-Lab Pole Pole: Our History, Our Ethics

T-Lab produces exquisitely detailed wooden carvings of animals with each piece individually hand carved and polished by artisans before being finished in Japan.The wood used for the range is the fast growing tropical tree Albizia to ensure eco-sustainability. To further support the environment, T-Lab also reforests plantations in order to re-pay the earth for its bounty.

These cute handcrafted wooden animals from T-Lab were created in 2007 by nature and animal lovers. The name PolePole pronounced "poh-leh poh-leh", which is the name of these charming decorative white wood animals from Albizia, comes from the Swahili words meaning "slowly, slowly". It is a direct reference to the very nature of the toy, carefully and slowly carved by the hands of our craftsmen.

Because of their lovingly crafted hand creation, each PolePole animal is slightly different, each expression is unique and delicately finished and hand painted by a skilled craftsman. With over 60 different models, these woodcarvingsare very easy to collect.

What is PolePole T-Lab?
T-Lab manufactures originally designed, handcrafted wood products from selected natural materials. These are hand carved and carefully polished by a team of craftsmen. Each "animal" has its own unique facial expression decided by the artisan, which makes them so special and makes you want to collect them!

"From our hand to your hand.
We want to warm people's hearts.
It's the philosophy of T-Lab."

Each T-Lab Pole Pole figurine is made in Indonesia, skillfully carved from an incredibly soft, non-composite natural wood called Albizia. This is a light and durable wood, grown on T-Lab's own farms in this tropical Southeast Asian country. This tree is one of the fastest growing tropical trees. In addition to its remarkable wood quality, its rapid growth makes it a sustainable tree.

How are T-Lab wood carvings made?
As mentioned just before, the Abizia is a very fast-growing tree, and not only is it less likely to cause forest destruction due to its rapid growth, but it also fertilizes thin soils. So how do we make our wooden toys for decoration?

First, a piece of solid wood is cut into a rough, rough shape and dried in an oven for a long period of time.

After that, we refine the shape with a delicate sanding. Then comes the finishing of the wooden animal shape, which requires considerable know-how and millimetre-millimetre-millimetre-millimetre-millimetre-millimetre-millimetre-millimetre-millimetre-millimetre.

Once the shape is well drawn, they are finished by hand, then polished with sandpaper to become really smooth.

We paint each one of these cuties by hand, which gives it these original and never copied expressions.

As a result, each product has its own unique expression in the world. The final touches are made in Japan before they take their place in your decor.

What are the characteristics of these wooden toys?

These decorative figurines are aesthetically captivating, and very pleasant to the touch: soft, smooth, light. At first impression, you don't even realize they are made of wood; they have beautiful undulating curves and precise hand-painted lines that give the feeling of a high quality object with a minimalist side. Nothing is left to chance for our Japanese company.

They are worked in a minimalist state of mind, in the pure Japanese tradition of interior decoration, beautiful and robust. Also, they will blend perfectly in a Nordic, Scandinavian and hygge decoration which are the current trends in interior decoration. Moreover, we wrote an article on Scandinavian decoration.

Wooden figures for sustainable, ecological and ethical decoration

Our high quality wooden animals are made from durable wood. When treated properly, hardwood furniture and objects, for example, can last longer than the life of an average product, sometimes more than 100 years. Wood is known to be one of the most naturally renewable sources of energy, which means that it will have less impact on the environment than other materials.

Beyond these environmental factors, the effect of wood in your living environment brings much more than you might think. Research has shown that reducing the amount of artificial materials and introducingnatural alternatives, such as wood, reduces stress and anxiety when you are at home.

Wood has psychological effects on people and a stress-reducing effect similar to that of nature. Like the decorations we have mentioned in this article, hygge and Nordic, wood brings warmth and comfort to the home. It's up to you to take the plunge!

Thank you for reading our article so far, if you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to let us know in the comment section. T-Lab PolePole, 100% ethical, 100% human!

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