Sustainable Craft: The Artisans & Techniques Behind Every Freedom Tree Piece
Handmade in India: The Work of Many Hearts and Hands
From the very beginning, Freedom Tree has celebrated a modern Indian aesthetic through the skills, materials and traditions of India's rich handcraft heritage. We partner with 125+ creative producers — artisan clusters and specialist manufacturers across India — each with generations of craft expertise in their discipline.
These skills and traditions are threatened by mechanization, commodification, and imports. Some of the skills that are disappearing, and we continue to support include traditional rug weaving, hand-painted ceramics, lacquer work, and hand woven wicker.
In partnering with these craft clusters around the country, we are able to commission cutting edge design that preserves and upskills workers and entire organizations. Preserving the rich artisan ecosystem of India ensures that the re-imagined design upholds cultural dignity. We have been fortunate to grow with them, learn from them, and innovate with them.
Read on to see a snapshot of the some of the many traditional techniques we hero in our design collections
Handcrafted Textiles: Embroidery, Screen Printing & Handwoven Rugs
Hand-Guided Embroidery: Aari Work, Tufting & Hand Quilting
Raised embroideries in aari, tufted techniques, potlis, patchwork, and hand quilting feature prominently on our cushions and bed linen. We continually reinvent these traditional techniques to bring a modern expression to our home furnishings.
Cushions >>
Handwoven Rugs: Made on Traditional Looms by Indian Weavers
Our handwoven rugs are made on traditional looms by skilled weavers across India. We bring modern graphic geometrics and narrative print designs to this timeless craft — creating handmade rugs that are as bold as they are durable.
Woven Rugs >>
Hand Screen-Printed Fabrics: Small-Batch, Master-Mixed Colours
Hand-cut screens are layered one by one to apply each layer of color and design onto our fabrics. While some of the design elements and dyes may have evolved, the colors are still mixed by masters of their craft, and each layer of dye is applied by hand in small batches, making every print run subtly unique.
Upholstery Fabrics >>
Handcrafted Furniture: Carved Wood, Inlay & Handwoven Wicker
Hand-Carved Wood Furniture: Abstract & Botanical Forms
We marvel at the skill of expert craftsmen as they transform soft mango wood into carved masterpieces. We love rendering our modern abstract and botanical print forms onto furniture, decorative wall art, and figurines.
Carved Furniture >>
Hand-Set Inlay Furniture: Tessellated Botanical & Geometric Design
A most treasured technique in which artisans carefully set inlay into gouged mango wood. Tessellated botanical and geometric forms come to life. We call it modernature.
Inlay Furniture >>
Handwoven Wicker Furniture: A Craft That's Disappearing
Handwoven cane wicker is one of India's most beloved craft traditions — robust, lightweight and tropical, with roots that stretch back centuries. At Freedom Tree, we partner with wicker specialists to keep this craft thriving and bring it into contemporary interiors.
Handwoven Wicker >>
Hand-Painted Ceramics: Freehand Art on Stoneware, Made in India
Our hand-painted ceramics are crafted from the hardy clays of northern India. In a tradition stretching back centuries, master artisans paint freehand on dried ceramic forms — each piece unique — before being single-fired in energy-efficient kilns. The result is stoneware that is beautiful as art, practical as tableware, and made to last for years.
