about
the history about a chair
I truly love the Scandinavian minimalism and found inner peace in airy spaces. When I was on the hunt for an armchair for my first own home I looked everywhere. Nowhere could I find what I was searching for. At the same time, I realized that I missed the wood and rattan I grew up with- materials which makes a space come alive and connects outside with inside. I kept my hopes up for two years before I gave up. My living room was doomed to be without one. It was then my grandma offered hers.
I truly love the Scandinavian minimalism and found inner peace in airy spaces. When I was on the hunt for an armchair for my first own home I looked everywhere. Nowhere could I find what I was searching for. At the same time, I realized that I missed the wood and rattan I grew up with- materials which makes a space come alive and connects outside with inside. I kept my hopes up for two years before I gave up. My living room was doomed to be without one. It was then my grandma offered hers.
I truly love the Scandinavian minimalism and found inner peace in airy spaces. When I was on the hunt for an armchair for my first own home I looked everywhere. Nowhere could I find what I was searching for. At the same time, I realized that I missed the wood and rattan I grew up with- materials which makes a space come alive and connects outside with inside. I kept my hopes up for two years before I gave up. My living room was doomed to be without one. It was then my grandma offered hers.
Grandmas chair is still on Sri Lanka with grandma in it, right where it belongs. Me, however, took off in the history of the chair when I developed my idea- I wanted pieces that are not changed by trends but rather left to give joy over time for many generations. In a world where we have to economize earths resources it might be time to look for answers in the past? When a chair was left for more than a couple of years, where tradition and craftmanship was focal point. Not squeezed prices and fast manufacturing. Where we took care of and managed the crafts, where many people could rejoice the same thing for a long, long time.
Grandma’s chair has been outside for decades. Though weather and wind has it offered her safety when her body’s been aching. Day in and out she’s been sitting in her chair and watched over the neighborhood. She has looked over who has come and gone, listened to other people's problems and stories, cooked, and philosophized - all with the chair as her primary company.
After a five-year dream and three years of work, it is now my great pleasure to welcome you here to JJ Furnitures - a furniture company that values quality and develops with the hope of pleasing others in the same way as my own grandmother.
the history about us
When I decided that it was a good idea to combine two cultures with each other and take the traditional craftmanship from Sri Lanka to Sweden, I knew immediately that JJ Furnitures was going to be my name. Just like my idea, the name itself seeks to my own family because of it being a tribute to my father and best friend.
I came to Sweden as a 10-year-old boy which means that Sri Lanka as well as Sweden has affected my upbringing and formed my personality. From Sri Lanka I have gotten my sense for right and wrong. Already as a kid I was taught to care for others and to nurture and preserve. In no way I however want to out myself as an angel, I sometimes drew both my parents and grand-parents crazy.
It’s only as an adult in Sweden that I realize how well consideration for others is ingrained and what a huge cultural difference arises when you talk about caring for others. For me, it has always been completely obvious to show care and respect, not least to those who are older - or in some ways have it more difficult than me.
Although Sri Lanka has given me a solid foundation to stand on, Sweden has of course contributed. Thanks to the education in Uppsala and life here, I became a more modern version of myself and found love for problem solving, entrepreneurship and minimalism.
Combining these two parts of the world with each other is therefore not only about material selection and style. Nursing, care, and problem solving are equal parts. When I created my company, it was with the morals from Sri Lanka as a foundation and the love for the stripped-down existence in Sweden as a driving force. And just that, I forgot to mention, my own name is Shasika Fernando.
I am not alone on this trip; I have my companion and girlfriend Emilia Britting with me. It is thus with true family spirit that we intend to take JJ Furnitures into the future by looking back - welcome to our journey!
