A bear lifting its snout, a sitting panda, a cat smiling with closed eyes: T-LAB wooden figurines have the power to soothe an entire room. Designed in Japan, hand-carved in Bali, they make up the Pole Pole collection, a family of wooden animals adopted one by one. Here is the guide.
À découvrir
A family of animals, one by one
From the panda to the sloth, from the black cat to the whale, the collection covers the savannah, the ice floe, the forest, and the home. Each animal is reduced to the essentials: a round silhouette, two eyes, sometimes a smile. It is this simplicity of features that makes them so endearing.
Soft wood, plant-based colors
All the figurines are carved from albizia, a light-colored and lightweight wood sourced from replanted forests, then painted with plant-based colors. The grain remains visible under the paint, and no piece is exactly like its neighbor. We tell the story of this material in our article on albizia.
Gently sculpted, little by little
Pole Pole means gently, little by little in Swahili. The name says it all about the process: cut, carved, finely sanded, then hand-painted in Bali based on Japanese designs, these figurines take their time. The full story is in our article on the Pole Pole craftsmanship.
Where to start
Many start with their favorite animal, the one that resembles them or brings back a memory. The small KOTORI birds make a lovely entry point, and the classics like the owl or the koala quickly create a small menagerie on the shelf. The whole family lives in the T-LAB figurine collection.
From classics to series
The collection lives like a real menagerie. The classics remain: dogs, cats, savannah and ice floe animals, while series extend it: the Oyako duos that bring together a parent and its young, the KOTORI birds collected in a row, and seasonal editions like the summer octopuses. You can thus build your family over time, never encountering two identical pieces.
As for care, nothing could be simpler: a gentle brush from time to time, no water, no prolonged direct sunlight. Albizia wood is light, so you can move your menagerie from one shelf to another as you wish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do T-LAB figurines come from?
They are designed in Japan by T-LAB, then cut, carved, sanded, and hand-painted in Bali, from albizia wood sourced from replanted forests.
Why is each figurine different?
Because each is hand-carved: size, silhouette, and wood grain vary slightly from piece to piece, which is the collection’s signature.
Are the figurines suitable for children?
They are decorative objects, not suitable for young children. They are meant to be placed on a shelf, desk, or bedside table.
What does Pole Pole mean?
Gently, little by little, in Swahili. A name that sums up the spirit of the collection: peaceful animals, sculpted without rush.
Also read: the Pole Pole craftsmanship, the KOTORI birds, albizia wood, decorating ideas.
T-LAB is distributed by Maison Godillot, stationery and design and craft objects.
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