On the workbench, a wooden monkey holds its little one close. Two black silhouettes, four round eyes, and all the tenderness in the world in a few centimeters of wood. Behind this apparent simplicity, there is a journey: a drawing born in Japan, a sculpture born in Bali.
À découvrir
Drawn in Japan
It all starts at T-LAB, in Japan, where each animal is drawn with the typical restraint of Japanese design: no unnecessary lines, round and soft shapes, just the right expression. The drawing decides everything; it’s what gives the figurines their peaceful look.
Hand-carved in Bali
The wood itself is worked in Bali. Artisans cut the albizia, carve the silhouette, finely sand, then hand-paint each piece with plant-based colors. No molds, no perfect series: size and shape vary slightly, and that’s intentional. Your figurine exists only as a unique piece, yours.
Oyako, the parent and the child
The Oyako series takes the idea further: parent and child duos, sculpted to respond to each other. A big monkey and its little one, a bear and her cub. These are the most tender pieces in the collection, the ones you find in the T-LAB figurines collection.
From drawing to object, step by step
Each figurine follows the same path. The albizia wood is first cut into the shape of the animal, then carved to find its curves. Next comes fine sanding, which makes the surface silky, followed by hand painting, color by color, with plant-based pigments. No step is automated, and it shows: the curve of a smile varies from one cat to another, the spot of a plumage is never placed twice in the same spot.
It is this human touch that gives value to the Pole Pole. Where the industrial series aims for identical, the workshop embraces variation: your figurine bears the mark of the piece of wood it comes from and the hand that painted it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are the T-LAB figurines made?
The design is born in Japan at T-LAB, the carving and painting are done by hand in Bali, in workshops that work with albizia.
Are the figurines machine-painted?
No. Each piece is cut, carved, sanded, then hand-painted, which explains the small variations from one figurine to another.
What is the Oyako series?
Oyako means parent and child in Japanese: pairs of animals, one big and one small, carved to go together.
Why this Swahili name for a Japanese brand?
Pole Pole, gently little by little, sums up the philosophy of the project: taking the time to do things well, without rushing.
Also read: the T-LAB guide, albizia wood, the KOTORI birds.
T-LAB is distributed by Maison Godillot, stationery and design and craft objects.
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