Mango Wood and Reed Storage Bench (Thailand)

Bring a hint of the Far East into your home with this lovely and exquisitely crafted Mango Wood and Reed Bench with Four Doors. Handcrafted by skilled artisans in Hang Dong just outside of Chiang Mai in Thailand Made by a small family business that has it's production right in their own backyard. They employ artisans from the local area Mango wood and reed construction Four side doors Measures 49 inches long x 20 inches high x 19 inches wide Story Behind the Art: My name is Siriporn Jeerang, but I go by Toy, born in 1968 in Ban Tung, a quiet village located in Man Wen district. With nine brothers and sisters and my parents were poor farmers. There were many things we could not afford. One of them was school, so I only studied up to grade 6. After school I did many things, before getting a job in a shop located in a large tourist village close by. Later married my husband, he used to be a skilled wood carver. He would carve a couple of months an intricate and large teakwood piece, and then would sell it very inexpensively to some buyer. It was an impossible way to earn a living, sometimes waiting for months before getting an income. Working in the shop I was getting paid little and the hours very long. One day it occurred to us that we could use our skills for ourselves. We took the chance and setup a little workshop at home in 2003. We would craft the same items I was crafting for the shop, but started with smaller pieces. We later could afford buying some raw materials in order to make bigger items. My husband assembled the items and I would do the finishing. It worked wonderful this way, and still does! We were able to gradually employ some of our friends in the village, about 9 people. And moved the workshop 50 meters away from home. The way we work is very simple, family and community style. We make items with the purpose of earning a fair living and the customers, in return, get quality items at a fair price.