anastasiya koshcheeva uncovers her latest svetoch lamp edition

russian designer anastasiya koshcheeva is known for combining thousands of years of siberian craftsmanship with contemporary design, as seen in her original collection of birchbark products — proposing an innovative use and processing of the renewable raw material. thanks to its diverse properties, birchbark was once widely used in russian, scandinavian and canadian crafts, and had a vital role in the temperate- cool zones of the northern hemisphere (where birch trees grow in large groves). despite its excellent qualities, birchbark has been gradually replaced by industrial materials and almost been completely displaced from the market.

tuesa-handcrafted birchbark food containers
video courtesy of anastasiya koshcheeva 

the products developed by anastasiya koshcheeva include storage containers, ‘taburet’ stool and ‘svetoch’ lamp. through her collection, she hopes to revive the characteristics of birchbark and reinvigorate its endangered trade. and for her latest work, the designer has expanded her original storage containers edition by including a new range of sizes, as well as introduced the latest design to the ‘svetoch’ lamp. the lighting product is available in two different sizes, as a pendant or floor lamp — with carefully laser cut patterns that give off a vibrant and warm lighting. 

 
pendant lamp showing details of both laser cut and natural bark patterns  

in addition to the existing production in siberia, koshcheeva has set up a birchbark production facility in collaboration with ivanovo furniture factory which implements her designs and passes on these age-old craft techniques to younger generations. together, they are training staff and expanding their range of products through new designs. one of the items manufactured at this facility are the handmade storage containers from the earlier ‘tuesa’ series.

floor lamp 

svetoch lamp includes traditional binding techniques, without using adhesives

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lea zeitoun | designboom