A man turns around the bamboo and leather stools for a moment. He seems hesitant. “You may sit on them, if you wish,” says Lin Tin Htun Ni to the visitor. An avalanche of questions follows. Politely and patiently, Lin Tin Htun Ni answers one question at the time. The man says he has to give it a think and goes. “Don’t worry, he’ll come back,” confidently says 26-year-old Lin Tin Htun Ni. “People love our designs”.

Alongside the stools, Lin Tin Htun Ni also exposed tables, coat hangers, foldable chairs, drawers, and mirrors at the Myanmar International Furnisher Exhibition which was held a fortnight ago. 

A dozens of showrooms displayed items we were unfortunately not able to take picture of – the organisers feared copycats. But when Weekend visited Lin Tin Htun Ni’s booth, no warning sing were displayed. “I don’t fear imitation.” It is the sincerest form of flattery according to him. His answer to it is innovation, innovation, innovation. 

His brand, SIRBONI, only focuses on new designs. This is rather unusual for Myanmar’s furniture industry in which traditional and colonial pieces occupy the centre stage. 

How SIBORMI was born

The venture started as a bamboo shop in 1995. In 2013, when Lin Tin Htun Ni came back to Myanmar for a holiday, the family business became a Yangon-based store producing mirrors and bed. It became SIRBONI in honor of Lin Tin Htun Ni’s grand-dad, U Bo Ni.

Being a furniture designer is a rare occupation in Myanmar. Lin Tin Htun Ni graduated from the Florida Institute of Technology in the United States and earned an engineer degree. But during his formation he found out that he had an aesthetic side which was not entirely fulfilled just by the engineer part of his education. He decided to combine the two. 

“Making furniture is a form of construction. Making a chair is like building a bridge.” He points out that the knowledge of the material is quintessential. Just like people go across a bridge, his customers will interact with the chair he is building in ways he cannot predict. Having a product robust enough is there crucial. Pleasing the eye is one thing, but that should not be done at the expense of safety. He says the engineering techniques he learned definitely help him in the design of the robust furniture he makes. 

He also wants the pieces of furniture he makes to be eco-friendly. “We all know wood is a finite resource in our country and it needs to be used wisely. We try to produce the finest furniture using the bare minimum”. He assured Weekend he tries to use as much recycled bamboo and wood as possible. 

He also tries to have a constant dialogue with the people he buys his material from. “I need to understand the technical aspects,” he says. Some wood will produce certain colours, understand how material reacts to what and how is crucial if he wants to be able to stick to the latest trends. 

But mostly, Lin wants to have fun. He recently designed a coat-hanger in the shape of a crossbow.”As a designer, my job is to create new pieces even though there is no market for it yet. Making new products is challenging”.

He believes SIRBONI can fill a void. Myanmar does not have a lot of well-designed furniture and Burmese households are in demand.

Some of his items already sell well. Other stayed in the garage. “It is a reality you have to face as an inventor,” he laughs.

The  industry’s future

He is also surfing on a new wave. When the country opened up and liberalised, a stream of modern furniture flowed in. Customer’s approach to their interior started to change. Everybody wanted a nice living room, and as teak became more expensive, people turned to imported plywood furniture. 

This new trend of imports from neighbouring country is not to be feared says Lin. “It is good as people can choose whatever they want”. He sees that as an introduction to new forms of aesthetic. People are introduced to new design and are tempted to innovate. “But we need to maintain our local business and create new designs,” he warns. “Learn new things and create more” is his advice to his fellow designers. 

Lin Tin Htun Ni is also keen to tap into the largest market possible. For now, he acknowledges that his creation are only enjoyed by a privileged few. But soon he would like to mass produce a series of affordable bathroom accessories made of recycles plastic. 

Reference: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/tangible-ideas.html