The story is about how two successful office workers, Yan Averkiev and Ekaterina Yuganova, decided to give up daily trips to a boring office and set off to meet adventures.
In distant Indonesia, they found an idea and a way to implement their new project by reusing old fishermen's boats and ship wood.
Just a few months of interesting and unusual work allowed them to find owners for about half of the first batch of unusual furniture. By the end of the year, the guys expect to reach the project’s payback level.
Ian and Katya vying with each other to talk about how their ordinary office life went. A pass system, constant time control, a dress code for workers and a huge amount of papers, reports, office work...
The guys met at production. Both worked for a large company engaged in the production of meat products. Ian worked in auditing in the oil and gas industry, and Katya was an auditor in the investment industry of a corporation.
Young people remember that they no longer liked daily, routine work that brings no joy other than material satisfaction. Both Katya and Ian began to look for something that could bring joy and pleasure. Initially, they found an outlet in a hobby - in the evenings, after long, exhausting and mentally exhausting work, Katya would paint, and Ian would work in his own mini-workshop, equipped right in his rented apartment.
Ian started with production decorative candles, then began to create decorative wooden screens, which friends liked and became parts of their interiors.
At that moment, neither Ian nor Katya thought that a hobby could become something more - it did not bring money, it only allowed them to see the results of their work and relax after a hard day at work.
The heavier the workload in the office became, the stronger the “spirit of change” hovered in Ian and Katya’s apartment. At one point they decided not to return to work, but to go on a long journey to distant lands in search of adventure and inspiration.
Journey for a dream
The boys began preparing for their departure early. For six months they collected money - they kept expenses to a minimum and sold off unnecessary things. Gradually, all the “goods” began to fit into about seven boxes.
Katya and Ian gave themselves six months of time - six months of travel and new experiences, and then analysis and conclusions.
The “great” journey began in May. The first point on the travelers’ route was Vladikavkaz, then Tbilisi, from Tbilisi by bus to Istanbul, and from there by plane to India.
In Asia, their travels began in India, then moved to Sri Lanka, and from Sri Lanka to the islands of Indonesia.
Lots of large and small islands, no five star hotels. Yang recalls that they even spent several days on a desert island, where they were able to build a hut from bamboo and learned to cook food over a fire.
After traveling around the Indonesian islands, a flight to Vietnam with a transfer point in Bali was planned. It was on this island that Katya and Ian saw furniture made from boats at a small art market. Unusual material, the original implementation - all this sank into the soul, but, as true lovers of analysis and calculations, Ian and Katya decided to continue the journey, think about what they saw and analyze their own thoughts.
Three months later, they flew back to Indonesia, realizing that the idea of furniture made from boats was the best they had seen on their trip.
In search of a master
When the guys returned to the art district and began talking with furniture sellers, it turned out that no one could say exactly where this furniture came from on the market.
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The approximate direction “this is made on the island of Java”, a scooter, lots and lots of sunscreen and even more time – this is what our heroes needed to find a manufacturer of furniture from boats who was ready to work not only on their own experience, but also to “revive” the sketches Yana and Katya.
The peculiarity of communication with the local population is such that the residents of Java practically do not speak English, are very wary of strangers and like to talk about abstract topics for two to three hours before getting down to business... In view of all these difficulties, neither Jan nor Katya did not want to tell where exactly their “manufacturer” is located.
After choosing a furniture manufacturer, the creators of the Like Lodka brand stayed in Java for another four months.
Production
The tradition of making furniture from boats is very ancient; the people of Indonesia themselves cannot remember at what point it became a brand and a trend, they have always done it this way.
The uniqueness of the “boat” lies in the fact that boats are made from noble breeds wood, then they serve their owners for 20-25 years, undergo several repairs and complete repaintings, and only after such a rich and interesting life fall into the hands of furniture manufacturers.
Materials for production are purchased on the islands - ship wood is dried, selected, sorted by color and texture, and distributed according to color combinations.
During the four months of living on the island, the guys came to the production site every day, inspected the furniture, pointed out places that needed to be improved - additionally sanded, leveled, made pleasing to both the eye and body, paid attention to how the final product looked, etc. d.
During this time, about 70 interior items were prepared, including chairs, chests of drawers, cabinets, wine stands, shelving, etc.
All belongings fit into a 20-foot container and were ready to go to Russia, to conquer the capital of the Motherland. Naturally, a month and a half before returning to Russia, Katya went home, opened a legal entity, rented warehouses, learned about the intricacies of processing customs documents, etc.
The cost of the first batch of goods was approximately 1.5 million rubles. These were exclusively personal savings, since the guys did not want to take out loans for their future business.
Conquering the market
Ian and Katya arrived in Moscow two months earlier than the furniture. Naturally, all this time they did not sit idly by, but were preparing to meet their container with valuable cargo.
Friends came to the rescue, they managed to get a feel for the project and create a corporate style. As soon as the design project was ready, Katya and Ian sent it to specialized media. At this time, preparations for the “Moscow International Furniture Salon - 2014” were just underway, where Ian met the curator of the Design Village project. At this stand they presented their collection, received excellent reviews and gained their first experience in presenting things to professionals.
The cost of cabinets starts from 25 thousand rubles. By the end of this year, the guys plan to bring the “Like Lodka” project to the level of self-sufficiency. In addition to furniture and interior items, you can get small trinket gifts from the workshop - decorations made from tiny pieces of real ships that sailed in the waters of the Indian Ocean for 15-20 years.
Plans
We plan not to stop developing our project only on the Moscow market. Negotiations are currently underway with regional representatives who want to present unusual furniture in the regions.
New models, new colors, new markets - all this will, most importantly, see the sparkle in the eyes of buyers and strive for new heights!
Video from the creators of the Like Lodka project
Idea for the Like Boat project Moscow artists Katya Yuganova and Yan Averkiev brought it from a trip, more precisely, from Indonesia, where they discovered that furniture was made from old fishing boats. In general, there are more boats in this country than cars - there are fishermen in almost every family. A traditional vessel, hollowed out of wood, serves its owner for 15-20 years, then it is replaced with a new one. However, the life of an old ship does not always end there.
Local residents have noticed that old boats bring visitors into indescribable delight. Tourists love the rough texture of the wood, bright colors and the vintage beauty of peeling paint.
So old boats are no longer thrown away. There are factories where you can hand over your old ship for a fee. There, the boats are cut into pieces, which are assembled together, turning them into furniture and interior items.
Seeing all this exotic luxury, Katya and Ian decided that such things are simply necessary for Moscow. We selected the most interesting specimens and sent the first batch. Already in the Moscow workshop, the furniture was brought to perfection: it was restored and varnished. Moreover, it was decided not to tint the furniture, but only to carefully preserve and conserve the color combination that had developed naturally over many years.
After processing ship wood professional restoration materials, the original color becomes stronger, its wear and moisture resistance increases. Thanks to this furniture Like Boat Can be used outdoors.
Strictly speaking, furniture from old tree, including from boats, is not news for Moscow. Wardrobes, sideboards, chests, chests of drawers, chairs made from weathered ship wood can be found in a number of metropolitan salons.
However, the bureau Like Boat the assortment is special. These are mainly racks and wine cabinets, during the production of which not only the texture of the wood was preserved, but also the shape of the boat.
Most cabinets are named in honor of great artists. Of course, the names were given to the boats not by chance, but because of some similarity in the palette and painting style.
For example, a closet Mone made from a 25-year-old boat from the island of Lombok. The color has been preserved as the fisherman created it. The boat sailed 20,000 km across half the world to find new life in your home. There is no doubt - this one certainly won’t break in everyday life!
You can see the entire range and purchase furniture at
Financiers Ekaterina Yuganova and Yan Averkiev quit a large company, sold their property and went to travel the world. Upon returning to Russia, they opened a design office with furniture made from old Indonesian boats. Ekaterina and Ian told Recycle about why they decided to change their stable jobs from good earnings to an unpredictable environmental startup.
About the project
Like Lodka began when in 2013 we quit a large company and sold most of our property. Using the proceeds, we went on a long journey, traveled to many countries and settled for several months in Indonesia. It was here that we first saw furniture made from old fishing boats. We loved this idea so much that we decided to implement it in Russia.
The Like Lodka project was launched in Moscow a few months ago. We spent six months preparing the first collection of furniture in Indonesia, where the factory is located. It employs local people who collect old fishing boats from all over the country. We are responsible for product design, cleaning and restoration of the resulting material and application of natural varnish. Now our assortment includes shelves, chests of drawers, wine cabinets, stools, chairs and much more.
About boats
We really value things with history, which is why Like Bodka interior items are made from fishing boats that are 15-20 years old. We purposefully avoided the remake and left original painting, which has been taking shape for decades. Fishermen patch their vessels every 2-3 years, renewing their color, so over time they get “abstract painting”.
All boats are made from solid wood: teak, mahogany, suar. Many were made from solid trunks. It takes half a small fishing boat to make one rack. We brought to Russia a container of finished furniture that we made in Indonesia from 50 boats. He walked for almost two months.
Now all products are stored in our workshop, which is located on the territory of the Optical Workshop. This is a closed art space on Taganskaya. Cost of one cabinet self made- 50 thousand rubles.
About the team
There are two of us in the team - me and my young man Ian. We met at a large corporation, where I worked in the international reporting department and Ian in the risk department. Both did not enjoy their profession and thought about escaping from the financial sector.
I have been drawing well for a long time; Ian made candles, screens and lamps in his free time. We both wanted to open a business in which money, rather than money, would be paramount. social aspect, communication with people and creative ideas.
About the mission
I have long been amazed and saddened by the progressive speed and obsession with which people are destroying nature for resources. That is why all our furniture is made by hand through recycling, which means reusing things. It is important to us that not a single felled tree is used to make Like Lodka products.
The topic of ecology and reuse of raw materials is not yet very popular in Russia, but sooner or later we will come to this. And the Like Bodka project and I want to promote to the masses the idea of respectful attitude towards environment. In addition, the startup allows us to demonstrate our social responsibility in working with a developing country.
Indonesian fishermen are doing the hardest physical labor and they get pennies for it. Selling their old boat to someone was previously impossible for them. We use boats to make new products and try to create demand for them.
We are attracted to unusual, interesting, bright, unlike anything else. That's right, scrolling through Instagram in search. non-standard ideas, new developments and creative thinking, we found ourselves on the Like Lodka page. The brand is young (opened in 2014), but has already become popular and in demand. “Furniture from old ships” literally burst into the world of design, captivating the public with old boats that were given a second chance and a new life! Particularly popular are boats made for shelving or wine cabinets.
The founders of the project, Ian and Ekaterina, kindly received us in their showroom. It’s always nice to see people who talk about their business with such love and fire!
Photo: Evgeniya Yuzhnaya | Monika Dubinkaite
Who was the initiator of organizing the company, where did you start, and how long was the path you took from the initial idea to its reproduction?
Ian: There are two initiators - me and Katya. The idea came out of nowhere, in short, our story is this: we worked in offices, at some point we got tired of them and decided to leave. In 2013, we went traveling and, while in Indonesia, came across furniture made from boats. Initially, we experienced incomprehensible emotions: we were surprised by a bright, incomprehensible antique object of an unusual shape, rather clumsy workmanship. We consider our objects revolutionary, because everyone is accustomed to rectangular furniture, but we have smooth elongated shapes.
We traveled for six months, many ideas came to mind and were analyzed so that it did not become just an emotional outburst. As a result, the idea of furniture made from boats sank into our hearts and never left them, and the decision was made to move in this direction. After traveling to 13 countries, we returned to Indonesia and began to explore the question: Where to start? Where did these items come from? Did we go to factories, search and see where we could produce our line of furniture?
It must be said that we are not professionals - not designers, not architects, we are economists, financiers, engineers, and have never dealt with such a field. The prerequisite was that I always had a passion for crafts. To take a break from routine office work, we equipped one of the 2 rooms of our apartment as a mini-workshop. There I cast candles, made screens, lamps, but all this was purely home fun. And Katya has always been interested in painting. We found a business in which we could combine our passions. There is also color here; this is not really furniture, but rather an art object.
Also an important factor is our desire for an ecological lifestyle, and so we make super-massive things from amazing wood. They contain almost all tropical species: mahogany, iron wood, tick. In order to make our chest of drawers (which weighs 110 kg!), it would be necessary to cut down a tree that is 12-15 years old, with a trunk diameter of 15-20 cm. Therefore Every item made by Like Bodka is at least one tree saved!
On your website it is written that on different islands of Indonesia the shapes of sea vessels are very different, so each boat can have its own history.
Kate: Yes, for example, almost all boats have a “bow”, the structure of which differs depending on where the vessel was made. It is very difficult to keep it whole, this is the very first part that breaks, so many products have the “nose” cut off, but there are especially rare and valuable specimens in which the nose has survived, and these are our trophies.
Does width depend on function or place of manufacture?
Kate: In fact, what we have in our studio are quite wide products. Traditional boats are usually 15 - 20 cm, because the average tree trunk is taken, so they are usually very narrow, and the length can reach 6 meters.
Ian: All rectangular furniture made from ship's wood. This big ships, 50 meters in length, if boats sail for 15-20 years, then ships - 40-50 years. The items consist of the sides of ships with their original coloring, with holes from wooden nails connecting the boards to each other. Until now, in the construction of such sea vessels, it is used ancient technology, only wooden nails replaced with metal ones.
That is, you don’t finish painting anything, but what about further processing? Is there a need for it?
Ian: It’s impossible without processing. Many layers of paint, which after long service life is partially washed away and comes away from constant interaction with water. Before us stands not an easy task: on the one hand, we want to preserve the color as much as possible, on the other hand, we need to do everything so that nothing falls off or peels. Externally, the surfaces look rough and super old, but when you run your hand, you find that everything is smooth and nothing sticks. When processing, large parts are first cleaned, followed by sanding, coating with an antiseptic and a hardener that fixes the remaining color. AND the last stage The classic varnish coating is carried out in 3 layers using sandpaper between layers, the result is a pleasant smooth surface.
Tell me, who are your clients? What kind of interiors and style does Like Lodka furniture fit into?
Kate: Despite the fact that many people consider our furniture suitable for lofts, we are trying to debunk this myth. For example, our theme has become popular in solutions for children's rooms, bars, and private homes.
Ian: We sold our first boats at the Moscow Furniture Salon exhibition, in which we had the opportunity to take part after a month of opening our brand. Then we were very lucky with the space provided and the price for square meter. I, being a maximalist, decided to bring 20 boats there.
Kate: Our first collection consisted of 60 boats, 1 chest of drawers and 2 chairs. It was later that we began to develop other pieces of furniture. In total, we presented 15 boats and a chest of drawers at the exhibition.
Ian: We were completely unknown among fairly well-developed companies, but it was impossible to pass by our stand! Questions poured in: “What is this?”, “Guys, where are you from?” We immediately met everyone, and somehow it turned out that everyone liked us. And our first sale happened there. A girl came with her designer and bought 5 boats from us at once (1 wine and 4 racks) to put in a luxurious home.
What style is the space of this house designed in?
Ian: High-tech style, a lot of glass and metal. The interior contains large number antiques brought from different countries, there are paintings hanging on the walls contemporary art. The boats fit perfectly.
Kate: In general, when a designer gets down to business, the interiors turn out to be very interesting and worthy. Because fitting Like Lodka into a loft is the easiest thing, but putting similar objects in eclectic or classic interiors you need to be able to. As a rule, our customers rarely come with designers; we rarely have to deal with luxurious private housing.
It would be great to furnish the restaurant with your furniture, but it turns out to be quite expensive, just what the tables alone will cost!
Kate: We are currently working on this topic, we are going to launch a more democratic line and are starting with tables. We thought about how to reduce the cost of the process. We will combine production in Russia and Indonesia. It will be cheaper, because we spend a lot of money on customs clearance by weight, and therefore the price of the products is not low. The result will be a kind of construction kit, that is, there will be a metal base (made by us), then people will be able to choose various boards (delivered from Indonesia) by size, shape and color and then fit them into the interior.
Are you planning to incorporate our culture into your products in the future?
Kate: We are often advised to pay attention to Karelian boats, perhaps later Like Bodka Russia will appear.
Ian: We chose Indonesia not because we want to introduce a foreign culture into our country, we’re just tired of the light, plain interiors, which Italy represents in its furniture, so beloved by our consumers for its sophistication and undeniable quality. But we are for actively working with color, moving away from standards, using complex elements, bring a “zest” to interior space. Once the boat enters the interior, transformations are inevitable.
Kate: It's not even a matter of bright colors or streamlined shape. The ground for internal dialogue appears. The decision to put a boat in the interior goes through a certain stage internal struggle. It seems like I like it and want it, but what will my friends and parents say...
Ian: The most interesting clients, and we have the majority of them, who go through this very struggle, experience doubts. They're all basically extraordinary people who love to travel,looking around, sometimes experiencing internal changes. Actually, this is where we ourselves started, when we completely changed our way of life, our place of work, revised our plans for the future and started everything from scratch.
How quickly did you manage to set up the production process? How do you communicate with the local population, and how many times a year do you have to travel to Indonesia?
Ian: The most difficult thing was to establish contact with the local residents. Our production is located on the island of Java. Everyone knows Indonesia from the island of Bali, where it is heaven on earth, where everyone is friendly and speaks English. You come to Java, and it’s a completely different world! People are absolutely open, but you need to find an approach to them; the difficulty is that they are very capricious. If they have a way of doing things, then they won’t recognize any other way. You have to be friends with people there, only then will they start talking to you. We drove around different towns on a scooter, talked to different craftsmen, showed the drawing, asked if they could make the necessary object using it, but this whole idea failed. Because first all the relatives come running, then 2 hours of tea drinking and talking, and when it comes down to it, you hear a refusal. But in this case, there is at least a chance that maybe he will agree, but if we immediately move on to a specific question, then we certainly cannot hope for an affirmative answer.
Kate: We learned a little Indonesian because no one knows English. Knowledge of the language is captivating, 100 words + Google translator + drawings make it possible to build a conversation.
Ian: Before each new collection we go to Indonesia. Production takes 2 months. All this time we are there and monitor the process. There we shoot the entire collection from three to four different angles and upload it to the website. People should have the opportunity to get acquainted with the entire range.
Now we are waiting new collection. It takes 2 months to produce, 1.5-2 for transportation and delivery.
Kate: The first collection was sold for a year, now we are out for 6 months, so we go there 2 times a year.
What does the new collection mean? How does each next one differ from the previous one?
Ian: It's always boats and an experiment.
The first collection included boats, and several rectangular objects became an experiment, special attention attracted the chest of drawers.
In the second - boats, furniture elements (chests of drawers, chairs, bar) and decor. Experiment - a chest of drawers consisting of 2 parts of boats in the form of infinity.
The third collection will be whiter and narrower, because everyone knows our brand for boats, but very few are aware that in addition to them there is now a large number of different furniture, decor and accessories. It turns out that on at this stage The more choice, the worse. People go to the site to buy boats, see a bunch of stuff, get lost and leave. We have already identified favorites among our exhibits. As an experiment, we are bringing a whole boat and luxurious chairs.
We are incredibly interested to see the new collection. The guys are developing by leaps and bounds, they have a huge number of plans for the future. We wish them good luck and prosperity!
