Log (ging) into unique

CHRISTINE MACHADO | NT BUZZ

Rowan Serrao grew up surrounded by furniture and woodwork. “My parents were very fond of antique furniture. My dad is a seasoned woodworker who used to get his team of carpenters together for various projects,” he shares.

While doing his civil engineering degree at Goa College of Engineering, Serrao’s love for woodwork was ignited again at a woodworking workshop which was part of his course.

Post this Serrao began experimenting more with woodwork. “Apart from the basic training as part of the college course, I learned everything else through trial, error, and a bit of curiosity. I enjoy mixing hand tools with power tools,” he says. In mid-2024 he began Serrao Wood Co. while still working a corporate job. “I knew deep down that the corporate job wasn’t something I wanted to do long-term. I wanted to build something of my own, something that would still make sense years down the line. So before life got too serious, I decided to take that leap and create Serrao Wood Co.,” says the Divar-based woodworker.

The positive response to the reel of his first uploaded work on social media encouraged him to keep going. Presently, he crafts charcuterie boards, keyholders, coasters, bowls, cutting boards and nameplates — all using live-edge wood. “Most of my wood comes from a sawmill in Old Goa. I get these slabs after checking the moisture content and I use them at least after six months after they have been cut,” he says. “Occasionally, friends or local contacts lend me interesting logs to work on the ones with unique grain or shape.”

Serrao also enjoys adding azulejo art to his works. “My friend Arya Khedekar was the one who suggested adding azulejos to my woodwork, and that really became the signature look of Serrao Wood Co. The azulejos are completely custom-made; we design them digitally first from scratch, and then hand-paints each tile,” she says. At first, he admits, he wasn’t sure how it would look, but he was pleased with the result. “My first azulejo nameplate earlier this year was for a couple, and that piece changed everything. It felt like the perfect blend wood and tile. Since then, azulejos have become a core element in my boards, nameplates, and even coasters,” he says.

Recently, he has also started experimenting with mother-of-pearl inlays made from real shells. In fact, one his favourite works is a nameplate created with a mother-of-pearl inlay using old oyster shells that his dad had stashed away from the ’90s. “Cutting and embedding them into the wood was a challenge, but the end result was stunning and that piece ended up going viral,” he says.

Serrao states that he is always up for trying new things. “For instance, I recently used a LiDAR scanner to 3D-scan a log of wood and share an exact model with a client. I’d learned about LiDAR during my civil engineering studies, and it’s been fun to bring that tech into my craft and as expected my followers fell in love with the idea,” he explains, adding that the easiest way to get in touch with him to place an order is via Instagram or WhatsApp. He also has a website which is in its early stages. “Most of my work is custom, so I discuss details one-on-one with clients,” he says.

Serrao notes that there has been a strong demand for handcrafted woodwork products. And for him, the key is always to stay creative and to keep offering something people haven’t seen before.

“Consistency has been my biggest lesson. It’s not just about making good products but presenting them well. From how they’re photographed to showing the process in videography, to audio engineering the sound and ensuring that each reel or post tells a story, all this is done after my day job,” he says.

And he reiterates that the handcrafted pieces take time. “It takes patience, precision, and respect for the material. This stuff isn’t factory-made, every detail, every curve, every inlay is done by hand. People sometimes assume you can just ‘give it to a carpenter’, but the level of detail that goes into fine woodworking from routing to sanding to finishing takes years of practice,” he says.

Going forward, Serrao plans to diversify into larger furniture, custom chairs, and tables, but with the same handcrafted touch and Goan identity. “I also want to build a full-fledged woodworking studio, a space that’s open, creative, and inclusive. Somewhere people can come, see the process, even paint or design their own pieces. A workshop that feels alive I would say.”