Artisan

KIMBERLY MACARTHUR GRAHAM

>>> Sequoia Pawan Madan, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Sequoia Pawan Madan.

Reverence infuses everything that Santa Fe–based artisan Sequoia Pawan Madan sends into the world. Working with thoughtfully selected "low-impact" materials including iron, glass—even tree prunings—Sequoia, as he prefers to be called, fashions furniture, lamps, candlesticks and architectural elements with graceful lines and quiet strength. As he explains it, he aims to bring a "yin-yang balance" to interiors; to bring softness, beauty, functionality and environmental health together to enhance users' lives.

Sequoia Collections has evolved from a life of questioning or, as Sequoia himself puts it, a life of "wondering/wandering." Born and raised in New Delhi, India, the artist was always evident in the man. At the age of 26, he relocated to New York City. Involved in fashion and advertising photography, he thought he'd make a name for himself. And he did—but five years into a successful career, he found that a person "can only be in New York for so long, and I realized I didn't want to spend the rest of my life there." He departed and started asking questions.

Eventually, he made his way to Marin County, California, where he discovered sculptural and, eventually, functional design. For him, functional design is a perfect marriage of challenging parameters and aesthetic freedom. "It's a strict discipline," he says. "You're taking that artistic liberty and subjecting it to discipline." This balanced approach sang to him, and he began looking for ways to combine his new love with his long-held passion for ecologically cognizant design.

Sequoia Collections furnishings are made of earth-friendly materials including iron, twigs, bark and reclaimed wood.

"Fifteen, sixteen years ago, I was talking about Planet Earth and how we'd have to change our ways of living," he says. "People thought I was crazy. I was initially strongly attracted to wood, but I couldn't make myself buy brand-new wood. It didn't feel right." So he began using driftwood and founded a company bearing that name. Paradoxically, he eventually abandoned the company because it became too successful. He feared others would produce knockoffs more cheaply out of new materials-but at an environmental cost.

He relished his time in California, but after about a decade, Sequoia became restless and began searching for a new home base. He researched and visited several cities in his quest for a smaller community (Marin County's population was exploding) that embraced and promoted the arts. Santa Fe rose to the top of his list. "I liked the land, the architecture and the community," he says. He relocated to the quaint but renowned arts center in 2003.

Today, his sinuous work finds a wide audience, who are nearly as appreciative of his choices of material as of his gift for line and composition. After much research, he primarily uses an intentionally limited palette of iron (extremely abundant and used in small quantities due to great structural strength; least toxic of all available metals), glass (also plentiful and durable), twigs and other prunings (which allow the tree to continue growing and cleaning the air) and handmade mulberry-bark paper (also harvested so that the tree remains alive).

A twig-inspired bed showcases natural-fiber bedding.

Additionally, his Sequoia Collections offers as many earth-friendly items as he can find, such as stately wood furniture made entirely from reclaimed timber and luxurious natural-fiber linens in cotton and silk, some organically grown.

Admitting that no processes or materials are truly "environmentally friendly," Sequoia aims to have as little impact as possible on the planet-and that includes crafting objects to last "more than a lifetime." He deems such longevity a critical, but often overlooked, component of green design.

He is careful to point out, however, that his dedication to the Earth is tempered by his desire to produce things of great beauty. "I'm not a fanatic, but I definitely try to pay attention. I will give a little bit on one aspect for the other," he says.

Reclaimed wood figures prominently in Sequoia Collections pieces.

Sequoia states that his job is to do the best he can by each client, which also means doing the best he can by each object. "If I shortcut on what I'm best at—being creative—then I'm shortchanging everyone. My job is to make sure every object comes to a standard of beauty."

He completes a good number of custom projects and enjoys the process of working with people on something that they (or their clients) will live with every day. Some of the most memorable pieces include a 15-foot-long articulated coffee table that can be used as individual tables, and a large gate-and-railing project for clients in Lake Tahoe. Rather than try to impress the listener with the grandest or coolest, though, he'd much rather convey the recurring joy he gets every time someone makes a purchase, whether a house full of furniture or a bedside lamp (wonderfully crafted of iron, richly finished twigs, and a mulberry paper shade that kisses the light just so). Simply, almost humbly, he says, "I hope I have, and I hope I will, never send a piece to someone that they don't love."