Ten years ago in February, Zanat was launched as an international design brand with a memorable exhibition at the world’s oldest auction house in Stockholm, during the Stockholm Design Week. It was a watershed moment for the now 105-year-old woodcarving business owned by the Niksic family. The fourth generation of Niksic’s, brothers Orhan and Adem Niksic, decided to give a new life to their family’s woodcarving business, renown in the Balkans for producing heirloom-quality hand-carved furniture and interior decoration objects. The idea was to revitalize and internationalize this long-past-its-glory-days family enterprise through collaboration with extraordinary designers and architects.
The brothers were as determined to innovate as they were to preserve the traditional woodcarving techniques for which their family’s business and their town, Konjic, were renown and which was inscribed onto the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017 They sought to create a contemporary design aesthetic using these techniques, revealing the beauty of wood, showcasing artisanal craftsmanship, and making objects as precious as fine art. Their first product collection was developed with Scandinavian designers, led by Monica Förster, Zanat’s art director. In the past decade, the brothers transformed the family business into a globally recognized design brand and woodcarving authority. They helped get their town’s woodcarving tradition listed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, opened the Woodcarving Museum in 2019. In 2022 the museum was bestowed with two international awards. Zanat has grown significantly from a small workshop to collaborating with top designers worldwide. Its products are now sold through premier designer furniture stores and galleries on five continents.
