Kakadu Art

What is Kakadu Art? It is a unique and stunning Israeli art that expresses ideas through colors and symbols. These colors and symbols are transposed onto creatively shaped wood home furnishings that brings colorful interior decorating to your home or office for an unexpected level of whimsical beauty.

Kakadu Art was created in 1990 by husband and wife artist team, Aharon and Reut Shahar. Aharon is a master carpenter while Reut is the artist, making Kakadu a marriage of artistic talents producing functional items that are art.

Whether you seek hand painted furniture or unique gifts from Israel, these handcrafted wooden products are a delight. Kakadu’s superb craftsmanship and attention to detail ensures that every piece of furnishing is perfect before it leaves the factory. The Kakadu process is a 12-step process, where every artist and carpenter involved is a partner in the successful creation of each piece.

Stage 1: Choosing the wood

Reut and Aharon have conducted extensive research to identify the types of wood that not only suit their product design, but also respond well to their paints and lacquers. For most products, Kakadu uses a fast-growing lumber that is planted specifically for harvesting. And all the company’s lumber is imported only from countries that use responsible forestry techniques.

Stage 2: Creating the plywood

Kakadu’s products are made from a combination of solid wood and top-grade, highly durable plywood. Not only is plywood significantly stronger than solid wood, it is also less likely to warp, split, shrink, or swell. It is also a sound environmental choice, since it makes the best, most efficient use of timber.

Stage 3: Cutting and treating the wood

The plywood is cut into the appropriate shapes, with as little waste as possible. Then, through the application of steam, water, and pressure, it is formed into the gently curving shapes you see in many Kakadu products.

Stage 4: Assembling the product

In Kakadu’s carpentry shop, each product is carefully assembled to exact design specifications.

Stage 5: Quality control

After it is assembled, each Kakadu piece goes through a quality-assurance process, to ensure that it meets our high production standards.

Stage 6: Painting

Kakadu’s team of highly-skilled artists paint each piece by hand, using only the highest grade pigments to ensure that the colors stay fresh and bright throughout the life of the object. Every artist has been personally trained by Reut, to ensure that he or she is versed in the visual language of Kakadu and can accurately duplicate all of its unique motifs.

Stage 7: Quality control

A second round of quality assurance guarantees that the painted object contains no flaws.

Stage 8: Lacquering

The first of two coats of lacquer is applied. Kakadu uses a very advanced acrylic lacquer, with superior hardness and ultraviolet light filtration, to protect products from scratching or sun damage.

Stage 9: Sanding

Each item is sanded by hand to ensure a uniformly smooth surface.

Stage 10: Lacquering

A second and final coat of lacquer seals and completes the product.

Stage 11: Quality control

Yes…again! We want every product to be perfect.

Stage 12: Packing and shipping

Only after a product has passed its final round of quality testing are we ready to let it go-carefully packed, of course, to avoid damage during shipping.

Some of those pieces created are as cute as coasters, as bright as colorful mirrors, or as durable as the wooden place mats. The place mats are known worldwide for their durability and everlasting beauty. But don’t stop at the little things. Kakadu also includes creating unique carpets that are all-wood vinyl-backed which are breathtaking as floor coverings or wall hangings.

Each item is handcrafted wood that is hand painted with a signature Kakadu art motif, and lacquered to perfection for water resistance and durability. Throughout the process—from the selection of wood to quality inspection—Kakadu is committed to recycling and conservation, which the Shahars value as a key element in their creative process. Environmentally friendly furniture and accessories are the result.

But what does Kakadu mean? Kakadu is a white Australian parrot that is sacred to the Aborigines.

Explore the stories behind our colorful art motifs and meet our talented Israeli artists by clicking on Inside Kakadu at Kakadu Art. To learn more on how to incorporate these pieces into your own home or office, contact Kharisma Designs.

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