Soft Reeds, Still Water.
Harvested from wetland beds and dried in open air, kauna grass brings a soft, cushioned texture found in no other natural fibre.
Kauna Grass at a glance
- Origin
- Northeast India
- Material Category
- Wetland Grass
- Typical Applications
- Décor · Storage · Soft Goods
- Sustainability
- Annually Renewable
What makes it extraordinary.
Soft
The hollow reed compresses gently underhand, giving woven surfaces a cushioned feel.
Quiet
Its pale, even tone settles into a room without asking for attention.
Renewable
Cut each season from wetland beds that regrow with the water.
A material shaped by water.
Kauna grows in the shallow wetlands of Northeast India, standing in still water until the reeds reach full height. It is cut by hand at the end of the season, when the stem has firmed but not hardened.
The reeds are dried in open air for days, turned so they colour evenly, then rolled between the palms until they soften enough to weave. Nothing about the sequence can be accelerated without showing in the finished surface.
Woven, kauna is unlike any other fibre — warm, slightly yielding, and quiet enough to live with for a very long time.
From the grove to your room.
- 01
Nature
Reeds stand in shallow wetland beds through the growing season.
- 02
Harvest
Cut by hand at season's end, above the waterline.
- 03
Preparation
Sun-dried in open air and softened between the palms.
- 04
Craftsmanship
Woven in tight coils and rows, entirely by hand.
- 05
Finished Piece
Shaped, trimmed and rested before it is packed.
How it behaves.
- Strength
- Moderate
- Weight
- Very light
- Flexibility
- Soft, easily coiled
- Durability
- Excellent in dry interiors
- Texture
- Soft, cushioned
- Colour
- Pale straw to warm ivory
- Recommended Use
- Indoor, dry spaces
Coiled row by row.
Kauna is worked without machinery of any kind — coiled, bound and shaped in the hand, which is why no two pieces share exactly the same surface.
Explore Craft
Wetlands of the Northeast.
The still-water beds of the Northeast set the calendar for this craft — one harvest a year, and a season of weaving that follows it.
Explore AssamPieces shaped from this material.
Pieces in kauna grass are currently being made. Explore our handcrafted collection while new work is prepared.
Living with kauna grass.
- Cleaning
- Dust gently with a dry cloth or soft brush.
- Maintenance
- Air occasionally in indirect light to keep the reed dry.
- Storage
- Keep in a dry, ventilated place, never compressed.
- Things to Avoid
- Damp rooms, water contact and direct sunlight.
The story doesn’t end here.
Explore Craft
The slow sequence of selecting, shaping and finishing that every piece passes through.
Explore CraftExplore Assam
Assam's river valleys, and the households where these traditions have been kept alive.
Explore AssamBrowse Collections
Lighting, living and décor — the finished pieces shaped from these natural materials.
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