There are cases in our industry where war nearly wipes out furniture companies, but they still manage to survive, produce goods, and pay taxes. Such a situation fully characterizes the capital-based company “Irfa“.

As its owner Oleksiy Lytvynchuk revealed during the war, the company’s workforce was reduced twentyfold! Now he is not only a manager but also a direct producer.

– And how do you manage to produce furniture with just a few workers?

– Well, we produce very little of it now. The war has drastically changed our production. Previously, in addition to our main furniture direction, we also made lighting fixtures. Now this manufacturing line has become the leading one because furniture orders—especially for tables and chairs, which we mainly specialize in—have significantly decreased.

– Please tell me more about your current specialization, which is far from furniture manufacturing.

– Actually, it’s not that far off in the sense that our lighting fixtures are based on wood and aluminium. Therefore, we have been involved in woodworking and continue to do so. Sometimes, we face more machining challenges with the small-sized wooden components for the lighting fixtures than with furniture elements. It’s impossible to do without using a CNC machine. We also handle aluminium ourselves – the same craftsmen who manufacture the wooden elements are equally skilled in working with metal.

We have over a hundred models of lighting fixtures, which were developed by me and my colleague Pavlo Moshkivskyi, a master of applied arts with whom I am involved in this business.

– So, are the lighting fixtures currently in high demand?

– To a greater extent, we export them to the United States, selling them on popular global trading platforms. Just before the war, we had a fortunate incident that significantly strengthened our position on one of them – the trading platform “Etsy,” which is a specific marketplace for handmade goods, vintage items, and craft supplies. It’s a mutually beneficial platform where manufacturers and customers, driven by a passion for unique and rare products, interact. Our lighting fixtures fit perfectly into their assortment. So, in 2021, the “Etsy” platform held a competition for the best products for various purposes that it helps manufacturers sell. One of our lighting fixtures made it to the top 10. Moreover, the platform used it in its promotional material, showcasing the available products in its range that can be used for a children’s room interior, among other things. This significantly boosted our sales and increased trust in Ukrainian-made products, which is highly beneficial now when we are practically forced to stop furniture production.

– Are we talking about retail sales?

– To sell lighting fixtures to retail chains and corporate clients, we need to obtain American certification, which is a lengthy and complex process for us. We do have a client there, a representative of a construction company, who purchased a set of lighting fixtures for their construction project and handled the certification process himself. So far, he hasn’t had any further need for our lighting fixtures.

– Which wood species are best suited for making lighting fixtures?

–  Mostly we use ash wood. It is easy to work with and has an attractive wood texture. However, we also sometimes use oak, alder, and walnut.

Ashwood is also perfectly suitable for producing children’s toys, which I started during the war itself. Currently, the certification process for this product is underway. I have young children, and I made prototypes of cubes for their entertainment, which can be combined to create different pictures. And I realized that such items would be beneficial for the self-development of not only my children. Several sets of such cubes have already been developed, including ones with Ukrainian and English alphabets.