Our
Story
A TOKO comes from a love for Indonesia's rich culture and skilled artisanry. But, it was the meeting and connecting with those who now make our furniture that really fuelled A TOKO’s inception.
For both Alex and Sara, this love and appreciation for craft predates A TOKO and encompasses the worlds of art, architecture and design in general:
"We are inspired by the mid-century and modernist design movements, you’ll see that in our furniture, but we do not wish to be limited by them. Through our furniture, and the platforms which allow us to connect, we want to share our love for craft and the way it inspires us. We want to share with you what we learn as we learn it.”
A TOKO is a place for those who are curious, it's a place for those who share the same values for people and planet, and for those who would like to travel through an exploration in 'craft'. A TOKO is a place where we ‘celebrate our makers’.
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You will begin to see A TOKO work with makers, artisans and artists in London (the other half of Alex’s & Sara's hearts) and perhaps even other parts of the world too. But, the idea will always be to foster creative partnerships between our collaborators and the artisans of Indonesia.
We welcome you on this exploratory journey, where we promise you that all our materials are responsibly sourced, they are all of the highest quality and are made by those who deserve to be celebrated.
Yours sincerely,
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Alex & Sara
A TOKO.
Meet the makers
Andi, Quality Control
A TOKO was founded by Alex Whitton in 2023 after spending time with his partner and her family in her home country of Indonesia.
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We have started by bringing a number of designs that our artisans have been making for many years. Having met them in Indonesia, we are in the process of building meaningful relationships with them and learning more about their skills and traditional ways of working. We do this for the benefit of you the customer, their business and ours.
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A TOKO is exploring ways to give back to communities in Indonesia, elevate Indonesian culture and provide decent jobs that are fairly paid. This form of reciprocity is integral to our vision.
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We are an East London based shop (toko) exploring Indonesian creativity, its relationship to the world and sharing what we find.
This is where we begin.
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Our materials
Rattan
A TOKO sources its rattan from the famers of Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). The rattan grows up the tropical trees there, and so the trees are protected.
Rattan is reliant upon the tropical trees to survive. But those same trees can hold immense value to those who may want to cut them down. By purchasing the fast growing rattan vine from these communities, we can insure the protection of the trees that the rattan needs in order for it to grow.
Rattan is sustainable because rattan farming doesn't harm but protects trees that may otherwise be cut down to make-way for agriculture or palm oil plantations.
Teak
Teak is a hard and durable wood that lasts lifetimes. Our teak is sourced from Randublatung (Java, Indonesia) where forestry is government monitored. The Perhutani regulators manage more than just the sustainable resourcing of teak. It also works towards the conservation of the natural wildlife, educates and trains the local people in forestry, supports the plantation of ‘community forests’ and limits both the times of the year and amount in which the teak trees can be harvested.
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Recycled Plastic
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Our Market Tote range is made entirely from recycled plastic from Bali. Tourists in Bali use 3.5 times more plastic than local people and a lot of this ends up in waterways and washing up on beaches. Local people collect waste each day to keep beaches clean and this waste is taken to local recycling facilities and made into strips to be woven into the colourful Market Tote Range that we bring to you.​