Carving the Nuristani window
Two sisters turn the lattice patterns of mountain houses into tables, trays and boxes.
In the mountain villages of Nuristan, houses are known for their carved wooden windows and doors, cut into lattices of stars, rosettes and interlocking squares.
Gulalai and her sister grew up surrounded by that work. Now they carve the same patterns into furniture and smaller pieces for the home.
Walnut and cedar
The sisters work in walnut for its dark, close grain and cedar for its scent and lightness. Each board is left to season before it's cut, so the finished piece won't warp.
No nails
A lattice panel is built from dozens of small pieces that lock together by joinery alone. The sisters mark the pattern by hand, cut each piece with a saw and chisel, and fit them so tightly that the panel holds without glue.
A side table takes about two weeks. A serving tray, three or four days. Everything is finished with oil and wax rather than varnish, so it darkens and deepens with use.
