WOODWORKING

TRADITIONAL CRAFT FOR MODERN LIVING

Samina Langholz and Andrea Brugi

With photography by Ditte Isager

CONFLUENCE OF MINDS

“WE WORK CLOSELY ON EVERY IDEA. Our ethos is very simple: do more with less; let each project unfold organically; always be open to possibilities; welcome mistakes and learn from them; let simple, found and readily available materials embolden your design and decisions.”

Montemerano is located approximately 300 metres (984 feet) above sea level, in the Maremma area in the south of Tuscany. The village on the small mountain is exactly placed between the Mediterranean Sea and the mountains of Mont Amiata. It’s the perfect climate for the 400- to 1,000-year-old olive trees and their fruit, which grow on the slopes and in the valleys around the little town. This is where Andrea grew up, surrounded by nature, craftsmen and the simple things in life; among people with a passion.

Today we live in one of those seventeenth-century houses in Montemerano. Ours was built in 1678 and we have renovated every square metre with our bare hands – absolutely nothing has been left to chance. Living in a village with 350 people might seem boring or uninspiring, but for Andrea it is all about the nature, the smells, the past, the stories that inspire him. He is a product of his village. He wouldn’t work as he does, think as he does or be who he is if he was born anywhere else, he says.

I used to be the old-fashioned girl, living in Copenhagen, on my bike, enjoying flea markets, collecting antiques and just loving my home with crystal wine glasses, colourful oil paintings and oriental rugs from floor to ceiling. Then we met, in his beautiful medieval village, and this genuine, authentic craft slowly took over our lives. It is all about good memories. The life here is very simple. And it has always been that way. We hope that we will be able to bring up our daughter Gloria in the same spirit.

– Samina Langholz

BROKEN IS BEAUTIFUL

Wood is such a huge part of our lives. I would almost say, wood is our life, it has become our partner in life, and we have such a passion and respect for all its vagaries and complexities.

We like to keep things simple; we don’t like to overdo an idea. Andrea has always felt that our work should be something every person needs in their home. A piece you enjoy using and which gets more beautiful the more you use it. Without doubt, each finished item has its own distinctive character. As you work with natural wood you will never achieve a polished, perfect result. Every piece is unique in its own way. Two chopping boards of the same size and shape will never be exactly the same. This unique expression is in stark contrast to that achieved by advanced technology and mass production, which automatically generates perfect, identical products. And we believe this is our good fortune. The proliferation in new technology has created a new need in people – an obsession for the opposite; a strong desire for something imperfect, warm and human, which adds that final personal touch to their modern home.

We are all so confident in our own tastes and how we want to live now, and it somehow makes a product less attractive, less representative of who you are, if anybody can just go to a store and buy the exact same thing. You could almost say that the imperfect has become the perfect and that there is a new pursuit for true craftsmanship. Our work just feels very natural – we do not spend too much time thinking about it.

From the very beginning, everything happened a little by coincidence, and we’d like to continue working in this spirit. Neither of us has a background in design, and we don’t set out to create a specific object; our new pieces usually pop up while we are working on something else. This process never feels like work, and this is truly a privilege.

Our work today still contains elements of the traditional, but is more creative and contemporary than our previous work. This is not something we set out to do intentionally. In the end it is always about the right confluence of minds. The right match. Like finding your soulmate. What is it that brings out the best in you? When we met, we never made a conscious decision to go into business. It all started in Easter 2005 while we were restoring some pieces of antique furniture for our future home together.

They were abandoned pieces from Andrea’s workshop, and as we started restoring them we just slowly got to know each other. We didn’t even have a common language; he only spoke Italian – and still does – and I was desperately trying to add an Italian accent to my basic English.

But we learned that what we do together is simply special. As Andrea always says, he couldn’t do this without me and I certainly couldn’t do it without him. We didn’t have a choice, Andrea and I. It was just meant to be. We never made a business plan – we are still learning every day. It’s never easy, and never boring.

This is how Andrea describes his work and our collaboration: “I just do what the wood tells me to do. Perhaps it also has something to do with the close relation with my Danish wife. She definitely has a great influence on my work. Her Scandinavian touch together with my organic rustic roots. Perhaps this is our secret. All of our designs come from the heart and have a story – they are simple ideas, which we execute as honestly and cleanly as possible. We believe that this is a part of our success. Before our work was more controlled and structured. We worried more about what others thought and wanted. But with time and experience, we have reached a place where we understand that each piece of wood tells its own story. And the stories we see are never the same as those our clients see, which is beautiful. This acknowledgement is extremely interesting, liberating us in our work and challenging and inspiring us to create new designs. Previously, we would have been concerned about the smallest crack in a chopping board – not because we couldn’t see the beauty in it but because we were unsure what our clients would think. Would they appreciate and understand the will and character of nature?

“Happily, we are learning that people are brave; they understand and accept much more from nature than we could ever wish for. They are the ones who are re-setting the standard for what is perfect today. The twenty new ideas we are sharing here are all very much related to our existing designs, their stories and techniques. There are egg cups inspired by our wedding, ladders to help in the olive groves, and entire mini creations made from the leftovers from earlier refurbishment projects. We hope this book will inspire you to create some of your own unique, individual pieces, which represent you and the effort you have put into them, and that you will be encouraged to find your own stories and ideas when working with different types of wood. We know they will be objects that will be used and admired for many, many years to come.”

CHAPTER ONE

WORKING WITH WOOD

STORIES OF WOOD

ANDREA BELIEVES THAT WORKING with wood is all about patience – waiting for the right moment and understanding the wood and its capacity, its depth. Try to embrace and endorse the silence of the wood. The space and volume. Whether it is oak, chestnut, poplar or olive – as long as it speaks to you.

Wood is everything. The scent of the wood, the interaction between the wood and our work, the potential to recycle it and give it a second life fascinates us. The beautiful olive groves that surround us have been a natural part of Andrea’s life as far as he can remember. The olive trees, which reach around 400–1,000 years old, are protected to an extent, in that no one fells an olive tree as long as it bears fruit; they are never felled purely for their wood.

Tuscan olive wood has become our trademark, and among many other things we use it for our chopping boards, spoons, plates and salt cellars. The first dining table we ever made together was created from a 200-year-old Tuscan oak door, with original patina and iron hinges. The legs were made from some original Tuscan oak rafters from a local church. The decision to build this particular construction of really old rafters was taken simply because they were standing in Andrea’s workshop as part of his collection. Each rafter lives its own life. None of them are straight or easy to work with. But this is actually the beauty. Use whatever kind of wood speaks to you – there are no rules. We make a great virtue of finding old, beautiful materials with a story. Obviously it is hard to find the perfect size of rafter, door or beam from time to time, so our tables are only made when we find the ideal materials, and never the other way around. Luckily, Montemerano still has many original houses in need of restoration – and we are always ready to take over the old oak or chestnut rafters, and any other elements which are being discarded.

All used materials can be left with a minimum of finishing. This allows the wood to live and develop its patina at its natural pace. We choose to leave most of our finished pieces untreated, which we believe allows it to age naturally and find the best fit within its new environment. We don’t ever throw out or burn any leftover offcuts of wood: these can be put to many other uses, making smaller pieces.

If you turn the page, you will see a selection of woods used in the projects within this book. We love the contrasts in character – the idea of being able to create different designs with the simplicity and style of oak, the unique quirkiness of olive, the robust strength of chestnut and the modernity of poplar.

OLIVE

Olive wood is light brown or yellowish, with darker contrasting streaks and a curly or wavy grain. The colour tends to deepen with age. When you work with olive wood it has a distinct fruity scent and fine uniform texture. It is fairly easy to work, though you might meet a wild or interlocked grain under the surface, which can make things tricky, but this is also the beauty of olive.

Andrea has a special connection to the olive wood. He was raised among the groves and is always able to recognize whether the cut wood is from his region or elsewhere. He feels very passionate about the olive wood that surrounds us and this makes it one of his favourite types of wood to work with.

OAK

There are several types of oak. We like white oak, which is a light-to medium-brown colour. The grain is straight, with a coarse, uneven texture. White oak produces good results with hand and machine tools and is very easy to work with.

We like to work with oak. It is so different to olive – so much more straightforward in its texture and grain; it is almost like you know what you are getting, and what to expect – there are no big surprises waiting underneath the surface. This can also be very interesting and challenging in its own way; Andrea is so used to olive wood and its style and eccentricities, that when working with oak it feels as though we are going in a more Nordic or modern direction (similar to the poplar).

CHESTNUT

Chestnut wood has up to 20 per cent tannin content, the highest of all tree species. This makes the wood extremely rot-resistant, and therefore perfect for outdoor use, such as in our benches and ladders. Chestnut trees, especially those in a forest setting, grow straight and make excellent lumber, which can be cut into straight-grained planks or split easily. Chestnut wood is medium brown, darkening to a reddish brown with age.

The grain can be straight, spiral or interlocked, and has a coarse, uneven texture. It is an easy wood to work with both hand and machine tools. Chestnut splits easily, so care must be taken when nailing and screwing the wood. Chestnut was traditionally used in a lot of the old houses around Montemerano, so Andrea is very familiar with working with it, as we often use reclaimed chestnut for our benches, dining tables and chopping boards.

POPLAR

Poplar is the softest wood we work with. It is also the palest, a yellow to white colour, with occasional streaks of grey or green. So if you are going for a modern – or Nordic – look, this is a good choice.

Poplar typically has a straight, uniform grain, with a medium texture. It is very easy to work in almost all regards, though one of poplar’s only downsides is its softness, so it is not suitable for outdoor use or for our chopping boards; it does work well for the benches, coffee tables and for our smaller décor pieces, such as stars and small houses. Due to its low density, poplar can sometimes leave fuzzy surfaces and edges, especially during shaping or sanding. Sanding with finer grits of sandpaper may be necessary to obtain a smooth surface.

STORIES OF TOOLS

ANDREA’S FIRST MEMORY of using tools was at five years old, when a friend of the family, Avelino, came to help out the Brugis with the yearly olive harvest and ended up creating a new seat for their broken carousel. Andrea often recalls watching this old man – and his hands – magically turning a piece of leftover wood into a young boy’s most precious possession.

Andrea remembers that Avelino found an old, dry chestnut board somewhere around the farm, and with only an axe and a rough wood file he managed to create the smoothest, most well-proportioned little wooden seat. Andrea recalls it as love at first sight on his part: to accomplish so much with just two tools.

Today, the file still has a big place in his heart. It is not one of the tools he uses most, but to him it represents the idea of patience and dedication: taking time to care for the detail, not being hasty in his work but allowing as much time as it takes.

Andrea is convinced that inherited tools bring along their own stories, providing an incomparable inspiration to your work. He is also enchanted by wood as a delicate, unchanging material, making it possible to work with the same beautiful tools that were also used 200 years ago. He loves the thought of the hand drill, for example, being used back in the Stone Age, and tries to imagine the techniques used and the adventures that might have followed.

Andrea has a relationship with almost every one of his tools; they are so familiar and important to him. He remembers where he got each piece, and the stories behind them, such as when he held a hammer in his hand for the first time when helping out his dad as a little boy. Using them every day, they are without question a vital component in his work. Some of them have actually adapted to the shape of his hand over the years of constant use, and he would undoubtedly, at any time, be able to locate his own pieces in a pile of a thousand identical tools.

If you turn the page, you will see all the basic tools required for working on the projects within the book. They are not necessarily Andrea’s favourite pieces but they are the tools he uses every day in his workshop, and the basics he certainly could not do without.

Axe, utility knife, hammer, file, chisel, screwdriver, brush, wood glue, sandpapers, hand saw, pencils, electric drill and assorted drill bits, scissors, ruler, pliers.

SANDPAPER

Sandpaper comes in many different grades. The rules are the same whether you are sanding by hand or using an electric sander. For more demanding grinding, for example the surface of the Bedside Table or our Cheeseboard, Andrea uses three different levels of sandpaper. He starts with the roughest grit (#80–100), then uses a finer grit (#120–150), and for the final, finest touch he uses #180.

It is not so much about the type of wood you are working with but the condition of the wood and the effect you are looking to achieve. Many people ask how our olive wood chopping boards are so smooth. And the answer is dedication and time, #180 sandpaper and an electric sander, which removes the last tiny scratches which are only visible if you hold the board up to the light and look very carefully. This is also why it is so important that your wood is dry, otherwise it is impossible to achieve a perfectly smooth finish.

WOOD GLUE

Wood glues are graded on their durability, from D1 (light indoor use) to D4 (indoor and outdoor use in all weathers). We use a standard D3 wood glue for all projects.

HAMMER

There are many different hammers, from the metal hammers used to knock in nails – the hammer shown opposite is a claw hammer; the clawed edge is used to remove nails – to the larger, more forceful wooden mallet used in the hammer and chisel technique shown here.

DRILLS AND DRILL BITS

When drilling holes, you could use an electric (hand-held) drill or you may have access to a pillar drill. The projects in this book use twist drill bits and Forstner bits. Twist drill bits are the standard general-purpose spiral drill bits, which come in a wide range of diameters, from a fraction of a millimetre up to several centimetres. Forstner bits are larger, 8–50mm (¹/₃ –2 inches) in diameter, and create precise, flat-bottomed holes, as they have a large cutting rim rather than a central point. It is advisable to use Forstner drill bits with a pillar drill, where possible, for extra precision.

HAND SAW

Regular hand saws such as the one shown opposite come in different lengths, and according to Andrea it is simply a question of which size works best for you and you feel comfortable using. Obviously if you need to cut a large piece of wood then a larger saw is preferable.

CHISEL

It is worth investing in a range of wood chisels, from smaller chisels for carving and intricate details, to larger chisels for removing large sections of wood or making rough marks on wood to show the outline of a detail or design.

POWER TOOLS

Some of the projects in the book use smaller electric hand-held tools, such as an electric sander, angle grinder and jigsaw. These tend to be reasonably priced in comparison to the larger machines, and might be worth investing in if you are planning to make the projects, as they will save time and create a cleaner finish.

Andrea’s workshop contains some larger machine tools, such as a circular or band saw and a pillar drill. If you don’t own tools such as these, we would occasionally advise you to find someone who does and ask them to help you on a particular element of a project.

TECHNIQUES

ANDREA LOVES TRADITION, and has always had a deep fascination with how older wooden pieces are constructed using long-standing techniques such as the half-lap joint, which we use in our Table project.

Old techniques are a good reminder of what we stand for and why we enjoy so much what we do; our love of travel and art has always led us to search for unique designs and characterful vintage pieces – both to furnish our home with and to inspire new ideas, new possibilities. We visit our local flea markets throughout the year and others further afield during the summer. We always find something that we had previously overlooked. These ancient techniques employed by old craftsmen keep popping up no matter where we are in the world. Certain techniques, described on the following pages, are used again and again in Andrea’s work, and are worth looking at in greater detail, as you will almost certainly use them as you are making the projects.

DRILLING

Drilling larger holes into a woodworking project is harder with a hand-held drill, which is why we use a pillar drill whenever possible, for accuracy and precision. Hand-held drills are only able to accommodate smaller diameter drill bits, which are perfect for certain “finer” jobs, but if you wish to use larger Forstner bits, the pillar drill is a better choice; Forstner bits also require a little more power when using them, and this is easier with a pillar drill. Before drilling the hole, use a pencil and mark the central point of the hole on to your piece of wood. Use a table clamp to hold your wood piece tight, if necessary. This gives you more control while drilling and your piece will remain firmly in place. Align the centre of your chosen drill bit with the pencil mark and apply a steady but controlled pressure as you drill down. If using a hand-held drill or an older pillar drill, measure the depth of the hole you need to drill and stick a piece of coloured tape around your drill bit to mark the maximum depth.

HAMMER, CROWBAR & CHISEL

A hammer and crowbar or chisel can be used for larger jobs, such as stripping the bark from a tree trunk for the Bedside Table, or it can be used for finer, more intricate work, such as carving a design into a Chopping Board. If stripping bark, allow your stump to dry out for at least a month under cover outdoors (ideally over summer), then bring it inside for two weeks to allow the wood to settle. It will shed several pounds and the bark will loosen slightly. If your stump was already cut and dried, you can just bring it inside for two weeks before starting work. The next step is to remove the bark. Sometimes you are able to pull most of the bark off with your hands. If not, try using the crowbar first, as this is the best tool to use if the bark is coming off relatively easily. Insert the crowbar between the bark and the stump, then hammer it enough to loosen the wood. If the bark is particularly stubborn, try the wood chisel in the same way, as this is sharper and will cut through the fibres better.

DUAL-PURPOSE MACHETE

If you have one, a machete is the perfect tool for cutting and shaping wood. In our region, the machete is used frequently, especially for agricultural purposes. It is razor sharp and incredibly versatile, performing the roles of both axe and knife. You can use it to cut through branches and also to remove the bark from branches. To cut a branch vertically, set the piece of wood you are working with on a horizontal surface, just as you would when chopping firewood. To remove the bark from a branch, make downward slashing movements with the machete through the wood; move your whole arm downwards as you swing, as this will give added momentum and force to the action. When removing the bark, the most important thing to always remember is to perform all of the movements away from your body. Always keep in mind that safety must come first.

HIDING SCREWS

We embrace the idea of “hiding” the screws when creating an object, partly to camouflage the screw itself, and partly because the resulting finish adds a different element to the piece, which enhances its look and design. One method of doing this is to create a wooden plug to place in the hole once the screw is fixed. Andrea uses a set of drill bits, which come in several sizes, as needed. The first step is to drill the hole into which the screw is placed; this is always deeper than the screw itself to allow space for the plug. Then the plug cutter “drills” the plug to the same size as the hole from your chosen piece of wood. If you are using the right size of drill bit, you don’t need to use any glue at all – the plug will fit perfectly into the hole. We like to play with different types of wood for the plugs to emphasize this technique, but if you want to hide the plug as well as the screw, you can use an offcut of the wood that you are using for your project and, once it’s in place, align the grain as closely as possible.

ANDREA’S TECHNIQUE

We’re not sure of the official name of this technique – a dowelled mortise and tenon joint – so we have called it “Andrea’s Technique”. We use this for the Laundry Basket. Each corner has three pieces of wood entering the joint, with a mortise and tenon joint (2 pieces) held in place with a dowel (3rd piece). Measure the ends of the two strips for the mortise and tenon joint and mark them into three equal parts. For each angle you need one “male” piece, from which the first and third (top and bottom) parts are cut with a saw, then knocked out with a hammer and chisel. You also need one “female” piece, from which the middle section of the three is removed. Clean all edges with sandpaper and then connect the two, with the “female” piece vertical and the “male” horizontal. Once connected, drill an 8mm (¹/₃ inch) hole straight through the two pieces. The end of the third strip of wood needs to be sawn and gently sanded back to create a 2cm (³/₄ inch) long, perfectly round and smooth central dowel, to fit exactly into the drilled hole.

HALF-LAP JOINT

The half-lap joint is a fairly basic, old traditional woodworking joint. It is ideal for when two pieces of wood need to be joined without creating any extra thickness, and is a very versatile joint, suitable for different projects. We use it to create the cross members on the legs of our Table. To create this type of joint, a small section of each piece of wood is removed from each of the two boards. Most commonly in half-lap joints, the members are of the same thickness and half the thickness of each is removed, then the two pieces overlap each other to re-create the full thickness. Measure and mark the half-thickness shapes to be cut from each piece using your linear triangle. Use a saw for the vertical lines and knock out the half-thickness pieces of wood with a hammer and chisel. Then glue and fit the notches together like a puzzle piece to join the boards. You may only need a small amount of glue.

CHAPTER TWO

PROJECTS

FOUND WOOD 01

If the beauty and unique qualities of nature inspire you, and you see something in a piece of driftwood or a branch, why not embrace it? Found Wood refers to any type of wood discovered and picked up on your travels: in this section we are using driftwood from a local river next to our home for the Wardrobe (Closet) Rail, and driftwood from some of our favourite beaches for the Giant “Keychain”. Andrea, Gloria and I are unable to go anywhere without coming back with various findings from nature; for us, a beach trip on a Sunday always ends up as a mysterious treasure hunt. Lay the driftwood in the sun for a couple of days to dry out before taking it inside your house. You will feel it gets lighter and turns almost white; this means it is ready to work with. It will also allow any sand or smaller stones to come away from the wood before bringing it indoors. Even if you find a piece that is completely dry, make sure to give it a clean out with a vacuum cleaner or brush: there are often hidden deserts inside these pieces.

As for the slightly thicker branches used for the Egg Cup, Ladder and Broom, take a look at your local surroundings – perhaps you are lucky enough to have a forest nearby, or even a park. If you collect these branches during the winter, and leave them to dry inside your workshop or somewhere under cover, they’ll be ready to work with during the summer. And if you collect them when it’s warm and dry, they’ll be ready to work with straight away.

EGG CUP

WE KEEP THE BARK ON THESE SMALL rustic egg cups to bring a natural and personal touch to our breakfast table. They were inspired by our hand-carved salt cellars, which were created as Andrea was trimming the olive trees in preparation for our wedding; the dry branches ended up as salt cellars on the twenty-two wedding tables in the olive grove.

If you want your egg cups to live a long life, you should place the cut branches on a grate and let them dry slowly (not in the sun) for a minimum of six months. The wood will set itself and will be much easier to work with. We like to keep the branches kind of round, so we just clean them along their shape, so the line around the edge becomes roughly even and straight.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— Electric (hand-held) drill with 50mm (2 inch) Forstner drill bit. Ideally, use a pillar drill if you have one in your workshop

— White pencil

— Coloured tape

— Hand saw

You will also need:

— Sandpaper (#150)

WOOD

— Cut branches, approx. 6cm (2 ¹/₂ inches) wide; these must be completely dry before using. We have used olive wood, but you could also use oak, elm, or any other similar wood

STEP 01

Choose a straight branch, as this makes it easier to drill a plain, clean hole. Perhaps consider whether you would like a smaller “arm” sticking out of your egg cup. Using the saw, cut off the nicest part of the branch – approx. 4–5cm (1 ¹/₂–2 inches) in length. Each cup doesn’t need to be exactly the same height. Look at the wood and go with your sense.

STEP 02

Use the pencil to mark the centre of one end of the branch. Place the point of the drill bit over the pencil mark and drill about 1.5cm (¹/₂ inch) down into your egg cup to create a hole. You can add a 1.5cm (¹/₂ inch) piece of coloured tape to your drill bit to indicate how deep you should drill.

STEP 03

Use the sandpaper to “clean” and polish the rough edges, making sure the base is smooth and flat so that the cups sit well on a table.

The bark around the egg cups will eventually dry out and start to fall off, but we think they are just as pretty without – or you can always go in search of more branches and make another set if you love the bark.

Our workshop is at Andrea’s parents’ farm. We literally live most of our lives there. My mother-in-law has a beautiful kitchen garden where we do most of our “grocery shopping” – and more importantly a smaller chicken farm that provides us with breakfast every day. I don’t know if it is the quality of the eggs – or perhaps the combination of eggs and egg cups – but breakfast is one of our favourite meals of the day.

WARDROBE/CLOSET RAIL

WE HAVE RECENTLY FINISHED RESTORING another seventeenth-century house in our village, for which Andrea was asked to design a built-in wardrobe (closet) in the bedroom. In the end the bedroom – well, the entire house – became so magnificent that we could not bear to hide the beautiful ancient walls.

So we came up with the idea of two leather straps and a driftwood branch to create a stylish alternative clothing rail. We have a huge love of natural leather – it is a little like wood, as the patina changes over the years and makes it more interesting.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— 2 pieces of leather, approx. 3cm (1 ¹/₄ inches) wide and 5m (16 ¹/₂ feet) long (the length will depend on the height of your ceiling). Natural leather is hard to cut, so we tend to ask our local leather merchant to cut it for us

— Hammer

— Sandpaper (#150)

— Leather hole punch

— 2 × 1cm (¹/₂ inch) copper or brass nails/studs for each strap

— Hand saw

You will also need:

— 2 × strong screws (for attaching wardrobe (closet) to the ceiling)

— Ruler

— Electric (hand-held) drill

WOOD

— 1 piece of driftwood, approx. 140cm (55 inches) in length. Consider the thickness of the stick as it must be suitable for your chosen hangers

STEP 01

Comb your nearest beach for a suitable piece of driftwood, then leave your chosen wood to dry out in the sun.

STEP 02

Use the sandpaper to clean and polish the rough edges. Run the sandpaper along the stick to make sure there are no splinters or small rough knots.

STEP 03

Using the saw, cut the stick to your desired length. The maximum length would be 150cm (59 inches), to ensure the stick is strong enough.

“OUR NEXT VISIT TO THE BEACH OR A FAMILY PICNIC BY THE RIVER MAY BE THE CATALYST FOR A BRAND NEW PIECE IN OUR COLLECTION.”

STEP 04

Using the leather hole punch, prepare two holes in the leather around 1cm (¹/₃ inch) inside the edge of the strap and 25cm (10 inches) from the end. You could even ask your leather merchant to cut the holes. Hammer the copper or brass nails or studs into place.

STEP 05

Loop the leather straps around each end of your chosen branch.

STEP 06

Check the exact measurement between the two leather straps and mark the two spots on the ceiling where the straps will be attached. Drill holes in the ceiling for the screws and attach the straps to the ceiling.

The branch could literally be hung using any material: rope, rough twine, coarse fabric, even an old fine silk scarf. You can hang it next to a wall as a sort of separate closet, but it also works beautifully as a room divider. And while it’s perfect for holding your clothes in the bedroom, you could also use it as an installation for pots and pans over your kitchen sink, swapping the clothes hangers with some beautiful vintage meat hooks from a butcher.

Our next project might be a creative “noticeboard” in Gloria’s room, using neon-coloured drawing pins (thumb tacks) to attach her drawings to the driftwood stick. No matter what you decide, always focus on the unique piece of driftwood; remember its story and why you fell in love with it.

GIANT “KEYCHAIN”

WE LOVE TO COLLECT QUIRKY and unusually shaped driftwood from the beach or along the river. One piece makes you think of a hungry baby bird searching for its mother, another a sad, sleepy bear. Gloria has the wildest imagination and there are practically no limits to what she can see in an old stick or piece of driftwood.

From time to time Andrea likes to rearrange our workshop, and he always ends up asking me if we should burn these pieces or if I want to do something useful with our giant nest of treasures. So together we drilled holes in each of the pieces of driftwood and sat them on a modern ring of brass.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— Electric (hand-held) drill with a variety of drill bits – anything from 2–5cm (³/₄–2 inches) (we used Forstner bits and made different sizes of holes depending on the shape of the driftwood). Ideally, use a pillar drill if you have one in your workshop

— Brushes – metal brush and semi-soft brush with natural bristles

— Sandpaper (#150)

— Big ring of brass and small brass nut (we ordered a ring 80cm (31 ¹/₂ inches wide) and 5mm (¹/₄ inch) thick in brass from our local blacksmith. He also drilled two smaller holes into the brass, which make it easy to close it with a small brass nut)

WOOD

— Pieces of driftwood. Let your imagination work for you. You need to choose your most precious pieces, collected perhaps from different trips and beaches all over the world

STEP 01

Sort through your collection of driftwood and pick out your chosen pieces – those that mean the most to you. If newly found, leave your treasures to dry out in the sun. Once completely dry, clean them with a metal brush first, followed by a soft brush to get rid of any dust. Place all the pieces of driftwood on the floor and imagine an outline of sizes, forms and order. Your decision becomes more vivid if you mix large, small, thick and thin. Consider also the colours: driftwood has so many beautiful shades, so mix them to bring out the contrast in your piece of art.

STEP 02

Drill a hole in each piece, making sure you use a solid but soft underlay, so the driftwood doesn’t break or crumble. If necessary, use a soft sandpaper (#150) to gently smooth the edges of the holes.

STEP 03

Thread your pieces on to the ring of brass, connecting the two open ends of the ring with a brass nut.

I have always been a big fan of collecting things on a ring, or bunched on a wire – all my different brightly coloured tapes, or even my wooden stars – when I don’t know where to put them. It is practical, and I also just think that any collection of smaller objects is much more interesting and inspiring to look at when it is in a bunch or a stack.

I guess you could say that this is simply a display of good memories decorating our wall, but it has become one of our favourite pieces. Personally I cannot wait for the Christmas holiday, when I am going to use an oversized branch with some large pine cones on it: something new from the December forest.

BROOM

MONTEMERANO’S ROAD SWEEPER uses his broom every day. So does Licia, my mother-in-law, and we have a short one in our own home next to our fireplace. It’s an old tradition. Andrea’s father makes the brooms when birch is in season in April.

Apparently it is not that easy to find the ideal birch branches, so this tradition is very similar to people going mushroom- or truffle-hunting – you don’t kiss and tell (you never reveal its secret places in the forest). Simply tie a bunch of branches together and you have a great functional broom. You can even attach a handle.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— Wire

— Template (we used an old stool)

— Pruner

— Axe or machete

— Pliers

WOOD

— We used branches of Erica scoparia, a very common shrub in the Tuscan region, but you could also use birch or sorghum

— Rustic branch for the handle, approx. 180cm (71 inches) long

STEP 01

Collect the branches from your local surroundings (make sure you take a pruner on your outing). To shape the branches, lay them in the template with the longest first, then getting shorter and shorter.

STEP 02

Tighten the bunch as much as possible and wrap the wire around it three times. Use the pliers to twist the wire to hold the branches in place, then cut off any excess wire and tuck the twisted ends inside the bunch for safety.

STEP 03

Use the axe or machete to create a point on the handle, which will go into the bunch. The first 33cm (13 inches) of the handle will be inside the branches. Stick the pointed end into the branch shafts. Bang the shafts sharply down into the ground to hold it in place.

I am not sure how many brooms our road sweeper gets through each year. But we have had ours next to its little dustpan for several years, and every year it gets a little tighter and more set into its shape and still works perfectly. It is quite rare to leave your broom “out” and visible in your home, but these are just too beautiful to lock inside a closet.

LADDER

THE OLIVE TREES ARE HARVESTED BY hand-picking around the end of October, long before the fruit is ripe enough to fall down. And this is the practice that makes our cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil such a crisp and unforgettable experience, evoking images of freshly cut grass and stems from a green tomato.

Because of the hand-picking, the trees are kept relatively short, and this is where this very simple, traditional ladder comes in, made from thick chestnut branches. The wood can be quite fresh and green when you work with it, but if you leave it outside in the sun and rain it will get a graceful patina after a short while.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— Jigsaw

— Electric (hand-held) drill with 35mm (1 ¹/₂ inch) twist drill bit (for the steps) and 5mm (¹/₄ inch) twist drill bit (for the wire)

— Machete

— Wire

— Axe

You will also need:

— 25cm (10 inch) hammer

WOOD

— You will need between 2–3 branches to make a ladder. Chestnut trees have fast-growing, straight, slender branches, which grow from the root of the tree. In our area they are used for fences, horse railings and ladders

STEP 01

Take a thick branch. Each step should be around 3–3.5cm (1 ¹/₄–1 ¹/₂ inches) thick, so depending on the size of the log you can cut it into 4 or 8 pieces (like a cake) with the axe or machete.

STEP 02

The ladder can be anything from 160–300cm (63–118 inches). Decide on the length, cut to size using the jigsaw, and measure out and mark the holes for the steps along one branch; we would normally leave around 25cm (10 inches) between each step. Drill out the holes to 3–3.5cm (1 ¹/₄–1 ¹/₂ inches).

STEP 03

You can leave the bark on or remove it with the machete, always scraping from your body. If you do leave it on, it will dry and fall off the ladder with time.

STEP 04

Add the steps into the holes, using the hammer or machete.

STEP 05

Tighten the construction with iron wire. Drill two small 5mm (¹/₄ inch) holes on each side of the ladder, before the first and under the last stair. Use a wooden stick and twist the wire tight. This system is very helpful, as the wood of the ladder will dry and expand over time, and will need a tighten-up. This is also why you don’t use glue.

When Andrea was a child, uncles and friends would come from outside Montemerano to help with the picking. In a small village such as ours, everybody is out harvesting the olives at the same time, more or less. We still pick by hand today, although now we do use the odd piece of modern equipment to make things a little easier. It is hard work but the results are outstanding. And you will always find the ladders in the olive groves, standing under the trees. They are not moved, and just wait patiently for next year’s harvest.

“OLD TRADITIONS, MODERN COMFORT AND USING LOCAL MATERIALS WHENEVER POSSIBLE – THAT’S WHAT WE ALWAYS AIM FOR.”

SOLID WOOD 02

Perhaps the greatest advantage of solid wood is that the wood is uniform; you are able to choose an exact, constant thickness of wood for your project, instilling the pieces with a sense of simplicity. It has always been our intention to keep a clean and pure style for the objects in this section. If you live close to nature you might be able to find a nice piece of oak, chestnut or poplar to bring home. Otherwise, visit your local sawmill and they will almost certainly have something interesting for you.

The benefit of visiting a local sawmill as opposed to buying a piece of wood from a hardware store or garden centre – apart from being able to take a walk around to see if you find something special in a dark and dusty corner that speaks to you – is that if you need the wood in a specific size, they will be happy to cut it out for you if you don’t have a large saw at home. They will also know how dry it is, and will be able to tell you when it is ready to work with. If you are lucky enough to find a bigger stump outdoors, leave it outside for a couple of months to dry a little, then bring it inside for a couple of weeks.

Even after years a piece like this will never completely dry to the core of the tree, but you will be able to work with the bark and surfaces, and this will be enough. If your stump was cut and dried at the sawmill, just bring it inside for a couple of weeks before you start work; this gives the wood time to settle.

DOORSTOP

THIS IS ONE OF MANY GOOD EXAMPLES of how the wood is its own designer. Andrea was working on a special customized piece for a chef in Paris recently. During the making process, he literally had to cut many corners off the piece of wood he was working with, and the doorstop was born. It is such a stylish yet functional, everyday piece for your household.

The doorstop has now become a new design in itself, as part of our collection. In the future we will almost certainly make them in all kinds of solid wood, but for the moment we are in love with the pale poplar together with the natural leather. I think it gives a hint of our Nordic influences.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— Electric (orbital) sander with sandpaper (#100)

— Electric (hand-held) drill with 15cm (6 inch) long, 10–20mm (¹/₃ –³/₄ inch) twist drill bit (depending on the size of your leather strap)

— Small band saw

— 1 piece of leather, approx. 1–2cm (¹/₃ –³/₄ inch) wide and 70cm (27 ¹/₂ inches) long (the length will depend on the size of your wedge)

— Clamp

You will also need:

— Pencil

— Sandpaper (#150)

WOOD

— Solid piece of poplar, olive or oak, large enough to cut a 25 × 10 × 8cm (10 × 4 × 3 inch) block. Makes two doorstops

STEP 01

Draw a 25 × 10 × 8cm (10 × 4 × 3 inches) shape on the wood with a pencil. Then, draw a line from the left top corner towards the right bottom corner of the shape. Cut out the shape with the band saw, then cut along the diagonal “slash” across the square, and you already have two wedges.

STEP 02

Sand the wedge using an electric (orbital) sander (#100) and finish with a fine sandpaper (#150) to get beautiful sharp, clean edges.

STEP 03

Place the wood in the clamp and make a hole in the shape using the long drill bit, wherever you choose. Thread the leather strap through the hole and tie in a knot so it doesn’t come loose. The doorstop will also work perfectly without the leather strap.

We don’t actually have that many doors in our house on which to use this piece. But we feel so excited about it, as it is so simple and good-looking, that we have a couple just hanging on our wall, doing their thing. They have already become a hit, both with our clients and with visitors to our home.

BEDSIDE TABLE

WORKING WITH LIVING WOOD is the biggest joy, and each new piece of wood is unique and inspires us, just as if it was the first time, every time. Turning a tree trunk into a bedside table is a perfect example. The mix of organic shapes of nature and a polished surface will give an interesting and modern feel to your home.

This size of trunk will never completely stop drying out. Even after you have finished work on the piece and are using it as a table, it will always be in some kind of drying process. Over time it will most likely pull together and create some smaller natural cracks in the trunk, and quietly become the finished piece of furniture that you dreamed of.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— Chisel

— Electric (orbital) sander with sandpaper (#100)

— Hammer (wooden mallet)

You will also need:

— Sandpaper (#150)

WOOD

— Use a cube or trunk of solid oak or olive. Visit your local sawmill and check out what is hiding in the corners. Ask them to cut it to the required length – we like our bedside table approx. 45cm (17 ³/₄ inches) high, but choose the height you prefer. The more aged (dry) the trunk is, the easier it is to sand it

STEP 01

Use a hammer and chisel to knock the bark off the trunk.

STEP 02

Use the electric (orbital) sander (#100) to sand the top and base of the trunk until smooth and soft.

STEP 03

Use a fine sandpaper (#150) to remove smaller crevices around the edge of the trunk.

Some ideas are so obvious that you almost feel embarrassed to call it an idea – yet we don’t think we could have a more complete table in our bedroom. And it can be used in many different forms – as an occasional table in other rooms of the house, and even as a seat. On an interior design project a couple of years ago, Andrea was asked to make four pieces to use around a modern round dining table in steel and marble, and these stools were created. The pieces are quite heavy and not really intended for moving back and forth, but the resulting contrast of traditional and modern was just supreme.

“IT’S SUCH A LOVELY THOUGHT THAT THE MORE YOU’LL USE YOUR FINISHED PROJECTS, THE MORE BEAUTIFUL THEY’LL GET.”

CHEESEBOARD

THIS PROJECT IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE of the simplicity and beauty of nature and what it can bring to your home: a decorative slice of tree trunk creates an ideal display board for your cheeses – or for any other foods you’d like to present at the table with style.

For this thickness of trunk, Andrea prefers to use wood that has been stored for a minimum of three years. The board will regularly be exposed to temperature changes when washing it and when it comes into contact with food, and it will expand or crack if it is not dry enough. So in this case, the drier the better.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— Small jigsaw

— Strong rope, approx. 2cm (³/₄ inch) thick

— Wood glue

— Sandpaper (#150)

— Electric (orbital) sander with sandpaper (#80 and #150)

— Small band saw

You will also need:

— Ruler

— Pencil

— Brush (for the glue)

WOOD

— Use a 5–8cm (2–3 inch) slice of a trunk of solid oak or olive, plus smaller remnants of any kind of wood for a handle. Have a look around your local sawmill – you may be lucky enough to find some end pieces of a large tree stump, or ask them to slice you a nice thick piece. If you have a band saw at home, you can slice the tree trunk yourself

STEP 01

Using the electric (orbital) sander, sand the top and bottom of the trunk until smooth and soft (#80). Then use a regular sandpaper (#150) to remove smaller crevices around the edge of the trunk.

STEP 02

If you would like to add a handle to the board, or if your piece of wood has a crack in it, draw a wedge with a ruler and pencil and cut out this piece with the jigsaw.

STEP 03

Cut a piece from your remnants to exactly the same size as the piece you just cut out – approx. 16 × 4cm (6 ¹/₄ × 1 ¹/₂ inches).

STEP 04

Fix the handle in place with glue and tie with rope until the glue is dry. Use the electric (orbital) sander (#150) to create a final smooth and soft surface between the handle and the board on both sides. It is also about contrast and personality – the edges of the display are left in their raw, natural state, but the shape and style of the handle couldn’t be more modern.

In a world in which everyone has their mind on being environmentally friendly, sustainable, and also a little back-to-basics, this rustic, almost naïve piece is like closing the circle – so gladly received into your modern home.

TOOL HOLDER

IT IS JUST AS IMPORTANT TO BE surrounded by beautiful things when you are working, as it is to have a beautiful space in which to live. Again, it’s all about being inspired and letting the creativity flow. Andrea made this first tool holder for my work desk a long time ago – I use it to store all my creative tools and it is getting more and more beautiful every day.

Andrea is incredible. He is able to see my needs before I even recognize them myself. I think I had a couple of old ceramic jars on my desk, and every day he would hear me utter a little angry grunt when I had to empty the whole thing out onto the desk to find what I was looking for. I felt just a little bit more in love with him when I came into the workshop one morning and all my pencils were stood there like little happy soldiers in my new tool holder.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— Electric (hand-held) drill with different-sized Forstner drill bits. Ideally, use a pillar drill if you have one in your workshop

— Sandpaper (#80 and #120)

— Circle template ruler

— Band saw

You will also need:

— Pencil

WOOD

— Solid piece of olive, poplar or oak, approx. 28 × 8 × 9cm (11 × 3 × 3 ¹/₂ inches). Consider the length of your drill bit when you decide on the depth of your tool holder

STEP 01

Draw an outline of the desired size of your block onto the wood in pencil. Use the circle template ruler to mark out a variety of holes of different sizes: about 3 large, 5 medium and 4 small. Leave a minimum of 5mm (¹/₄ inch) all around the edge of the holder.

STEP 02

Use a band saw to cut out the overall shape. Drill the holes into the wood using different drill bits, from 10–50mm (¹/₃ –2 inches).

STEP 03

Sand the surfaces of the tool holder until smooth and flat.

As a child I loved to spend my pocket money – not on sweets and ice cream, but in the local stationery store. And I am still a huge devotee of neon pink pencils, markers, and of course my coloured tapes. And now Gloria is following my passion too, so it won’t be long before she will need her own tool holder. This piece encapsulates everything we believe in around our work: whether you use it for stationery, in your kitchen for baking tools or smaller spoons, or in the bathroom for tweezers and make-up, this product is the ideal mix of practicality, functionality and beauty.

“WITHOUT A DOUBT, EACH FINISHED ITEM HAS ITS OWN DISTINCTIVE CHARACTER. TWO PIECES WILL NEVER BE THE SAME. AS YOU WORK WITH NATURAL WOOD LIKE WE DO, YOU NEVER GET A POLISHED, PERFECT RESULT. EVERY PIECE IS UNIQUE IN ITS OWN WAY.”

WOODEN LIDS

AS WELL AS WOOD, we have another passion – for flea markets. We love to spend our Sundays during wintertime at various markets around Tuscany. We truly get inspired, not only about antique wooden objects, but about hand-blown Murano crystal, hand-woven fabrics – and our all-time-favourite Grottaglie ceramics from the Salento peninsula in Puglia.

On one of our recent visits to the market I found these old ceramic jars. It just makes them so much more useful to upgrade them to wonderful storage jars by simply adding a wooden lid on top.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— Jigsaw

— Electric (hand-held) drill with 8mm (¹/₃ inch) twist drill bit

— Ruler

— Pencil

— Compass

— Wood glue

— Leather strap, approx. 1cm (¹/₃ inch) wide and 40cm (15 ³/₄ inches) long

— Electric (orbital) sander with sandpaper (#80, #120 and #180)

— Sandpaper (#120)

You will also need:

— Clamp

— Brush (for the glue)

WOOD

— Solid block of olive, oak, chestnut or walnut, approx. 20 × 4–5cm (7 ³/₄ × 1 ¹/₂–2 inches)

STEP 01

Measure the outer diameter of your jar and draw it directly onto the wood using a compass – the jars we use are usually handmade and are never straight, but we prefer the lid to be perfectly round, even if it means that it sticks out a little from the jar here and there.

Repeat the above, but this time measuring the inner diameter of your jar to create the part that goes inside the jar, approx. 1.5cm (¹/₂ inch) in from its outer edge.

STEP 02

Start cutting out your circles with a jigsaw, holding the wood in a large clamp. You should end up with two discs, one larger and one smaller.

STEP 03

Sand down the edges of both discs with an electric (orbital) sander. Start with #80 and go slowly up to #180 until smooth and nice to touch. Place the larger disc with its topside facing downwards on the work table and place the bottom piece exactly in the middle of the top piece. Holding them in place, use a pencil to draw a faint line around the smaller piece to mark its position. Remove it, brush some glue on both discs, then glue the two together.

“USE AND APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE. A LONG-FORGOTTEN REMNANT OF WOOD CAN BECOME YOUR MOST PRECIOUS DESIGNER PIECE.”

STEP 04

To make the leather handle, find the indent mark left by the compass in the centre of the wood and gently drill through it. We used two spare pieces of wood to lift the lid and avoid drilling into the work table. Finish by gently sanding around the hole on both sides of the lid using a regular sandpaper (#120).

STEP 05

Fold the leather strap into the hole and tie it into a knot on the underside of the lid.

Even though these were old pickle jars mainly used for storing olives, we don’t use them for food. Instead we use them to store bits and pieces for our work, and in our office space for gift ribbons and candles. I guess it’s another example of our passion for recycling wood – we love the idea of giving new life to another object. If you wish, you can leave the leather strap off your wooden lids and stack the jars on top of each other.

RECLAIMED WOOD 03

Reclaimed wood could be any kind of pre-used timber (lumber) of any size or quality. An old kitchen table turns into a chopping board or a bookshelf, a broken broom handle into a clothing rack, or even an old floor into your next dining table. Over time, Andrea has restored several seventeenth-century houses. Many solid rafters and beams have followed him back to his workshop. The old wood pieces talk to him, telling their story, the cracks and repairs representing an event in the life of an object, and this is a huge inspiration in our work every single day. This is your chance to embrace the flawed or imperfect. Using reclaimed wood means you treat the wear-and-tear, breakages and repairs as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.

It also means that nothing goes to waste; the wood is simply given a new life in a different form. Look at anything you are discarding with new eyes – how could it be recycled and re-used to create another beautiful feature in your home? And if you are not discarding anything, or don’t have a renovation project on the go, visit your local salvage yard (junkyard) – they will have old planks, beams, rafters or floorboards that would be ideal. Wash the wood pieces thoroughly with disinfectant; avoid using sandpaper if possible, so as not to lose the original patina. If the wood has some rough edges or parts, the best way to retain the look is to use a softer steel brush to smooth these out.

MAGNETIC KNIFE HOLDER

HAVING FULLY RENOVATED and refurbished our old 1678 town house, it has almost become a work of art in itself, and so we are trying to limit our décor as a result. However, we are huge collectors, which does not go particularly well with minimalism!

Our home contains many Danish classics, oriental rugs, modern art and our own design as our dining table. Andrea has always collected beautiful handmade knives, and has created this simple, essential piece to both hold and display his collection.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— Wood glue–

— Brush (for the glue)

— Electric (hand-held) drill with 5mm (¹/₄ inch) twist drill bit and 5mm (¹/₄ inch) plug cutter (for the plugs)

— Coloured tape

— Circular template ruler

— Circular saw

You will also need:

— 50 × 5mm (¹/₄ inch) magnets

— Pencil

— Sandpaper (#180)

WOOD

— An old plank of chestnut, oak or olive

STEP 01

Draw the shape of your knife holder on the plank in pencil, approx. 55 × 6 × 2cm (21 ¹/₂ × 2 ¹/₂ × ³/₄ inch) and cut the shape from your plank. We used a circular saw, but really any saw will do the job.

STEP 02

Measure and mark the placement of the holes, one hole every 5cm (2 inches). Drill out the holes with the 5mm (¹/₄ inch) drill bit. Try and get as close to the front surface (about 2mm/¹/₁₂ inch away) as possible or the magnets will lose their power. You can add a piece of coloured tape to your drill bit, to guide you as to how deep you should drill.

STEP 03

Place the magnets in the holes. Pile them on top of one another to create the required length.

STEP 04

Turn the wood on its back, and drill one 5mm (¹/₄ inch) hole in each end for hanging, about 2cm (³/₄ inch) from the edge. Take a separate piece of wood and drill out two 5mm (¹/₄ inch) wooden plugs using a plug cutter (see Hiding Screws). Use screws to attach your knife holder to the wall, making sure they are drilled into the wood piece, leaving approx. 5mm (¹/₄ inch) for the plugs, which you can fix with a drop of glue if necessary. Sand the top of the plugs gently by hand until flush with the surface.

You will need to choose whether you use a newer plank or a more rustic piece; whatever you decide, try to keep the project simple and clean. The beauty of this idea is that it highlights the knives, rather than focusing the eye on to the wood. You could use a completely different wood type for the wooden plugs – for example, mix oak and chestnut – or use the same wood type but with a different patina.

CHOPPING BOARD

ANDREA NEVER CONSCIOUSLY DECIDES how a chopping board should look: the silhouette, the width, the definition, the grain and the shape of the wood all dictate to some extent what the final outcome will be. He likes the idea that what he creates is something you need and will use in your daily life, and that the piece will only become more beautiful the more you use it.

The hand-carved butterfly is created using an old carpentry technique, to give strength around a crack in the wood, and just makes your board even more personal and unique. The shape of the butterfly is important; it should not be too narrow in the centre, while the larger “wings” help to make sure the crack doesn’t expand further.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— Awl

— Wood glue

— Brush (for the glue)

— Chisel

— Electric (orbital) sander with sandpaper (#120 and #150)

— Hammer (wooden mallet or claw hammer)

— Hand saw (or jigsaw)

You will also need:

— Sandpaper (#80)

— Pencil

— Ruler

WOOD

— Recycle an old door or table top made from oak, beech, walnut or olive

STEP 01

Choose a piece of wood that is roughly the right shape for your chopping board, approx. 44 × 30cm (17 ¹/₃ × 11 ³/₄ inches). Choose another smaller piece, approx. 24 × 8cm (9 ¹/₂ × 3 ¹/₄ inches), which will become the handle of your chopping board. Look at the wood and the grain and let it lead you (the grain should always be horizontal). Use a pencil and mark the outline of the board.

STEP 02

Cut out the board using a hand saw or jigsaw. Then place the handle on top of the board, allowing it to stick out about halfway, and draw around it. Use the saw to cut the shape out.

STEP 03

Sand the board using an electric (orbital) sander. Only use #120 around the edges where you used the saw. Use #150 to gently remove any rough marks from the surface, to ensure that you do not remove all the lovely patina from your reclaimed wood.

“WE ENJOY EXPLORING DIFFERENT STYLES – HAVING AN OPEN MIND MEANS THAT WE’LL END UP WITH DESIGNS THAT ARE INNOVATIVE AND INTERESTING, YET STILL CLASSIC ENOUGH TO – HOPEFULLY – STAND THE TEST OF TIME.”

STEP 04

Glue your handle in place by evenly brushing some glue on all three sides of both handle and board. Allow it to dry fully.

STEP 05

If your board has a crack in the surface, you can add a wooden butterfly to reinforce the board. Draw a butterfly shape on a 1cm (¹/₃ inch) thick piece of wood, cut it out with a jigsaw and clean it up with a piece of sandpaper (#80). Place it across the crack and draw the shape on your board with a pencil, so the butterfly’s wings are connected on each side of the crack.

Carefully carve the shape out with a hammer and chisel, or using an awl, checking regularly that the butterfly fits in the shape you are creating. Carve on the inside of the pencil line, to avoid the hole getting too big for your butterfly. Clean the hole with sandpaper before you glue the butterfly into place.

Over the years we are becoming braver in our work and designs. Now we simply incorporate the natural cracks in the wood, and unless Andrea really has a feeling that a crack could create a possible weakness in the piece, we do everything we can to highlight these flaws. This piece is very dear to us as the whole idea emphasizes what we truly believe in: that any piece of wood is beautiful; that a crack is a gift rather than a reason to deny the creation of something new.

FLOOR CONSTRUCTION

EVERYONE KNOWS THAT it is almost impossible to follow up on a missing piece of floor, pretending the design was born like that. Once it was all about camouflaging the change from one type of floor to another. Now it is all about doing the opposite: seeking out the differences; highlighting them rather than trying to hide them; making a virtue of the contrasts. So instead of trying to find the same materials, search for the woods, colours and patinas that inspire you most in your current project.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— Wood glue

— Ruler

— Soft wire brush

— Utility knife

— Pencil — Cardboard (for template)

— Linear triangle

— Circular saw

WOOD

— Recycled floorboards of oak, chestnut, any kind of wood. Visit your local salvage yard (junkyard) and search for the ideal old floorboards

STEP 01

Measure out the piece of floor you need to customize and use the utility knife to cut out a template in cardboard. Place the boards on top of your template: now you can play and make any design you want. Make sure the boards are all the same height. We have made an extended version of the herringbone parquet, but anything is possible. Cut out the shapes as per the template, using a circular saw.

Herringbone floors are typically installed piece by piece in various constructions, either parallel to the wall or diagonally, as our design. Diagonal installation visually expands the space, but requires more material.

STEP 02

Clean the boards with a soft wire brush. You don’t want to use sandpaper and remove the patina.

STEP 03

Glue the pieces into place. Living in a medieval village, antique tiles are a big part of our everyday life. So it was kind of exotic when we decided to have a solid oak floor in our bedroom.

We like to say that it was the first wooden floor of the village – and we recognize that it has started a kind of new fashion among our neighbours.

Really, there are no limits to what you can do if you embrace the flaws in wood and use them in your creation – it’s all about appreciating the difference; you can even play around with laying the grains in different directions. Now, a small renovation of your own floor can end up as a piece of art. What a joy!

BENCH

THE BEAUTIFUL OLD OAK and chestnut rafters and beams that we use are some of the original beauties that are always being replaced in the houses in our village. Andrea used to bring them home with him after finishing a job, passing other houses under construction which offered yet another opportunity to add to his collection. Every piece he finds is always outstanding in its own way: a piece of art and with so many stories to tell. This doesn’t mean that each one is turned into something extraordinary right away. It is most likely that after a long life in an old house, the rafters are going to spend an even longer vacation in our workshop before Andrea sees the light.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— 4 × 3cm (1 ¹/₄ inch) long screws

— Electric (hand-held) drill with 5mm (¹/₄ inch) twist drill bit, 33mm (1 ¹/₄ inch) drill cup (for the legs) and 5mm (¹/₄ inch) plug cutter (for the plugs)

— Machete

— Sandpaper (#180)

— Electric (orbital) sander with sandpaper (#120 and #180)

— Circular saw

— Wood glue

— Clamp

You will also need:

— Linear triangle

— Chisel

WOOD

— Old beam from a door or window for the seat, and an old broom handle or more beams, to use as legs

STEP 01

Choose a suitable beam and cut it to the correct length. Ours is approx. 94 × 21 × 6.5cm (37 × 8 ¹/₄ × 2 ¹/₂ inches). Find four legs – do you prefer clean and round, or square and rustic? Possibly use an old broom handle, or if you have some unused beams in chestnut or oak from an old ceiling, they can be used too.

Cut the wood to the desired size for the legs. If the legs are fairly rustic, prepare them with the machete. Use a trunk as your work table or put the leg in the clamp, always scraping away from your body. Finish with the electric (orbital) sander, using #120, and for a final touch #180. The legs don’t have to be 100 per cent straight and perfect. If they are “living” a little bit it just gives more character to your bench.

STEP 02

Drill four holes for the legs, 18cm (7 inches) in from each end of the bench and 4cm (1 ¹/₂ inches) in from the front and back sides. Use a special 33cm (11/4 inch) drill cup to help you achieve the correct inclination for the four legs. Put the legs in place.

STEP 03

Drill four small holes on the outside of each side of the bench – this is where you’ll secure each leg with a screw. Make sure the holes are deeper than the screws to allow enough space for the wooden plugs to hide the screws. Fix the four screws in place.

STEP 04

To create your wooden plugs, use a 5mm (¹/₄ inch) plug cutter to ensure they are the same size as the holes, then tap them into the holes to hide the screws (see Hiding Screws). Chisel away any excess wood, then sand the top of the plug gently by hand until it is flush with the surface of the sides of your seat. Alternatively, you can buy these plugs ready-made from any hardware store.

STEP 05

Finish by sanding the four legs with a piece of fine sandpaper (#180) until smooth.

It almost feels like a crime, cutting into a 200-year-old oak or chestnut rafter. Yet this is such a simple idea: just add four legs to an old rafter or beam and you have a perfect, unique bench. Be guided by the wood you are working with; let it decide the length and width of your bench. It is such a beautiful piece that you will always find the right spot for it.

“ANDREA’S REAL PASSION FOR WOOD STARTED WHEN HE WAS A LITTLE BOY, HELPING HIS DAD, WHO WAS AN ELECTRICIAN. HE FELL IN LOVE WITH THE OLD HOUSES. HOW THEY WERE CONSTRUCTED, ALL THE LITTLE QUIRKS THAT WERE MADE – OR REPAIRED – OVER THE YEARS.”

TABLE

ANDREA LOVES OLD TRADITIONS and old craftsmanship. He is also fascinated by the craft of old techniques such as the half lap and cross lap joints, both of which are used for our dining table constructions. And perhaps this is exactly what people love about his work: being able to see how the notches fit together like a puzzle piece, joining the rafters.

It is a craft that looks so easy, but requires a great level of precision – and a little bit of passion as well. The table is created using ancient wall boards for the top, while the legs are original old Tuscan oak rafters from a church. To reinforce the construction, and to ensure the table is stable, we use two flat iron strips from an old door.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— Soft wire brush

— Wood glue — Electric drill with 7mm (¹/₄ inch) drill bit

— Chisel

— 6 × 9cm (3 ¹/₂ inch) hex head wood screws

— 2 pieces of 80–100cm (31 ¹/₂–39 ¹/₂ inch) flat iron (strips from an old door, for instance) and 4 × 3cm (1 ¹/₄ inch) wood screws to attach these

— Electric (orbital) sander with sandpaper (#120 and #180)

— Circular saw

— Hammer

You will also need:

— 610mm hand saw

— Linear triangle

— Soap flakes

WOOD

— The tabletop can be made from anything appropriate: an old door or old floor. We used old masonry boards for the top, and for the legs we used old chestnut rafters

STEP 01

Sandpaper the planks all over, to clean and smooth them so they can lay as close to each other as possible without bigger cracks or fluctuations in form. Place the planks on a work table and glue them together. This will give you the width and length of your table – approx. 240 × 85cm (94 ¹/₂ × 33 ¹/₂ inches).

STEP 02

You can now start on the table legs. You will need to create two constructions – one for each leg. Our leg constructions are 70cm (27 ¹/₂ inches) in height, but it’s really a matter of how tall you want your table. We call the constructions ‘A’ shapes, with two vertical legs joined by two horizontal rafters – one at the top measuring 68cm (26 ³/₄ inches) and one 11cm (4 ¹/₃ inches) from the floor measuring 64cm (25 ¹/₄ inches). Use a circular saw to cut the rafters to the correct length (alternatively, you can ask your local sawmill to do it).

Use a linear triangle and pencil to draw up where the rafters need to connect to the tabletop. To produce a perfect half-lap joint, use a hand saw for the vertical cuts, then use a hammer and chisel to knock the half pieces out (the horizontal cuts). Join all the pieces with glue and a screw, which you can hide with a little piece of wood.

STEP 03

Measure and mark the centre of the bottom horizontal rafters of your constructions. Each piece of iron should start from there and go up at a 35-degree angle under the tabletop, one in each end of the table, to brace the table. Carefully transfer the tabletop on top of the two leg constructions to mark the positions where the two irons meet the table. Make sure you get a helping hand with this step.

STEP 04

Now put your tabletop back on the work table with the surface down, and fix all the elements into position. Drill three holes through both ends of the construction and into the underside of the tabletop. Connect the constructions with the tabletop using six hex head wood screws, three on each side. Finish your construction by attaching the two iron strips using a smaller wood screw for each end.

STEP 05

Turn the table over and soak the top with soap flakes to protect it.

Our dining table is the centrepiece of our home. This is where everything happens. From planning our wedding, eating dinner with friends, discussing world peace, to bringing up Gloria. We love to have guests for dinner. And even the simplest of meals can give prominence to a table like this. This is one of the more complicated pieces of furniture to make, but we just didn’t think it would be right to omit such an important design.

This table has led us to so many challenges and exciting offers in our work life, and we hope it will inspire you too, in so many different and unexpected ways.

“OLD WALL BOARDS BECOME A TABLE, ORIGINAL TUSCAN OAK RAFTERS FROM A CHURCH TURN INTO TABLE LEGS... ANDREA CREATES ALL OF HIS DESIGNS FROM WHAT NATURE PROVIDES.”

FINE WOOD 04

In this section we are referring to smaller pieces, you could almost call them remnants, which are crying out to be re-used. We seriously believe that when you work with wood you should never throw anything away – every offcut or remnant from Andrea’s work grows into something new, lending itself to a smaller, more delicate project, such as the Weathervane or Stirrer – the ideas almost create themselves. The Laundry Basket project arose when Andrea had some wooden pieces left over from working on an earlier project making some picture frames. I wanted some kind of construction for my vintage hemp (burlap) sack and he just pulled out these beautiful oak mouldings standing in a corner – and the idea was born.

Of course you should always be aware of the quality of your remnants; it is a waste of time to work on a stirrer for hours and then have it break because of a weakness in your fine wood piece. Do remember that there was often a reason why you decided to cut this piece off in the first place, so please always check your leftovers before you start work on your project.

MINI CONSTRUCTIONS

ANDREA AND HIS FATHER, Leandro, have always loved to make mini architectural models of furniture, houses and small projects. Leandro is a perfectionist and wonderful at constructing the intricate designs.

When working with wood, always set aside a little corner in which to keep all your wooden remnants. Someday – in a different light – a piece will catch your eye and you will know exactly how to turn it into a new and interesting project to decorate your desk. An extension to the mini houses might be pieces of mini furniture – use your imagination and take your ideas a step further. I am sure that some of the furniture could even end up in your child’s doll’s house.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— Electric drill with small drill bits

— Leather cord

— Sandpaper (#120 and #150)

— Glue

— Metal wire

— Hand saw

You will also need:

— Pencil

WOOD

— Any kind (don’t ever throw any offcuts away!)

STEP 01

Draw your ideas – a house, piece of furniture, etc. – onto your chosen piece of wood. Cut out the shapes with a saw.

STEP 02

Once you have the desired shapes, use a fine sandpaper, starting with #120 and finishing with #150, and keep sanding away until the wood feels completely smooth.

STEP 03

Lay all the elements out and drill small holes, if needed, ready for gluing. The procedure is almost the same as for the larger versions. Glue in any legs, handles, and so on, for each project.

Our mini constructions bring a necessary and vital energy to our work life. We have a lot of fun creating the pieces, and they are also an inspiration once they are made – they stand around our work tables, and just the sight of them can inspire us to create something new. As a result, they are now an important part of the workshop; they have a place in our history, and they contribute to the designs of the future. They are extraordinary and made with passion – and they never fail to put a smile on people’s faces.

“WE BOTH ENJOY THE THOUGHT OF NOT WASTING ANY PIECE – EVERY OFFCUT OR REMNANT FROM ANDREA’S WORK GROWS INTO SOMETHING NEW.”

SKEWER HANDLE

WE ALWAYS ENJOY OUR SUMMERS in Denmark, in our little wooden house and our lovely garden where Gloria runs around from early morning till evening. The best dinners are when Andrea has prepared a lovely fire and we cook on skewers made from an old umbrella and some homemade wooden handles.

We don’t suggest you use your old umbrella, but buy some simple skewers in stainless steel, then take a walk around your workshop to find a little piece of wood that inspires you and will turn into the handle of your personal skewer.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— Electric (hand-held) drill with 3mm (¹/₁₀ inch) twist drill bit

— Stainless steel skewers

— Sandpaper (#80 and #150)

— Wood glue

— Small wooden planer

— Band saw (or hand saw)

You will also need:

— Clamp

— Pencil

WOOD

— Smaller pieces of olive or oak

STEP 01

Choose a piece of wood from your collection of remnants and mark out your design with a pencil. Our handles are 9 × 2 × 2.5cm (3 ¹/₂ × ³/₄ × 1 inch), and Andrea cuts them 5mm (¹/₄ inch) narrower at the end of the spears. Cut out your design using the band saw.

To make for a more interesting design, we have used two types of wood for the handle, olive and oak, and glued them together.

STEP 02

Place your handle in a clamp and, turning it four times, use a planer to roughly round the edges off before rounding it off more evenly with sandpaper (#80 and #150). Sand the shape until smooth and drill a hole with the 3mm (¹/₁₀ inch) drill bit into one end of the handle, around 3–4cm (1 ¹/₄–1 ¹/₂ inches) inside the handle.

STEP 03

Attach the handle to the skewer – push the skewer into the handle through the hole.

Our advice to you is to find skewers that are a minimum of 40–50cm (15 ³/₄ × 19 ¹/₂ inches) in length. If you want to cook on an open fire, it is also a good idea to soak the wooden handles in water before use, to ensure that they do not catch fire.

“LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE, IF YOU WORK – OR COOK – WITH YOUR HEART, THE RESULTS WILL BE APPRECIATED.”

STIRRER

THE IDEA FOR OUR SPOON came to us many years ago, and the stirrer was created for this book, as a little sister to the spoon.

At the start of our business, Andrea would only use the core of each piece of olive wood to make his chopping boards. This was before we discovered that broken is beautiful. It just broke my heart to heat up the fireplace in our little stone house and burn all that extraordinary leftover wood. Many offcuts were long, thin sticks, and they just called out for a purpose. Today, the stirrer is one of my favourite pieces. It is just so easy to use, and I love the simplicity of the flat head and design.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— Jigsaw

— Oil-based paint

— Wood files – both rough and fine

— Electric (orbital) sander with sandpaper (#120)

— Clips

— Sandpaper (#150)

You will also need:

— Pencil

WOOD

— Small, thin pieces of beech, ash, olive, maple, oak, walnut, to a maximum of 1.5cm (¹/₂ inch) thick

STEP 01

Use an electric (orbital) sander (#120) to smooth the surface of your chosen wood. Design your stirrer’s shape with a pencil. Look at the wood and the grain and let it lead you – the grain should always be horizontal.

STEP 02

Starting at the top of the head, use the jigsaw to cut around each side until you reach the handle. Turn the stirrer upside down and cut out each side of the handle until the excess pieces fall off.

STEP 03

Use a rough hand file to shape the handle and also the head of the stirrer – about one-third of the head should be filed thinly.

STEP 04

Use the finer hand file for the final shape and finish. As the head is quite straight and flat, the main work is in sanding the handle; it is all about the feeling of the stirrer in your hand. Finish with a piece of sandpaper (#150).

STEP 05

Dip the handle in paint and clip it on a line to dry completely. We used linseed oil-based paint as it’s free of chemicals.

The idea of the stirrers is so elementary. The unique thing about them is that each piece always ends up with its own personality and character – you almost feel like playing with them as puppets. If you are feeling a little bit more adventurous, you can choose to drill a hole in the centre of your stirrer and finish it with a piece of fine sandpaper to create another perfect kitchen utensil for your collection.

“CHERISH AND USE WHAT YOU HAVE. AN OLD FORGOTTEN REMNANT OF WOOD CAN BECOME YOUR MOST PRECIOUS, PERSONAL DESIGNER PIECE.”

LAUNDRY BASKET

WE HAVE A HUGE WEAKNESS FOR ANTIQUE handwoven linens and hemp (burlap) fabrics, and we love to pick these up on our many trips to flea markets. With the help of Andrea, I have finally discovered a purpose for my many buys: I asked him to construct something simple to hold individual pieces from my fabric collection, to give them a life and a use, and he created this wooden structure on which to mount a sack in which to store the laundry or other items.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— Fine 240mm (9 ¹/₂ inch) Japanese saw

— Linear triangle

— Wood glue

— Chisel

— Drill with 8mm (¹/₃ inch) bit

— 8 × 30cm (12 inch) long leather straps

— 8 × brass studs with holes

— Hammer

— Mitre box

— Canvas sack (linen or hemp/burlap)

— Clamp

You will also need:

— Sandpaper (#150)

— Pencil

— Compass

— Calipers

WOOD

— 16 × 3cm (1 ¹/₄ inch) wide strips of oak wood

STEP 01

Track down a suitable sack from a local flea market. Measure the depth, width and height of the sack to find the right size for your wooden construction.

STEP 02

Cut out the correct length of the wooden bars, depending on the size of your chosen sack – ours measure 4 × 70cm (27 ¹/₂ inches), 4 × 40cm (15 ³/₄ inches), 4 × 45cm (17 ³/₄ inches) and 4 × 78cm (30 ³/₄ inches). Using a pencil and a ruler, measure and mark out where you need to locate the mortise and tenon joints. Use a fine Japanese saw and a mitre box to create straight angles and lines, and to create the three-piece corners (follow Andrea’s Technique, for instructions) and the diagonal pieces.

STEP 03

Finish, using the hammer and chisel on each part to create neat corners.

“WE ENJOY CONTRASTING OLD WITH NEW, SIMPLE AND LUXURIOUS, TRADITIONAL WITH MODERN. WE FEEL THAT BLENDING OPPOSITES GIVES EVERYONE SOMETHING THEY CAN RELATE TO, REGARDLESS OF THEIR PERSONAL TASTE.”

STEP 04

Connect the three pieces according to Andrea’s Technique, - they should all fit perfectly. Use the wood glue to attach the four diagonal cross-strips.

STEP 05

Use eight round brass studs with holes and eight leather straps, two on each side of the sack, to attach the sack to the construction.

I know the construction looks simple, but actually it is a little tricky. We have looked through so many books and websites to try to understand what this technique is called, to explain in an easy and accessible way how to work this assembly of three components. I guess we have discovered that it has no name, which is why we called it “Andrea’s Technique”.

“ANDREA IS THE CRAFTSMAN AND I AM THE NORDIC INFLUENCE. ALL OUR DESIGNS ARE A BLEND OF OLD-FASHIONED TRADITIONS AND MODERN CONTEMPORARY FUNCTIONALITY.”

WEATHERVANE

THIS PROJECT IS AN AIRPLANE-STYLE weathervane of recycled wood, with a large propeller that rotates by wind direction (it works, honestly). We have a similar old weathervane on a little low roof of a covered outdoor area. Gloria’s nonno Leandro made it many years ago, inspired by something he remembered from his childhood. It always tells us which way the wind blows and, more importantly, from which direction it comes.

TOOLS & MATERIALS

— 2 × 4mm × 4cm (¹/₈ × 1 ¹/₂ inch) screws

— Chisel

— Electric (hand-held) drill with 4mm (¹/₈ inch) drill bit

— Wood file

— Electric (orbital) sander with sandpaper (or sandpaper by hand) (#80 and #150)

— 4 × 4mm (¹/₈ inch) rings

— Handsaw

You will also need:

— Jigsaw

— Wood planer

— Clamp

— Hammer

— Screwdriver

— Pencil

— Ruler

WOOD

— Any kind of hard wood like olive, oak or larch. Andrea used an old pallet

— Round wooden stick

STEP 01

Draw your design on the wood – the plane is approx. 30 × 10cm (12 × 4 inches); the propeller is approx. 35 × 6cm (13 ³/₄ × 2 ¹/₂ inches). Cut out the design with a jigsaw.

STEP 02

Put the propeller in the clamp and use the hammer and chisel to cut out the square shape in the centre of the propeller. Use the wood planer to plane down one-third on each side, opposite each wing. This is to make the propeller fly with the wind! Plane down the tail of the plane by one-quarter on each side.

STEP 03

Sand all surfaces and edges until rounded and smooth using #80 first and finishing with #150. Drill a small hole through the middle of the propeller and the nose of the plane.

STEP 04

Attach the propeller to the front of the plane with the screw. Use a piece of wood to find the balance of the piece before drilling a hole in the middle of the underside of the plane. Attach it to a small rod and it is flying.

Sometimes it’s just the smaller things that make a difference. When there is no wind, Gloria can spend so much time just inspecting and studying our weathervane. It is placed on a low roof next to a smaller climbing frame. Gloria can almost reach the weathervane and loves to blow on the propellers until they start twirling around. Surely it will be an incredible day when she is big enough to help her dad to create her own pieces and use them as gifts. I wonder how many of her friends from school will receive one of these for their birthday?

“ALL OF OUR DESIGNS COME FROM OUR HEARTS AND HAVE A STORY. THIS IS PERHAPS A PART OF OUR SUCCESS.”

CHAPTER THREE

RESOURCES

SUPPLIERS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

TOOLS

Axminster Tools and Machinery

Stores nationwide

www.axminster.co.uk

Wood Green Timber

289–295 High Rd

London, N22 8HU

www.woodgreentimber.com

Classic Hand Tools Ltd

Unit B

Hill Farm Business Park

Witnesham,

Ipswich, IP6 9EW

www.classichandtools.com

RECLAIMED WOOD

The British Wood Flooring Company

Daleside, Woodcock Bottom

Grayshott, GU26 6NA

www.britishwoodflooring.co.uk

The Woodstore Brighton

Lewes Rd

Brighton, BN2 4GL

www.woodrecycling.org.uk

SAWMILL

KJF Tree Services

10 Millmark Grove

London, SE14 6RQ

Scawton Sawmill LTD

The Sawmill

Scawton, Thirsk

North Yorkshire

www.scawtonsawmill.co.uk

FLEA MARKETS

Camden Passage

London, N1 8EA

Lewes Flea Market

14a Market Street

Lewes, BN7 2NB

www.flea-markets.co.uk

Newark International Antique and Collectors Fair

Coddington

Newark, NG24 2NY

LEATHER

Walter Reginald Group Ltd

Unit 6

100 The Highway

St Katharine’s & Wapping

London, E1W 2BX

www.walterreginald.co.uk

SUPPLIERS IN NORTH AMERICA

TOOLS

Garrett Wade

5389 E Provident Drive,

Cincinatti

OH 45246 USA

www.garrettwade.com

Tools for Working Wood

112 26th Street

Brooklyn, NY 11232

USA

www.toolsforworkingwood.com

RECLAIMED WOOD

Brooklyn Reclaimed

1301 Metropolitan Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11237

USA

www.brooklynreclaimed.com

Reclaimed Wood Crafts LLC

23521 Ridge Rte Dr c

Laguna Hills

CA 92653

USA

www.reclaimedwoodcrafts.com

SAWMILL

Walker’s Sawmill

11 Hilton Road

Hopewell Junction

NY 12533

USA

www.walkerssawmill.com

Chisholm Lumber

3685 Shannonville Road

Roslin, Ontario, K0K 2Y0

Canada

www.chisholmlumber.com

FLEA MARKETS

Shipshewana Auction & Flea Market

345 S. Van Buren St.

Shipshewana

Indiana 46565 USA

Alameda Point Antiques Faire

Runway 7/25 Alameda Point

GPS: 2900 Navy Way

Alameda, California 94501

USA

LEATHER

Leather Impact

525 Seventh Avenue

Floor 10, Suite 1012

NYC 10018

USA

www.leatherimpact.com

SUPPLIERS IN EUROPE

TOOLS

Dieter Schmid’s Fine Tools

Wilhelm-von-Siemens-Str. 23

House C, 2nd floor

12277 Berlin Germany

www.fine-tools.com

Bernacchi Emporio di Lembetti Anna E C.sas

2, Via Enrico Fermi –

58014 Montemerano (GR)

Italy

RECLAIMED WOOD

Genbyg.dk A/S

Amager Landevej 185

2770 Kastrup Denmark

www.genbyg.dk

Bois Antique

Parc de l’Alliance

Boulevard de France Nr. 9A

1420 Braine l’Alleud Belgium

www.boisantique.eu/en/

SAWMILL

Bargagli Giuliano

Via Del Camparello

58054 Scansano (Gr)

Toscana Italy

www.legno.cc

Skovsav

Teglværksvej 5

4420 Regstrup Denmark

www.skovsav.dk

Hvalsø Savværk A/S

Bentsensvej 4

DK-4330 Hvalsø Denmark

www.sawmill.dk

FLEA MARKETS

Jeu de balle market

Place du Jeu de Balle

1000 Bruxelles

Belgium

Antique Fair Arezzo

Piazza Amintore Fanfani

1, 52100 Arezzo AR

Italy

Lucca Antiques Market

Centro storico

55100 Lucca (LU)

Italy

LEATHER

Skindhuset A/S

Skindergade 6

1159 København K

Denmark

www.skindhuset.dk

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CHRISTINE AND DITTE we thank you with endless gratitude. You have been with us from the very beginning and we are so honoured and grateful that you have become part of our first book, too. Christine – this book would not exist without you. Thank you for all your inspiration, attention to detail, stubbornness and love. Ditte, your pictures still blow us away. The two of you are, and always will be, our dream team.

CHRISTIAN VANG AND WERKSTETTE.DK thank you for the amazing retouching work and for all your support.

LICIA AND LEANDRO BRUGI thank you for taking care of Gloria while we were working on this book. Licia, thank you for all the amazing food you cooked and served during the photoshoots. This journey would never have been possible without your support and love. We love you.

ALMUDENA GOTOR (Instagram: almudena_gotor) AND JANAKI LARSEN (www.atelierstgeorge.com/collections/ceramique) thank you both for your beautiful ceramics.

CHRISTINE RUDOLPH (www.christinerudolph.com) thank you for your beautiful handcrafted brass hangers.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU FOR ALL THE EXQUISITE LOCATIONS:

CHRISTINE RUDOLPH (www.christinerudolph.com) and her beautiful house in Montemerano

GIULIANO BARGAGLI and his sawmill in Scansano Via Del Camparello, 58054 Scansano (Gr), Toscana

SATURNIA TRAVERTINI ITALIA SRL (www.saturniatravertini.com) Loc. Pianetti di Montemerano, 58014 Manciano (Gr) T + 39 0564 1836712

Design and layout copyright © 2018 Quarto Publishing Group plc

Text copyright © Samina Langholz and Andrea Brugi

Photography copyright © Ditte Isager

First published in 2018 by Jacqui Small

an imprint of The Quarto Group.

The Old Brewery, 6 Blundell Street

London N7 9BH, United Kingdom.

T (0)20 7700 6700 F (0)20 7700 8066

www.QuartoKnows.com

The authors’ moral rights have been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Publisher: Jacqui Small

Senior Commissioning Editor: Eszter Karpati

Managing Editor: Emma Heyworth-Dunn

Design: EverythingInBetween

Styling and Art Direction: Christine Rudolph

Editor: Rachel Malig

Production: Maeve Healy

Digital edition: 978-1-91112-782-6
Hardcover edition: 978-1-91112-737-6

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.