TOM WALSER – THE MAN WHO DANCES WITH WOOD

It’s one of those glorious days. The crystal-green hue of Lake Walenstadt reflects itself on the mountain ridges as we reach the Swiss municipality of Oberterzen in St. Gallen. An old VW beetle is standing in front of the building and a man whose eyes are sparkling with enthusiasm greets us. That’s what true passion looks like.

Cristallino Tisch. Tischplatte Eiche geschruppt, gebürstet und Natur geölt.

So who is Tom Walser?

My father already made me wooden toy blocks as a child. I was fascinated with the surfaces and the edges, all the way to the finest detail, and with it you had your own tangible end product. It’s what got me into carpentry, fortunately first in the family business. Later in a company that was the complete opposite, mass producing chipboard panels for kitchens. Then came the Swiss Army and the rebel in me came out. I didn’t fit in at all but it gave me time to think about the kind of life I wanted to look back on. Becoming self-employed like this isn’t the norm at the age of twenty… Once I had set my mind to it – even if the hardest thing was telling my parents I no longer wanted to be an employee – I knew that turning my own idea of furniture into reality was all I needed in life to be happy. My parents reacted surprisingly supportively.

How did the first steps go?

I set out with 2000 Swiss Francs, drove a rusty Peugeot 306, a friend compiled professional photos for me and in return I built him a photo studio from wood. My old internship company also sent a few projects my way. I exhibited my work at trade fairs. As the youngest everywhere I had to build up credibility fast. In the quest to produce something beautiful, my biggest strengths are my authenticity and honesty.

And what about talent?

I’m fortunate to have a feel for wood.

Does one learn to ‘read’ wood just like a climber would his route?

Absolutely. I see wood differently to others, where they see flaws like knotholes for example; I see life, potential, diversity which my creativity brings to light. I’m even there when the trees are felled.

So you already make preliminary decisions then?

It’s when you slice open a tree that the possibilities reveal themselves. The pièce de résistance of carpentry has to be the dining room table – its dimensions are a manifestation of the entire tree!

But you also deploy other materials…

I don’t like how others often build everything from wood. Wood should be deployed as an embellishing element. In combination with steel and glass wonderful contrasts ensue. In the final analysis, it’s what makes the design timeless, and that is the path that I’m following.

What are people who come to you looking for?

Firstly, something special, they want to treat themselves to something beautiful. They’re also looking for the history behind an item of furniture and the regional wood forms part of that. They’ll come to see me and they get to touch the materials. Like that I get to know them, we’ll talk about everything under the sun, and then I’ll know exactly what piece of furniture will be the perfect fit for them. Invariably their delight on delivery of the item is enormous.

Is there a dark side to living one’s dream?

In some instance I had to take huge risks. Sacrifices form part of a path like this. I can get by with very little and still be happy. Money isn’t what drives me. Being able to express myself is far more important to me. I always tell myself, without me that table wouldn’t exist. It’s important to me to create something tangible, something I can look back on one day.

Salontisch: Suppressible. Kombination von Aluminium, Olivenholz und Glas.

WALSERMOEBEL.CH

8884 Oberterzen | Switzerland

Interview/Words: Daniel Chardon

Leuchte Fiore

Altholz Balkenbett aus 400 Jahre alte Fichtenholz: Rifiuti di legno. Steckverbindungen halten das Bett zusammen, ein Blickfang sind die Holznägel.