In the 25 years or so that I have been designing and building furniture, I have had lots of time to think about the reasons that I have for being a furniture maker, and the reasons that someone else might have for wanting to purchase my work. There is a great deal of furniture available on the market; certainly there is no shortage of items for sale elsewhere. However, I have concluded that I offer the public a design style that it will not find elsewhere, and traditional craftsmanship that is becoming increasingly rare.
In the modern consumer world of furniture which is cheaply made, low quality, mass produced, and imported from factories overseas; I believe that furniture that is made of real materials by a real person can be a breath of fresh air.
As I have focused more and more on the difference between my furniture and the furniture typically available in a retail store, I have increased my commitment to offering something that is a better and a more honest product.
If a piece of my furniture is dark or light in color, it is because of the species of wood that it was made from, not because of a stain or dye which was applied to artificially color the wood. I believe in allowing nature to provide the raw materials and I believe that my job is to select them appropriately and decide how best to shape and join them to form them into desirable furniture. I think that if I do my job well, the wood’s natural beauty is enhanced by my designs; and my designs are enhanced by the wood’s natural beauty. Consequently, my furniture style tends toward pure shapes rather than busy ornate surfaces and I favor the use of clear hand rubbed finishes that allow the color and texture of the wood grain to show through in sharp focus. I try to design strong graceful shapes that quietly please the eye and capture the imagination; shapes that subtly intrigue rather than melodramatically cry out for attention.
I also feel that furniture that is truly worth owning should be built to stand the test of time. My furniture is not quickly put together using nails, metal braces, and glue blocks. Nor is it made from pine, other soft woods, or manmade materials. I always select high grade furniture hardwoods and joinery and construction techniques which will allow my pieces to become heirlooms someday. I spend a great deal of time on each piece that I make, but I believe that in the long run it is well worth the effort and attention to detail that it receives. Any piece of my furniture represents many hours of hand work, but it is built to quality standards that are rarely seen in today’s market of mass produced, imported furniture.
I hope and I believe that I offer my customers a product whose artistic design and high quality workmanship makes my furniture truly worth its price.
~Martin Thaller
#ArtDeco #FineFurniture #CustomFurniture #HandmadeFurniture #ArtisanFurniture #EcoFriendly #HighEnd #traditionaljoinery #handfittedjoinery #HighEndfurniture #Handcrafted #mortisetenon #BatCaveNC #handmade