The beauty of nature through wood
- Walter creates unique wood boxes by hand
- He grew up in the Appenines mountains in Italy
- He works with rare white ebony from Laos
After 25 years of working in finance, Walter Bellini felt the need to make a drastic career change and create with his hands. He trained for two years at the Boulle school, where he learned cabinetry and marquetry, and subsequently specialised in the creation of boxes. "As my grandfather was a carpenter, I spent my childhood in Italy surrounded by woodworking. Box making is more of a return to a familiar atmosphere," Walter says. Soon after his training, he set up his workshop in Asnières-sur-seine, where he designs and produces boxes and office ornaments. Walter uses rare materials and precious woods with unique veins, which allows him to highlight some of the most intricate and beautiful aspects of nature in his creations.
Interview
- Why did you choose to pursue box making?
- I have the freedom to create, and the ability to interact with customers and offer them pieces that evoke emotions. I can use raw material from the same tree to make creations for a couple or for friends, forming an invisible but very strong bond.
- What does your relationship with your tools look like?
- Using a planer is a mixture of sensuality and austerity. The sensuality of the noise, the sight of the curling chip and the smell of certain wood species. The austerity comes from the sharpening and the precision required for of the dimensions.
- Which type of wood do you specialise in?
- I work primarily with white ebony from Laos. This wood is characterised by an off-white background crossed by deep black veining, which produces a very particular pattern. Each piece of wood is unique, which makes each creation one-of-a-kind.
- How do you define what you do?
- The common thread in my work is my desire to showcase the best of nature. I seek to create an emotion, either by the evocation of landscapes or in a more abstract way by the graphic composition of a piece in search of balance and harmony.
Walter Bellini is a master artisan: he began his career in 2009 and he started teaching in 2016
Where
Walter Bellini
