David Marmilloud
Manivelle Ebenisterie
Furniture maker
Cluses, France
The hidden mechanics of wood
- David makes furniture that combines precise craftsmanship with a sense of wonder
- He is inspired by geometry, collaboration and raw materials
- His pieces feature custom mechanisms and transformable elements
David Marmilloud is a cabinetmaker and furniture maker based in the Alpine region of France. Passionate about wood since he was a teenager, he began by exploring it on his own before learning more about the craft alongside a former cabinetmaker. After 15 years as an industrial draughtsman and mechanical designer, David decided to dedicate himself to cabinetmaking in 2020, opening his own workshop. Every project begins with a phase of reflection when ideas are tested through drawing and 3D modelling and refined until a form feels undeniable. David’s bespoke furniture and objects are often built around custom mechanisms such as transformable elements, animated features and hidden compartments that reveal themselves only through use. “In my work, technical precision is essential but is never the end in itself. It is simply what makes the magic possible,” he says.
INTERVIEW
While many people describe wood as a living material, I see it instead as a kind of abandoned architecture, shaped by its environment and bearing the traces of its animated past.
I design custom mechanisms and consider woodworking to be the mother of mechanics, making them closely related. I have also explored the use of bark and I am currently developing ways of combining metal and wood in object making.
I feel uncomfortable with solitary creation. Collaborations stimulate me and push me to create. They require a certain letting go. When the magic happens, each participant influences the project and the work of others. They are also opportunities to experiment with greater freedom than when working on commissioned work.
I have learned that the body has its own intelligence that must be trusted. Certain technical problems, difficult to anticipate, find intuitive solutions once the pieces are in hand.
