With great regard for tradition and precision
- Germán's work is inspired by fine British furniture and cabinetmaking traditions
- He is the organiser of Fustival, a furniture and cabinetmakers event in Barcelona
- His dream is to create a reputed furniture craft school
“Fine, beautiful objects have always caught my eye”, says Germán Peraire as he recalls childhood memories of an antique bureau desk and its hidden drawers he used to play with. His ability to associate visual aesthetics and a fine sense for detail and composition took him from documentary photography to furniture making in the process of decorating his own home. Upon taking a new path and graduating from Barcelona’s School of Industrial Engineering in 2015, he rapidly began teaching others in an evolving programme of workshops and events he currently organises for makers from Spain and abroad. Germán’s work is inspired by the methodical and detailed approach of British woodworker David Charlesworth. He also draws inspiration from all traditional cabinetry to create contemporary elements.
INTERVIEW
I work in a very meticulous manner. My upbringing has a major role in this. My father was a violin restorer and my mother an art and philosophy history teacher. From them I inherited a sensibility to art forms and aesthetics and my parents are a reference point for me on how care and attention are properly given. They have always been enormously supportive of my work.
I am currently giving more importance to working with local woods brought from the Pyrenees and getting involved with the whole transformation process into a furniture piece. Trees have long lives and furniture as well. This was illustrated by two sisters who commissioned me to transform their grandparents' century old oak tree into three tables, permitting the perpetuation of their family values and memories in their own homes.
My biggest challenge comes from a personal need to make special pieces without a commission. It may take me several months of work, but it permits more research and collaborative efforts with other makers who are specialised on other techniques like marquetry and other decorative arts. In that sense, I would like to co-create a piece with an illustrator and recreate a story within a functional design.
In general, care is a very important value in every aspect of my life. The standards by which my workshop is governed are care and quality and it is difficult to teach this to my students. Good upkeep is fundamental to quality. Neatness begins at the primary level and requires everyday routines like sweeping, cleaning, organising, and regular tool and machinery maintenance.
