Reinhold Stoll

Cabinetmaker

©Silbersalz

©Sophia Stoll

©Silbersalz

©Foto Stabinger

Enchanted by wood

Reinhold is a master woodworker and sophisticated designer
He is uncompromising about construction
He works to order as well as creating his own designs

Spazio alle forme' says the welcome message on the website of Reinhold Stoll, a master woodworker running his family carpentry business in a small village very close to some of the most beautiful mountains in the world. Reinhold understands space (spazio) and form (forme) indeed, as much as he understands what working with wood means. He has spent his whole life practising and learning in Italy, Austria and Germany, always driven by his profound love for wood and for nature, becoming not just a skilled craftsman but also a knowledgable designer, enchanted by the exactness of shapes. There is nothing frivolous about his approach. “Before going further, you have to master the traditions and all the basic methods of working,” he says.

Where

Interview

©Silbersalz

©Silbersalz

How did you become a master?: I spent a lot of years practising and studying. I grew up in my father's carpentry workshop and he taught me, first of all, what a job is. After that I took all the necessary steps to master not just wood and its construction techniques, but also shapes and designs.
Are you a woodworker or a designer?: I am a master woodworker who is passionate about design and enchanted by the purity of lines and exactness. The two years I spent at the interior design academy in Garmisch-Partenkirchen were the most exciting of my life, but I love carpentry, I even love the noises it makes.
Where do you take inspiration from?: I live among the mountains and I love being inspired by them. Each mountain is a sculpture, offering a different view from every angle. To the same extent, an ideal piece of furniture should be observable from every side, like an object-sculpture, not with one side facing the wall.
What do you like most about your craft?: Usually I work to order but every year, for at least two or three months, I try to focus on designing and crafting furniture for my own sake. Those are the pieces I love the most. But overall, it’s creating furniture that brings me joy, and has done ever since I was a child.

Reinhold Stoll is a master artisan: he began his career in 1973 and he started teaching in 1984