A respectful rhythm
- Valentin combines architecture with nature
- Balance between stability and beauty is his priority
- He works with Swiss wood only
Born and raised in Switzerland, Valentin Lehner has always been surrounded by trees, in woodlands and forests. For him, wood is life and the essence of all things as it derives from the natural landscape; it lends itself to many processes as it is hard yet flexible. Working with wood has a slow rhythm and the timings must be respected as once cut, wood must dry in the right way. Valentin expresses the entire process and his respect for it, through his creations. He exclusively uses and values the wood of his land to shape and create furniture components that combine architectural, artistic and practical sensitivity, unique pieces that are modern but at the same time communicate tradition.
INTERVIEW
I love architecture. For each work, I try to ally architecture and nature by creating objects that I follow throughout the process, from A to Z. I seek to make useful pieces for the home and to reflect a client's taste. In this sense beauty and practicality meet.
I use only Swiss wood, generally little used because it is very expensive compared to wood coming from abroad. I cut the tree and I dry the boards before I process them. To do this I use modern machines, which accelerate certain purely technical phases, enhancing the time I can dedicate to the artistic aspects.
Processing times, which justify the costs. For example, freshly cut planks from the tree are dried in a year, sometimes even longer. Clearly, processing times are getting longer, and so are costs. I also add the manual work, which makes the piece unique.
I don’t think so, there will always be people who love furniture that are unique pieces of their kind. Of course, for those like me who do this, it is difficult to sell our products and our techniques, but there will always be someone who appreciates them.
