Susan Zelouf & Michael Bell

Furniture maker

©Roland Paschhoff

When opposites attract

Susan and Michael established their studio in 1992
Their design ethos is 'a thing well made is a thing worth making'
Based in rural Ireland, their work has taken them around the world

So opposite were their backgrounds, New Yorker Susan Zelouf and Belfast-born Michael Bell could have easily never met. She was a theatre arts graduate who became a singer and a writer for the film industry, he had a science background and worked for a tobacco company. But when they met by chance in Italy, it was the start of something new for both of them. Together, they set up a furniture making company, an endeavour that combines the talents of these opposites – Michael’s long-held passion for working with his hands, Susan’s flare for design – to create unique, surprising pieces that combine materials and techniques.

Interview

©Roland Paschhoff

©Roland Paschhoff

Did you do any formal training?: Michael: A week's workshop at the prestigious Parnham College in the UK. Other than that, I'm self-taught. The workbench is the greatest teacher, as is reading, life. I keep my eyes and ears open and stay humble. I learn every day in the workshop, with our makers, at the drawing board.
What skills are important to your work?: To be able to think and plan in an efficient manner; making furniture involves problem-solving and an organised thought process, since we make new pieces, with new sets of challenges, start to finish. Being able to draw is helpful, as is an understanding of mathematics.
How would you define what you do?: Poetic pieces with resonance, mystery and secrets, which embrace a sensual, considered glamour. We use reflective lacquered finishes, bronze, aged brass, chrome, highly figured timbers, shagreen, vellum, with detailed marquetry, veneers, mother-of-pearl and metal inlay.
What or who inspires you?: We have commissioned many artisans whose work we admire, including silversmiths, printmakers, ceramicists, sculptors, glass artists. We have a soft spot for [late Irish furniture designer] Eileen Gray. Fashion inspires us, as does architecture, buildings, travel, textiles, visual artists, pattern.

Susan Zelouf & Michael Bell are expert artisans: they began their career in 1992