Thomas Faller

Woodwork from the forest

• Thomas comes from a family of car mechanics
• He specialises in furniture and modern interior fittings
• He is in charge of apprentices in his company

Thomas Faller grew up in Germany’s Black Forest city of Freiburg im Breisgau. At school, he loved the handicrafts lessons where he made gliders and ships out of wood. During his three-year apprenticeship as a joiner, he worked for various companies in his home town, but he also travelled to the Engadin region of the Swiss Alps. A professional exchange programme allowed Thomas to undertake his master joiner diploma in the alpine region, which resulted in him working in Samedan, Switzerland, for 20 years. In 2014, he and two partners founded a joinery workshop named Schwab & Partner which focuses on furniture, interior fittings, antique wood restorations and window construction.

Interview

©Gian Giovanoli

©Gian Giovanoli

How was your first professional experience?

Even before I started my first apprenticeship, I helped the firm out during summer holidays. We had to install a wooden ceiling in a hotel entrance, it was a nice job but extremely hard with long working days of up to ten hours of physical labour.

In what way is your craft connected to the Engadin?

Engadin’s beauty has always enchanted me. As a joiner, I am particularly connected through the material: wood. Swiss stone pine for example is very specific to this region and has a long tradition as it only grows at altitudes around 1,600m.

What is surprising about joinery?

In the past, joinery was carried out during the winter, which lasts six months in Engadin. In the summer those joiners would have had to tend to their fields. It is interesting how our business is still seasonal; but not because of the seasons, but because of tourism.

Could joinery be considered in jeopardy?

For a while I was worried about the advent of new machines with remote controls and digitalisation. But, having worked in education for years, I am amazed how young joiners still have great knowledge of the material, possibly because solid wood remains in frequent use in this region.

Thomas Faller is an : he began his career in 1990

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