Custom built furniture -
Vitto Oles
Vitto Oles’ great-grandfather was a cooper and
wheelwright. His grandfather made timber skis in Poland and
was
also a furniture maker who exported to America in the
1930s. But
Vitto learnt about working with wood in Argentina from his father
... a carpintero
… and
studied design at art school. In Argentina, a carpintero made
everything for a house … windows, doors, parquetry flooring, timber
panels ... as well as all the furniture.
I learnt to work with wood the old-fashioned
way … it’s a family tradition.
In
1980, Vitto migrated to Australia. He found that there was a
lot
of work for cabinet makers, but that cabinet making was a much narrower
field than he was used to.
A
lot was new to me ... I had never used white board, a staple gun or an
edge bander ... but the work was mainly laminex kitchens. In
the
1980s, a cabinet maker's work in Australia was very different from that
of a carpintero in Argentina!
After a year in the
kitchen industry, he and his brother started their own
business
specialising in designer kitchens and shop fitting, but he was
passionate about designing and making furniture out of Australian
timbers.
I
had discovered the unique timbers of Australia, and used them to make
one-off pieces of furniture for private commissions ... but I
wasn't sure that there was really a market for individually designed
and made furniture.
I
was excited by the simple designs that evolved out of jarra, huon pine,
redgum and blackwood. When I found other Australian designer
makers, they encouraged me to continue designing and making
what I hope
will become Australia's antiques of the future. There
is a
market
for our work among people who appreciate quality and individualised
service.
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