MORI Holz & Design GmbH

Mori is the Japanese word for forest. It is no coincidence that Manuel Stangl chose this name for his studio, which is due to his fondness for Japan, but especially his fascination with trees. He has had the scent of wood in his nose since childhood, from the sawmill of his grandfather in Graz St. Peter. Originally, he took a completely different path with a degree in sociology and sports science, before a summer job in a carpentry shop brought him an insight: "I wanted to do something with my hands." For over 3 years he has been building free-standing solid wood furniture such as tables, sideboards, benches, and spatial objects from wood that has exclusively grown in Styria. Before a log ends up in the workshop, it is often air-dried gently for ten years.

Hardwoods are primarily processed: oak, walnut, pear, apple, elm, along with rarer types like giant sequoia, American black walnut, and tulip tree. A side table in the studio comes from a Japanese lacebark tree from Radetzkystraße. Stangl has a particularly big heart for wood with minor cosmetic flaws. Cracks, lightning damage, trunk decay, or wormholes are not blemishes for him, but rather shape raw material with character, which he refines in his workshop. "Nature is an artist to me," he believes. He fills cracks and hollow spots with epoxy resin and mechanically brushes out decayed areas. His workshop in Kirchbach is the place for the rough work: here, the large wooden posts are squared and planed, sometimes straight edges are created, while at other times, the organic shape of the trunk is deliberately preserved. For the fine work, he goes to the Graz studio on Einspinnergasse.

Manuel Stangl does not want to miss the personal delivery of the furniture pieces – and often finds it not so easy to let his finished work go. Sometimes there is still time for a cup of coffee with the customers, right at the new table – the first of many that will surely be enjoyed at this table. Because as the artistic carpenter says: "I build furniture that is made for life."

Special:
Customers can immerse themselves in the entire creation process and contribute their individual wishes – starting from the wood selection from the raw log in the studio to the accompanying workshop processes, and finally to the finishing touches and the final treatment with natural oils and waxes.