Matthew Coutts wants his legacy to be one of integrity. “Quality and design are both really important, but so is sustainability.” Matthew does mainly custom designs, anything from tables and chairs to desks and drawers. It is important to him for his pieces to be appreciated, known for their value, and passed down for generations. So it is no surprise that Matthew wants simply to be respected as a craftsman and able to provide for his family.

With materials, obtaining them is always interesting. Matthew’s timbers are from properly sourced and well-managed providers. If it’s not the local Norwegian timber from neighbours or local accidents, it’s certainly European. (Matthew shared with Localfolk that recent sources include a sycamore found across the road and two beautiful cherry trees that blew over on a nearby farm. We believe this makes him more admirable as a craftsman and even more endearing as a person.)

Matthew trained in Cornwall and received vocational qualification through courses and an apprenticeship. He had a furniture business in Cornwall for one year before moving to Norway, with his wife, which was nine years ago. The two spent time traveling the country and lived further North for a few years before settling in Stavanger. That’s where Matthew started his business again, four years ago. “I always wanted to start again after Cornwall, but I wasn’t established in the country.” Matthew and his wife agreed while traveling that they would invest in it for the next few years and see what became of it.

Now, being fluent in both Norwegian and English, it is easy for Matthew to communicate with his clients. The whole process of creating and selling a product is really satisfying for him, as he and his clients invest a great deal of time. “It’s not a product on a shelf.” The design process always varies and is completely dependant on his clients. “They might have an idea, or we might meet in the middle, or they might want it entirely tailor-made.” Matthew says his customers can be as involved as they want to be. In fact, he encourages it, as he wants to create “exactly what the customer really wants.”

For him, filling and exceeding his clients’ expectations is something that will never get old. He believes buying anything handmade is much more satisfying and personal due to the amount of interaction that takes place. He wants his pieces to last more than a lifetime, and he wants to design things that challenge him. “The more you do it, the more you learn.”

When asked what his first product was, Matthew told Localfolk that he has only one product. That might not be exactly true, as the craftsman does plenty of exceptional and ongoing commision work. (His very first commission job was a chair for an author.) Outside of the requests, it is true that Matthew has one staple piece: the extraordinary Swallow Chair. The process of making it is available to watch on YouTube. “In a way, it’s my only product, and it takes eight days to make.” The process for all of his creations varies, however, and certain custom pieces can take much longer to create.

The craftsman says he is blessed and very busy outside of work with his family, having two young daughters. He wishes he had more time for rock climbing (a sport very reasonably expected of the region), but he knows he will in due time as his daughters get older. They’re an active family, and he imagines they will climb with him someday.

Local florist Stilken & Strøm, ceramics maker Odd Standard, and Kokko Kaffebar (a local café/roasters/architecture office) are inspiring people and places for Matthew, the latter being a location he made a lot of the interior for. Matthew states Stavanger is an incredible city. “There are lots of other craftsmen here,” ensuring “a huge amount to offer for such a small city,” a city he believes is beautiful.