[ Brand Spotlight ] In Conversation with Philipp Roessler, Founder of Nutsandwoods.

It has become my favorite part of the job to meet (even if only online) and talk to people whose work and taste I admire. Today, we have a short but lively conversation with Philipp Roessler, founder of Nutsandwoods - one of my favorite young furniture brands.

About: Nutsandwoods is a Berlin-based furniture and design studio forging contemporary expressions for time-honored artisanal traditions.

Hi Philipp,

Philipp Roessler, the founder of Nutsandwoods / Image copyright: Nutsandwoods.

Can you tell us about your professional journey? Was it something clearly planned from the beginning, or did a series of events and unexpected life turns eventually lead you into furniture design? And why did you choose to build your own business and brand instead of working as an employee?

I never followed a typical career path. My life was always learning by doing instead. I've always been extremely enthusiastic about design, both digital and analog. I was thrilled to design things and get better and better at it. Following my passion for digital design, I first founded my own small digital agency in my early twenties, and was able to work on renowned digital projects for clients such as Deutsche Telekom, Audi, and Jung von Matt not long after. A few years in, I really wanted to make my digital agency a truly special place. A place that inspires and where we’d all enjoy working even all our night shifts. My first object of desire was a table. Back then, there were simply no tables available to buy that matched what I had in mind though. So I decided to design and build the tables for the agency myself. As it turned out later, that was actually the foundation stone of Nutsandwoods.

Atelier Table / Image Copyright: Nutsandwoods.

What was the very first project or product that marked the beginning of Nutsandwoods? Is this design still part of the collection today? And how do you feel about that first design now, more than ten years later?

It was actually the large conference table that I designed and built for my digital agency. I wanted it to be like a huge chunk of oak wood, a piece directly from nature, right in our office. Not cut straight and „made perfect“ so to speak, but with natural bark and organically shaped as it was right from the forests. I designed the frame from raw steel to contrast with the natural organic form. Many people who saw it later wanted to have such a table for themselves. So at some point, I decided to turn it into a business. This table is not part of the current collection anymore. Though it can still be found on Pinterest, and sometimes people still ask us to build it.

Oak Sideboard / Image copyright: Nutsandwoods.

The brand has a very clear focus on just a few materials used across all designs — for example, when it comes to wood, it seems to be exclusively oak (please correct me if I’m wrong). Can you tell us why you chose these specific materials? And if Nutsandwoods pieces are made entirely from solid wood, could you explain why you consciously choose solid wood over alternatives such as oak veneer, which many other brands use?

Running two businesses, my life is complicated enough ;) I really try to simplify things wherever it makes sense. And I don’t see any reason to add any other types of wood, which would complicate processes in the production and stocking a lot. Oak wood is the perfect wood for crafting furniture. It is so enduring. And beyond that, it ages so beautifully. Veneer is absolutely not an option for us. Veneer furniture kind of pretends to be oak, but isn’t. We consider our pieces to be objects that accompany you throughout your life and beyond.

Aluminium Shelf / Image copyright: Nutsandwoods.

Which designs or projects from your collection do you personally consider the most significant, and why?

For me, that’s the Atelier Shelf. It embodies everything the brand stands for perfectly, both in terms of design and craft. And even the way it’s mounted is really so simple and elegant. The columns, on which the boards are hand-turned blocks of solid oak. A technique that’s really time-consuming, and somehow this long crafting process for me is part of what’s required to make such a special piece of furniture truly art.

Atelier Shelf / Image copyright: Nutsandwoods.

Never say never — but let’s imagine: what is one object you would absolutely never produce? Why? :)

What a fun question :) I didn't even stop at curtain rods, as I think you know, so I am not sure if there are any limits, really. I think, sometimes those pieces that nobody’s paying attention to, can be the ones fun to experiment with and worth designing better.

Steel Wardrobe / Image Copyright: Nutsandwoods.

This is a question that’s very close to me personally right now. I have two children, and my daughter is 10 months old. Soon we’ll need a kids' table and chair. I’m currently looking at what’s available on the market, and I like very few designs - and even fewer that come close to the “ideal” design I have in my head. Have you ever thought about creating a kids' line?

This is really funny – I get asked just this question every once in a while. I am not at the point right now where I have a strong personal need in this regard, but this might change soon ; ) And then at the latest, expect things to get rolling ;) Though I guess it will definitely be a brand apart from NUTSANDWOODS.

Ease Bed / Image Copyright: Nutsandwoods.

When it comes to your work in general, do you also take on custom projects or make adjustments to existing designs at the request of clients? Can you recall any funny or weird stories related to this part of your business? :)

Yes, this happens ; ) Recently somebody wanted a bed 3,8 meters wide :) We are a small manufacturer, and in general, we love to try out unusual experiments as long as it does not deteriorate the design. 

Also, sometimes I learn interesting things through customer inquiries: Did you know that when people sleep in a bed made of the wood of the Swiss Pine Tree, their heart rate decreases? There are actually scientific studies being made around this. I first could not believe it, but I learnt it when we once contributed to the interiors of a hotel in the Austrian Alps. We were asked to build furniture of this very special type of wood. The trees only grow very high up in the mountains, where other types of trees are not able to survive. The trees are extremely resilient and withstand extreme winds and conditions. Interestingly, their wood dispenses etheric oils that actually have a healing effect on our body. 

Oak Linen Sofa / Image copyright: Nutsandwoods.

Could you tell us about failures along the way, or moments when you felt like giving up? What helped you - or you as a team and brand - to keep going?

Oh boy. Running this project in this volatile world sometimes is a real roller coaster. During COVID, there were times when it got really hard. When shipping providers can not ship any more, producers can not produce any more, and the only constant that does not shake is the salaries and fixed costs. Recently, we had a Chinese company that sold our pieces on Amazon for a fraction. They even used my photography in doing so. And they even cheated their customers who would get a tabletop with a literally oak pattern that is literally printed. And the law is not always as simple and obvious as you might think. 

And last but not least, could you tell us a bit about your latest design, the Grid Chair, which we selected for our December giveaway? What goal did you set for yourself when creating this piece, and what inspired you during the design process?

A chair is truly a very special piece to me. With so many nice designs out there, I wanted to make a piece that really stands out and yet is both simple and timeless, matching our design philosophy. The Grid Chair embodies all that. I am very happy with the result, and I hope it will make the winner happy for a long time.

The Grid Chair / Image copyright: Nutsandwoods.

Thank you, Philipp, for your answers. I wish you all the best for the projects ahead! ;)

Win the Grid Chair here.

(Participation is open to residents of Europe aged 18 and over.
Ends 01.01.2026 at 9:00 AM (CET).