Creating with Lars from Leaf Handcrafted Furniture
INTERVIEW BY IMO
Q&A
WITH Lars Laug - Furniture Maker
Terranora . nsw
We count our lucky stars that we get to wakeup and do what we love everyday. Finding your passion is life is one thing, but turning it into your full time job is another. Someone who is doing just this, is fellow furniture maker Lars Laug of Leaf Handcrafted Furniture.
Our relationship with Lars developed online, one day we received an email from Lars saying; “Hey, I’m a furniture maker from NSW and I have a customer who has sent me photos of your Square Bed, I just want to let you know they have asked me to make it… I am more than happy to pass this on to you guys if you would like to contact her directly.” We responded straight away with “Hey mate, thanks so much for reaching out to us, that’s awesome that you’ve done that! We actually don’t have a freight company that services the east coast so you absolutely go for it.” Lars responded instantly, “what’s your phone number” and called Al straight away, he proceeded to shared with us the freight company he uses and Al and Lars spent quite a lot of time on the phone back and forth trading tips and advice.
Something that has stood out from us from day one was how open Lars was in helping and sharing his knowledge and skills with us.
Since that initial email, we’ve been following each other’s journey through Instagram, Lars is one of our biggest supporters and is always sending beautiful messages our way. When we booked our trip to Byron Bay for Al’s birthday we contacted Lars to arrange to catch up and meet face-to-face. We met at his house and it was meant to be a really quick catch up and we ended up there for over four hours. It was so nice chatting to Lars and Leea, a couple who are doing what we’re doing, we found so many similarities in our stories, talked shop, discussing our shared passion for timber and making.
We really wanted to interview Lars and share his work with you all, a master of his craft, incredibly humble and beautiful person. Thank you Lars and Leesa for welcoming us into your home, thank you for sharing your story and thank you for inspiring us.
We think you’re awesome!
x IMO
What got you interested in woodworking?
Watching “The New Yankee Workshop” on Sundays when I was a kid growing up in Toronto, Canada. I always loved watching how things were made and the processes along the way. The smell of fresh cut wood is something that I have loved from a very young age. To this day the smell of certain timbers conjure up fond memories of being around woodworkers as a child.
The idea of being in my own workshop…That is / was a major factor. Having my own space to tinker and create things with my own hands was an incredibly romantic idea. There is a wholesomeness about it that I can’t really put into words other than it just makes me incredibly happy and fulfilled.
Wood is such a wonderful medium to work with. Its inherent connection to nature enriches us by the warmth and beauty that things made from it bring into our lives is unparalleled. To be part of the process of creating beautiful things that people can have, admire and enjoy is immensely gratifying.
“Wood is such a wonderful medium to work with. Its inherent connection to nature enriches us by the warmth and beauty that things made from it bring into our lives is unparalleled.” - Lars
When did you make the decision to make furniture?
I have wanted to make furniture for over 20 years and have had an interest in woodworking for well over 30. The final decision however was in mid 2013. I started focussing my energy on this and by mid 2014 it was a full time career.
Where do you get your influence from and How would you describe your style?
My main influence when I made the final decision to pursue furniture making would have to be discovering Jory Brigham (designs) and learning his story. I found it moved me and I felt a sort of connection with his approach to his work. Also my reintroduction to mid-century furniture while Leesa was working with a friend in her Mid Century Furniture shop Rewind Midcentury.
I would describe my style as originally mid-century inspired, modern / contemporary
What do you do in your business to be more sustainable?
I am not overly vocal about my sustainable practices as I feel they are by no means perfect and there are times that a completely sustainable option is not available. However I do as much in my normal day to day life , work and personal, to hopefully make some contribution to reducing my overall impact on the planet. I cannot with a clear conscience boast that I use certified timbers as this is a questionable certification in my opinion. My gut feeling is unless I personally know exactly where, how and by whom that timber was felled then I can’t guarantee to my clients or the world in general that I am using sustainably sourced materials…it’s tricky.
I run my machines mainly off of solar (weather permitting).
Reduce waste to as little as possible.
Send / sell usable off cuts to woodworkers that make smaller items that can utilise small pieces.
Use environmentally friendly products (oils , finishes, etc) as much as is possible.
Order materials as efficiently as possible to minimise waste products.
Buy quality tools and materials to avoid future breakdown and replacement
Always repair everything and anything instead of binning it!
Work from home eliminating travel to and from.
Give wood shavings to people to use as garden mulch / compost etc. and /or use in my own garden.
Clean scrapers and brushes and anything that may otherwise be disposed of.
Live my day to day life environmentally aware by purchasing life items from companies that are similarly minded and do all that is possible to reduce their impact on our planet.
What does a day look like for you?
Approx. 7am wake up (not a morning person) make coffee, make breakfast for our 2 boys.
8am Take Tiger and Sandy (dogs) for a walk at the beach for an hour while listening to meditation. This enables me to be calm as I enter my day
9am make a proper breakfast…. I love cooking a nice breakfast…. Oh and more coffee
9.30 -10am walk down one flight of stairs into my workshop, turn on music (90% of the time The Grateful Dead) and start sticking wood together….heheh.
1-1.30pm come upstairs make lunch (or sometimes have lunch brought down by my lovely wife Leesa ) ….sometimes another coffee but sometimes a green tea for a change….change is good.
Return down to my workshop and continue sticking wood together…..with intermittent Instagram and chocolate breaks.
5- 6pm get asked politely by Sandy ( dog) to please fill her food bowl… this signals the time when I tend to call it a day and return upstairs to have dinner with my family and in the summer months play soccer/ baseball etc. with the boys briefly.
8pm is read bedtime book to our boys.
8.30pm If everyone has decided to sleep I play guitar for a few hours, listen to music, watch documentaries or stand-up comedians on Netflix, or ski movies …..lots and lots of ski movies
10.30-11pm bedtime zzzzzzzz
What are your Top 5 practical tips for running a small business?
Great Customer service above all else. This is vital as people remember when they were treated nicely and fairly. They will , and I say this from experience and my own way of thinking, return purely on the basis of the fact that they were well looked after.
Make purchases wisely. Weigh up the pros and cons of where and how you spend your hard earned income. Efficiency in spending is key to keeping a favourable bottom line.
Minimise overheads as much a possible! Obviously it costs money to run a business but don’t spend money or have things simply for the sake of it. There is no point in showing off what you have if the bank is knocking at your door.
Spend only what you have or can afford. Avoid credit at all costs. Not only does it make for simpler book keeping but it makes for a much less stressful life…. No surprise bills each month.
Be Efficient. Everything you do question yourself each time you do it….Is there a better or more efficient way that I could complete this task? Always aim for improvement, never settle.
“Great Customer service above all else. This is vital as people remember when they were treated nicely and fairly. They will , and I say this from experience and my own way of thinking, return purely on the basis of the fact that they were well looked after.” - lars
What advice would you give someone wanting to pursue their passion for a living, or even just as a hobby?
Passions and dreams are there to be chased, but most importantly they are there to be achieved and lived!!! I have had dreams and goals throughout my entire life and have always set out to achieve them. I have always ended up with the job I’ve wanted or lived in the place I want to live or learnt the activity or skill that I have wanted to learn. That is simply life! It is there to be explored. It’s there to try and fail and try again. To sit still and simply dream and make nothing of it, is in my opinion the biggest failure. I would prefer to fail multiple times trying to reach my goal than simply dream about it. If you have a passion or a hobby that makes you happy every time you are doing it, then it’s really a no brainer that it is a path that must be explored. There is no reason that in this day and age a simple hobby cannot be a source of income that excites you. Dive into your passion. Research, learn, talk to others that know more than you. Completely immerse yourself and don’t be afraid to think big. With positive attitude comes positive results. Now all of the above may sound incredibly cliché, but I speak from years of experience that it is true. Following a passion or hobby and making it into an income opportunity WILL make you happier! And when you are happier you are open to more and more great things to enter your life.
“Dive into your passion. Research, learn, talk to others that know more than you. Completely immerse yourself and don’t be afraid to think big. With positive attitude comes positive results”. - Lars
Why do you think it’s important to shop local?
I make it a habit to buy from smaller independent suppliers whenever possible. For instance I will often pay a fraction more and drive from place to place to get different things opposed to going to a big box store (ie Bunnings) from a business perspective it’s not the greatest decision as it takes time and money but I have developed relationships with these suppliers and I know it’s helping their families just as people buy from me helps mine. Life is circular in that sense.
Lastly, How do you slow down?
Music by far is my escape from all that is reality. I have a deep love and connection with music whether playing it myself or just listening to it. Music can do so many things from help you relax, to hype you up, make you move, make you cry and even transport you to other times and places in your mind. It is a true escape from the everyday for me. An average days sees me listening to at least 8 -10 hours or solid music…its fantastic… I sometimes say to myself that I listen to music full time while I tinker away at my hobby of woodworking…hahahahah
LARS LAUG
Lars Laug stared as a carpenter building architectural homes on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Over the years providing clients with not only high quality renovations, but also finishing by often making bespoke furniture and lighting to complete the picture. Over the last 17 years in working as a carpenter/joiner he has developed many skills and has a very open mind when approaching any project.
Leaf Handcrafted Furniture has grown from a dream and a love of creating eye catching pieces. Made from materials that have a story to tell. Although inspired by our surroundings and the things that fill them, Lars and Leesa strive to make pieces that are unique in nature.
We’ve started this journal in hope that through us sharing stories like Lars’ it encourages others to -
Be creative.
To follow your passion project.
Support local artists and makers.
Our hope is that through us showcasing small, local and ethical artists/ makers/ businesses it encourages others to support locally, handmade.
