Stefan Knopp was born into a Viennese family of entrepreneurs. At an early age he showed an interest in handicraft and applied arts. His mother, a seamstress and fashion designer originally from Augsburg, Germany, kindled his love of nature.

After completing his classical school education, Stefan Knopp trained as a cabinetmaker and qualified as a master craftsman. He ran his own cabinetmaking company in Vienna until 2008, at which point the free-spirited visionary felt the desire to do something else. At the age of 39, he moved to a remote farmstead north of Salzburg together with his family. Setting up his workshop in the former stable, his old passion for wood gained newfound space to breathe.

In his new space in the countryside, Stefan Knopp began to experiment with unique treatments for surfaces. He gave himself permission to play around with them and allowed chance to be a part of his creative process. The wood designer is particularly interested in transforming his material using natural methods. Fire and water play an integral role in the design process. And pigments, rosins and natural oils give the objects their distinctive appearance.

The wood designer sees his vocation in creating sustainable tables and interior objects to last across generations. He runs his company together with his wife, Alexandra Knopp. Being a qualified psychologist, she is also interested in the impact Stefan Knopp’s pieces have on us. A committed team supports Stefan Knopp at his workshop in Obertrum.

One man and his relationship with nature: Stefan Knopp's pieces show off their history.

Wood, as it is rarely seen: in one piece, as close as possible to its natural state. Stefan Knopp creates furniture of great primordial power. Fire and water are part of the process.

For wood designer Stefan Knopp, trees are more than just a work material. His goal is to reveal their inherent nature and particularities. With outstanding craftsmanship and the highest artistic standards, he creates functional objects. Tables rich in history, made to last across generations.

Taking a centuries-old tree and gaining a deep understanding of its power and authenticity is

Stefan Knopp’s great talent. He preserves and celebrates the tree’s life in a new, aesthetic form. The more the tree has experienced, the more stories it has to tell. This fuels Stefan Knopp‘s desire to explore and pass on its history. Each one of Knopp’s pieces is unique and has its own character and distinctive surface.

The table as the hub of life: Stefan Knopp sees the dining table as the heart of human interactions. This is where people communicate and work, eat and socialise. This is where relationships are celebrated – both in daily life and on special occasions.

Stefan Knopp only works with Austrian woods such as oak and ash. He uses fire and water to make them durable. This treatment gives the surfaces their extraordinary beauty.

“The tree has always been a symbol of life and growth. My job is to show this innate power.” - Stefan Knopp