Every stage, in house
Wood arrives and it is assessed before anything else. It is then left to breathe, its humidity levels lowering slowly until the fibers stabilize. Only once this quiet time has been respected does the first cut begin, giving each piece its initial shape.
From there, the pieces are cut deliberately to size, sanded in three careful stages to reach the finished surface, then joined, assembled, and oiled by hand. Each piece reviewed against a standard that answers to nothing but itself.
A craft of listening
A craftsman does not shape the material, he negotiates with it, and the material always has the final word. The timber worked with at Atelier Mateus was planted a hundred to a hundred and fifty years ago, growing longer than anyone in the atelier has been alive. Wood is chosen with care, since a poor choice cannot be corrected by good technique. The joinery, mortise and tenon, wedged joints, dovetails, are precise answers to precise problems, arrived at over centuries of making, failing, and making again.
At Atelier Mateus, no step is shortened for the sake of speed, and none is skipped for the sake of ease.
Woods of choice
French oak, American walnut, and American cherry. Straight grain is selected before every cut.
As the wood is solid, a piece can be sanded and refinished across generations.
Traditional Joinery
Mortise and tenon, dovetail, wedged joints, each shaped for the forces a piece will carry.
Wood moves with the seasons, expanding and settling, the joint is the answer to that movement.
Heritage
Our team carries three generations of woodworking and joinery knowledge.
That knowledge was passed down through hands that learned the craft long before Atelier Mateus.
Finishes
At Atelier Mateus, every piece is finished with natural oil, worked into the wood by hand. Marks and wear can be sanded back and reoiled locally, rather than refinishing the whole piece.
Authenticity
Every piece leaving Atelier Mateus is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, numbered with the piece's own serial number, a lasting record of its origin and making.
Delivery
Local delivery is handled directly by our team, while international delivery is coordinated through a trusted partner. Every piece is packaged carefully, arriving in the same condition it left the atelier.