Your bespoke furniture made to measure
Samuel Köppel – a furniture maker in Zürich
The ethos behind my label SAMKO is to combine unique designs with fine materials and personalized service. I want to create every new piece of furniture in collaboration with my customers. Through casual conversation and a few clarifying sketches, the right concept can usually be found quickly – be it for a small coffee table or a comprehensive room design. From my work as a product designer, I have experience in building products three-dimensionally on a computer. Thanks to these photo-realistic 3D models, my customers can visualize their finished product during the design process. This way, you always know exactly what you’re going to be taking home. After this, I personally begin the construction of your furniture in my wood workshop at the Sihlcity in Zurich. This process results in unique, individual pieces tailored to suit your needs exactly.
Local wood and sustainable treatment
In Switzerland, you don’t have to go far to find beautiful wood such as oak, pear, cherry, nut, plum or elm. I often source my furniture materials locally from the Zurich region. I particularly enjoy learning from my timber dealer where the wood for my next project grew – often from trees in the fields nearby. It’s a difficult thing to put into words, but I find the right wood gives even more depth and feeling to handmade furniture. To protect the surface of my wood, I prefer to use organic treatments with linseed oil, beeswax or core soap. These products are safe for humans and the environment and retain the natural surface character of the wood.
My background: design and furniture making
After graduating as an industrial designer in 2006, I worked for a long time as a product designer for agencies in and around Zurich. For corporate customers from Switzerland and Germany, I mainly designed new furniture concepts and comprehensive furniture families. Some of my designs have received awards such as the “Red Dot Award” or the “Iconic Award”. While I love design, an additional hobby has developed over time and I’ve found a great passion for crafting solid wood furniture myself. This passion led me to take an apprenticeship as a cabinet maker, which I completed in summer 2013. I now combine these experiences under the SAMKO label where I work as a designer and furniture maker. I provide for both private customers and work as a product developer for companies.
