'Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication' - Leonardo Da Vinci

From his shop three miles west of Rocheport, Missouri, Martin Ratermann builds furniture at a workbench the way he believes heirloom furniture is meant to be made. This includes careful selection of quality Missouri hardwoods, exposed joinery, sculptural lines, oil finishes, and tasteful designs.

Craftsmanship deeply rooted in experience is the heartbeat of my shop. I enjoy the challenge of taking old skills and doing new and creative work with them.

For furniture that provides authorship, rarity and a respect for real wood, I am happy to explore design ideas to meet the customer ’s needs while showing sensitivity to the wood and the craft.

Whether your taste leans more to the traditional or to the contemporary, my work should be at home in any setting.

My prices are competitive to commercially produced furniture when one considers longevity and the fact that all the cost involved is labor and materials. There are no retail mark ups, sales commissions, or expensive marketing techniques.

Today, machines routinely achieve apparent perfection without the intervention of skill. What machines cannot do is imitate the subtle touches that give character to a piece of furniture. Creativity is often lost in this process.

Martin believes handcrafted pieces are different. They require thought, patience and good design. These pieces create a relationship between the craftsman, the user and the material; a relationship that is rare today. He is committed to this kind of craftsmanship.

Martin signs and dates each piece.

Shipping is available worldwide.