Suzanne Ryan, Furniture Maker and Restorer

Suzanne is a stuccodore by trade, restoring decorative plasterwork. When the recession hit in Ireland, she went to Scotland to study furniture-making and restoration – in the process learning marquetry, carving, and woodturning. Since returning home, she has set up her own workshop. Suzanne is Suzanne is driven by passion for the symmetry and elegance of period buildings and their furniture. She loves the materials used and the manual skills that made them. She is fascinated by the stories behind the pieces she is restoring; who sat on this sofa, or ate off this table? What monkey ran up the tree from which these mahogany doors were carved? Nature, colors, patterns and decorative details in period houses inspire her. They make her want to be better at what she does. Suzanne’s work is deeply personal, each piece she restores or creates means something to somebody. Outside of work, her greatest achievement is learning how to swim.

Photo: Beta Bajgart