Labour of What?

Labour of Wood set out to re- establish affordable, bespoke furniture juxtaposing traditional craftsmenship and urban design reflecting our nomadic needs. The Vienna based furniture label Labour of Wood was founded by Sandra Knöbl, architect and cabinet maker. Recently she joined forces with Mario Pruner, artist and graphic designer.

Knöbl was born and bred amongst a 2 generation tradition of cabinet makers, in a very Alpine and rural part of the Austrian countryside...
In the last decade, having spent work and study time in Iceland and Copenhagen, she eventually ended up working for Will Alsop in London. While there she realised the potential that the cabinet workshop and the knowledge of 2 generations of craftsmanship could generate.
Wanting to combine the experience of living abroad, information and cultural codes that had been discovered and collected, got translated into a furniture label, which combines a somewhat architectural approach (thinking outside the box and outside traditional strategies) and solid qualitative ways of working with wood.

During her studies at the Viennese University of Technology she went to a lecture held by Mario Pruner who, at the time, worked on an amazing art piece. It impressed her deeply and she felt like having just listened to a partner in crime. He had analised patterns of living, understanding of privacy and ergonomical principles and translated that into simple but rather overwhelming plywood furniture.

Years later they decided to collaborate and established Labour of Wood.