One Last Thing with Fergal O'Leary

"The chair was the first successfully realised design that Horizon Furniture produced back in 2009,” begins Fergal O’Leary. “I started the business the year before, which wasn’t the best timing, but it seems we are coming out of that mire now. Back then, the indigenous design and craft industry was quite disparate – that’s not the case now.”

The piece in question is Fergal’s Maryjane chair, named after his daughter. Since the stackable chair’s first incarnation, there’s been little change: a small angle adjustment and widening of the seat. “It just worked.”

Standard Maryjanes are made from oak that is oiled or lacquered, but they’ve been made in different timbers by request too. Each batch is numbered and is worked on by a small team. “I’ve recently moved back into the making side of things again myself and it’s so rewarding,” says Fergal. “I can’t believe I went into the office in the first place.”

Each set is selected from one tree and is made by one person, from start to nish. “We work with all FSC-certified hardwoods and veneers, sometimes native but mostly European or American,” he explains. “I like European oak, but variety is the spice of life. As much as possible we source it all locally or at least, nationally.”

Fergal describes himself as a musician who makes furniture, and vice versa. “When I started training as a woodworker it was as an antidote to the ephemeral ways of music, having a big, physical load of timber to work was the opposite of what I was used to,” he explains. “I plunged myself into woodwork, but maybe it became too much at points.”

Running a nascent business in tough times wasn’t always easy. “I think at this point in my career I’ve found a good balance between creativity, family, fun and hard work. I’m generally smiling when I’m going to sleep, and that’s good.” horizonfurniture.ie

PHOTOGRAPHY John Minihan
PUBLISHED Image Interiors & Living Nov/Dec 2016