Nature’s lure
In Arrowtown, every bit of timber is honoured by Niall Walsh and his team. They create new bespoke chapters within the old stories of wood.
Where some people write off a bit of timber for being old and filled with nail holes, Niall Walsh sees an opportunity for an old story to be turned new once more.
Woodwork takes on a whole different meaning when you talk to Rustic Soul Designs’ founder. It is not simply a transaction of wood to create a piece of furniture.
“It comes from my soul – it is the only way to describe it; every part of my being goes into each piece and the company, everything we’re growing here,” he says.
He takes you on a bit of journey when he talks, where at the very heart is honouring each bit of wood that nature has provided – even if it is filled with “character marks”.
“I’m looking at a big stack of timber we got from the Arrowtown Museum; the timber that came out is from one of the oldest buildings in the area, so it’s got character and history and we try to celebrate that. If we are selling a piece of furniture to a client, it comes with a story,” he says.
And honouring its story means using every part of it, right down to the sawdust.
Once the piece of bespoke furniture is created, smaller leftover pieces are used to make business card holders or bottle openers.
“Then the sawdust is given to local community gardens to use for compost – it’s the circle of things, regenerating life once again to grow plants,” he says.
Nature influences Niall’s designs, which makes sense when he describes his surroundings at his Arrowtown base on Bush Creek Road.
“Sitting here in my office, it is just trees all around me wherever I look, and so many colours. If I walk out the front door and look out, there are mountains all around me. It is hard to deny nature is part of everything here.”
Niall seems very sage when you talk to him. But watch out. He’ll get you.
When asked what brought him to our fair shores, without hesitation and with what you imagine could only be a cheeky smile, he responds, “An airplane.” Bugger. Fair enough, he’s got you there.
Turns out it was the Christchurch rebuild after the February 22, 2011 earthquake that saw him board the plane, but it was our natural environment that seduced him into staying. Working in dry, dusty Queensland with nothing for miles and miles had left his soul somewhat drained. His friends knew he was moving on and suggested he go to New Zealand on holiday.
“I came to Christchurch first and I just got an instant warm feeling – it felt like home in so many ways. People would ask if you were here for the rebuild and you would feel their gratitude.
“There were a lot of similarities from where I come from in Ireland [Tipperary] – similar people and similar countries.”
It wasn’t part of the grand plan to stay, but then he drove down to Queenstown.
“I was blown away by the scenery – I’ve never seen anything like it.
“Queenstown is a very unique town in New Zealand – such a mix of cultures and so much going on here. Initially, I was enjoying the night life, but after a while you realise there is so much more and so many opportunities here – if I wasn’t here I don’t think I would have started Rustic Soul Designs,” he says.
Niall was inspired to start his own business by his colleagues in the building industry.
“You think, ‘Yeah, they’re just normal people like me, if they can do it I can do it too,’” he says.
It started when he made a table for a friend who wanted something very specific to match the trusses in his living area.
“That was around the time I realised this is what I wanted to do. But it took a while to materialise it; I didn’t really have a reputation and I didn’t have the workload,” he says.
So he worked part-time in a job and part-time with his furniture. Now Rustic Soul Designs is four years old, with employees.
But Niall hasn’t lost his soul.
“We’re not really focused on being the biggest business or making the most money. We just want to make a difference with the environment and make cool stuff. I just don’t want to make things, I want to make them as nice as possible, as functional and as good looking as I can, and that’s what excites me and the team.”
He loves contrast, which is a theme throughout his work. He uses different techniques, such as contrasting colours, or mixing modern and old materials and techniques. With his own business, he can embrace the creativity and art behind woodwork.
“I kind of got into carpentry thinking I’d be carving beautiful pieces of wood, but the reality is quite different – more like following a set of rules strictly with no creative flair,” he says.
So, yes, his creativity did become muted for a few years, he says, but New Zealand helped bring it back to life.
“Experiencing Kiwi culture helped me get back into that creative mindset. Just the positive influence from some of my Kiwi workmates of enjoying your work, which is something I regained in New Zealand, which I think I had lost.”
And now we get to enjoy the aesthetic that has been reborn.