Art and craft from a master of wood

Former physicist turned furniture maker Marcus Jacka blends contemporary with tradition in his North Yorkshire workshop. Julian Cole reports. Pictures by Jonathan Gawthorpe.

MARCUS Jacka works in a valley on the picturesque cusp of the North York Moors. It wasn’t exactly a plan, but this man from Adelaide in Australia seems dustily content. As he is self-taught, you could say Marcus dovetailed himself into this life. He is by training a physicist and came to Yorkshire aged 27 to work at the University of York. His speciality was electron microscopy. He stayed for ten years but doesn’t miss the academic world.

“The reason for that is I don’t like institutions. You either fit into an institution or you don’t,” he says.

What he enjoyed most was making the instrumentation for electron microscopes, using lathes and mills and welders.

“Making stuff out of metal,” he says. “But I’m much more comfortable with wood – it’s my material.”

Now he crafts furniture for his company Non-Standard. His pieces are contemporary but made the old way. His dining tables are found around the world, so he must be doing something right.

He works with architects, interior designers and artists on bespoke designs. Past collaborations include Waldo Works, Duncombe Park Estate, Lutyens Furniture & Lighting, York artist Mark Hearld and St Jude’s, alongside artist Jeff Koons in the US.

All the work happens in Boltby in a former waterworks, a voluminous space filled with tools, machines and skeleton bones waiting to be resurrected as chairs. Marcus lives in York with the writer and biographer Lisa Chaney but spends his days in this quietly busy place. Alongside him are his assistant Lawrence Dowson, a former chef, and Blaise the dog.

There is wood in the burner too – just as well as it’s a chilly day.

Marcus sits me in one of his chairs.

“It’s a reading chair, it’s not really a dining chair because it’s probably a bit low and a bit big,” he says. “It’s not a slobbing lounge chair as I imagine sitting and reading. Or talking, a talking chair.”

We are here to talk, so that fits, and

PLANE SAILING: Woodworker Marcus Jacka, who set up the furniture business Non Standard, in his studio in Boltby, near Thirsk. Mr Jacka originally trained as a physicist.