Carved by Croatian craftsmen, sculptural Logniture furniture celebrates the beauty and mystery of the natural world with a style that is both ancient and modern.





From the Forests of Croatia to Your Home: Sculptural Custom Carved Log Furniture




by Ben Genocchio 




Logniture makes furniture with wood. But unlike most furniture makers, they do not cut down living trees but seek out downed trees toppled by storms or salvage driftwood from creeks in Croatia, where the brand is headquartered. Once a piece of natural wood is selected, they do not seek to impose a design on it but allow the wood to ‘speak,’ to reveal the final form “as it was always meant to be.” Incollect sat down with lead designer Marko Milic to talk about the inspiration behind his unique approach to furniture design. 




The Veles series, named for the Veles, the Slavic god of nature, magic, and musicians. Each piece is unique, carved in the moment, with the knots, grain, and fissures in the wood directing the artistic process. Left: The expansive Veles Armchair. Right: The intriguing asymmetrical Veles Chair with tree knot seat detail.



What do you specialize in as a designer and design brand?

We specialize in carving unique and original pieces of art. As our brand name Logniture suggests, our work is made from logs transformed into various types of furniture such as coffee tables, stools, bar chairs, bar tables, armchairs, dining chairs, thrones, bathtubs, sinks, etc. Each piece is carved from a single log with the form of a sculpture in mind.



How did you come to be a furniture designer?

My father was a carpenter and worked with wood his whole life, and he was also experienced in carving sculptures. I wanted to unite them into one, to make a piece of furniture as a sculpture. The first models came into creation just as I finished high school, and they were rough and primitive in style. I saw the raw potential in those pieces and wanted to evolve this idea and bring it to another creative level.




Pair our Perun hi-top table (left) and Makha bar stools (right) to create a convivial spot for conversation and refreshments. Makha bar stools feature a comfortable curved backrest and multiple options for footrests.



When did you begin this journey? 

Our story only started in 2019. In this short time, there has been a major evolution of our brand, with the furniture we produce just getting better and better, coupled with the introduction of many new ideas, new materials, and new creativity.



Tell us about the furniture you make and what sets you apart from other makers.

What sets us apart from the market is that we are the only manufacturer that specializes in making furniture from single pieces of wood as a work of art. There are other styles of log furniture, of course, but they are made with a completely different creative philosophy and in a different style. What also separates us from the majority of the market is that we dedicate ourselves to every single piece we make, and each piece is unique with no repetition or editions.




Side tables are carved to enhance the unique characteristics of each log. They can also be used as display pedestals. Left: The flowing pattern of swirling grain and growth rings is emphasized by the smooth simplicity of this table’s shape and surface. Right: Spalting, knots, and fissures are dramatic characteristics that dictated a bold sculptural form for this table.



How does a design or form begin, with an idea, or does it come from the material?

It is a combination of both. Each piece tells its own story, and we are here to reveal it. And sometimes, we carve our own story into the piece by how we feel in the given moment.



When do you know a piece is finished?

We don't have formal training or an academic education in art, or the art of sculpture, so I don't have an answer for you! We don't analyze it too much, everything is done by feeling. If we look at it and are happy with it and there is nothing to change, it is finished. Of course, there are also technical standards that have to be met before something is finished.



A fabulously dreamy hand-carved wooden bathtub from Logniture. This one is installed on a private island in the Seychelles.



Is there a design you have made or are currently making that you are excited about and why?

I am excited about some new large projects, like our bathtubs carved from huge tree trunks. For now, only one has been finished and it resides on a private island in the Seychelles, so I would have to pick it as my favorite piece to date. I am most excited about it because, as much as our other work is stunning and unique, there is just another level of reaction/surprise when people see our bathtubs. They take so much time and dedication to make, that you instantly connect with them and their creativity.



Do you design in collections or the pieces individually?

Each piece is designed individually, but each series shares the same style, so they can form a beautiful collection together on display.




In Logniture’s Burnt Oak Series, each table is a unique one-off piece. At left, a table with a dynamic angular form suggests movement. At right, biomorphic shapes are joined with brass rods to create a contrast with the ebony finish of the wood.



You live and work in Croatia. What is special about that location?

Croatia is naturally beautiful with so much nature, plus the studio is located in a very small village with a population of 50–90 people, surrounded by forests and swamps. Growing up and living in such an environment leaves an impact on you and your thinking and gives a different point of view on nature and the world in general. 



Is nature an important source of inspiration for ideas, not just a source of materials?

Absolutely. Nature plays a huge part as an inspiration and a motivation in creating. We live in nature, we breathe nature, and that is what we want to give to our clients, a piece of nature in its finest, refined state.



Only naturally fallen trees or driftwood are used in creating Logniture furniture. A tree this size is probably 300 years old and will have a spectacular array of growth rings and graining.



It seems beauty is important to you and particularly, beauty in nature. 

As I have already mentioned, nature is embodied in all of us. It has always been a part of our lives, even if we've not noticed it. We like promoting the beauty of nature in today's age where everything is artificial and man-made with modern materials that are cold and emotionless. We all belong to nature, and we think that our furniture is a perfect way to get closer to it.



Are there other designers or artists, living or not, who work with similar themes that you really admire?

The only artist I am aware of who has done similar work to us is Jeffro Uitto. As far as I know, he works primarily with driftwood and creates stunning animal-inspired sculptures. His portfolio of work also includes some chainsaw-carved chairs.




Pieces from the Satyrs Series feature colored resin detail, used on surfaces or as colorful accents to fill fissures. Left: The Satyrs Chair/Stool with green resin surface and fissure accent. Right: The Satyrs Side Table with blue-green resin fissure accents.



Do you work mostly on commission for private clients these days? Can clients order a collection of work?

Both. Clients order specific individual works from our collections, but there are also a fair number of our clients who ask for something new to be built on commission just for them.



The forests of Croatia are an endless source of inspiration and kindled Logniture designer Marko Milic’s experiments in photography.



You also create nature photographs in addition to furniture. Is this something new for you?

It happened at roughly the same time. As I started working on branding and marketing our creations, there was a need for high-quality images, and so I started taking photographs. I fell in love with the medium and started experimenting with it. I started photographing the natural world around me, then advanced to macro photography and abstraction, and that is where I have found my preferred style. 



What do you look for when you are creating photographs? 

I specialize in abstract macro photography of small fragments in nature where I express entities as animalistic shapes, or pure energy full of life, motion, and meaning. Seeking the uncommon in common things, exploring the unexplored, that is what I am looking for in an image.



And for your abstract work?

In my abstract work, I capture tree bark or melting ice that changes its structure every second and is about to disappear. I freeze it for one last time, but this time, permanently, into my camera and then onto the photo paper. Interestingly, every viewer tends to see something different in my abstract work, whether it be an animalistic shape or a pure energy that sparks their eyes. 




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