João Ishiguro
Graduated in environmental engineering in 2009, I was always fascinated by woodworking and began dedicating myself professionally to it in 2018.
This journey was never a departure from ecology, but its most tangible expression: transforming noble material that lived for decades into permanent works capable of spanning generations.
The tree's second life & the ethics of material
Most of the hardwoods I use originate from natural tree falls in urban areas, granting a dignified second life to trees that offered so much while alive and would otherwise be destined for discard or burning.
Any additional sourced timber is strictly certified, backed by Brazilian Forest Origin Documents (DOF) and full legal supply chain transparency.
The workshop functions on minimal-waste circularity: clean wood shavings from hand planes are directed to organic composting, while offcuts are shaped into small sculptural utensils or donated to local woodcarvers in the Paraíba Valley.
The studio: silence, time, and hand tools.
Located in São José dos Campos, Brazil, the workshop is an environment dedicated to the internal rhythm of wood. Far from haste and mass automation, each slab rests until fully seasoned and stabilized before meeting the edge of a hand plane.
Traditional Japanese joinery and non-toxic natural plant wax finishes.