FLORIAN ROEPER

Florian Roeper learned to see before he learned to make. Growing up across Germany and Italy before arriving in California, a life in constant motion between cultures sharpened his acute capacity for observation. Materials, for Roeper, are a form of language — to master a craft is to extract and communicate the essence of each material, and to inspire an emotional reaction in the objects we live with. His work draws from a European sensibility where beauty and rigor are inseparable, and every piece bears the unmistakable mark of the maker.

Roeper received his BFA in sculpture and furniture in 2003 from California College of the Arts under the mentorship of Donald Fortescue. In the same year, upon completing an apprenticeship under California master craftsman, Al Garvey, he founded Studio Roeper.

Each table is handcrafted in Napa Valley from sustainably-sourced California Black Walnut — a material Roeper has come to know intimately through decades of sourcing, milling, and seasoning fallen trees from throughout Northern California.

Every piece begins with selection. Roeper presents clients with some of the world's most unique and rare California Black Walnut slabs, discussing grain patterns, natural features, and finish. The slab is paired with one of Roeper's signature bases in wood, bronze, or steel, designed to complement the walnut's natural beauty. Every surface is milled, joined, and finished by hand in Roeper's state-of-the-art woodshop using traditional techniques refined over twenty-five years.