French cabinetmaker Olivier Thouret has worked with wood for over 30 years, but it wasn’t until about three years ago that he began experimenting with epoxy resin. Now, along with his son Louis, Thouret is looking to take the combination of wood and resin to new heights—including up the stairs. “It’s a completely different product from what we encounter everywhere,” Thouret says of his oak stair treads. Thouret, who operates Meubles Thouret in Jura, France, tears the oak pieces in his shop using a proprietary method and bonds them “with the most transparent and perfect epoxy resin possible,” he says. The result is a one-of-a-kind look at wood splinters suspended in a clear resin that connects the tread. Thouret also makes tables, benches, doors and more using his technique. “We work with individuals, architects and professionals of all kinds in order to develop our product as well as possible,” he says. So, if you ever wondered whether you can keep mastering new techniques after 30-plus years in the biz, the answer seems as clear as Thouret’s epoxy resin.
