Giossi & Kuhn is a design/build shop founded in 2015 specializing in custom furniture and interior work. We create functional stand-alone pieces and installations designed to be an integral part of your day-to-day life.
Matt Giossi
Matt is a native Rhode Islander that cut his teeth working in the trades. As luck would have it, he found his way to the doorstep of furniture designer and maker, Hank Gilpin in Lincoln, RI. Matt worked alongside Hank for over 12 years, honing his ability to cut joinery and learning the craft of building and designing hardwood furniture.
Over this time, Matt gained a deep understanding of wood, aesthetic scaling, design and craftsmanship. From how to read the grain of rough sawn lumber to allowing the wood to dictate the shapes of each piece to the various reactions that can result from the way a log was cut and dried, there is always some new detail to learn.
If he’s not working in the shop on the weekends, you can often find Matt running around forests of New England with his two children and dog Cooper in search of the next geological gem to climb. Climbing has become another fun method of creative problem solving which keeps his mind sharp for the parallel undertakings in his shop life.
Ron Kuhn Jr.
Providence based furniture maker Ron Kuhn has been working to refine his craft since 2013. After completing a year-long apprenticeship under Hank Gilpin, he stayed on as a full-timer. This experience fostered Ron’s reverence for our domestic forests as well as the pragmatic joinery that can endure the test of time.
Ron engages with wood in a variety of forms, from tree identification and dendrology to his appreciation for the traditional elements of Danish and Japanese design. His furniture and sculptural works highlight the unique characteristics of a wide variety of hard and softwood species, accenting the curiosities and growth patterns that appear within each. His creative and constructive techniques are informed by fine cabinet making and historical methods of furniture composition and reductive shaping.
When Ron is not in the shop, you can typically find him hiking with his wife, Carrie, and their dog Lenny out in the woods of New England. He also enjoys playing music, cooking, and illustrating.
If there is one thing that really sets us apart from other makers, it is our knowledge of the material we work in. From the way each species likes to be worked, to the intrinsic properties that make them inherently better suited for a specific purpose. We have worked over 130 different species of wood, and are always looking to expand that list.
In addition, being well versed in hand shaping and joinery allows us to draw and sculpt forms that aren’t subject to the limitations of machine work. The end result is something that isn’t easily replicated, and truly one of a kind.
