From the road, the group of buildings look like many of the neighbouring well-maintained, pleasingly arranged farmsteads in the verdant landscape of south Co Cork. These outbuildings serve a different purpose but nod respectfully to a past where farm animals were sheltered and where crops were stored.

Today’s owner, is threshing in a different field to his ancestors. He is, however, like his forebears, still working with nature – producing internationally acclaimed works in ash rather than food. The complex a few miles northeast of Kinsale, close to the villages of Belgooly and Riverstick, is the location of the Joseph Walsh Studio.

The carefully restored thatched cottage at the entrance is now a meeting place and canteen for a group of talented and imaginative people who are creating a range of furniture and other works, described by the Wall Street Journal as “sensually stunning and technically brilliant”.

Joseph Walsh, a self-taught furniture designer and maker, founded the studio and workshop in 1999. He works with a wide range of material including marble, copper, glass and wood. Ash has been the material of choice for Walsh for much of his career, although he also uses other species including sycamore, oak and walnut.

Ash is a versatile wood with strength and elasticity, characteristics required especially for the large-scale pieces he has been designing in recent years. For example his piece Magnus Celesti lives up to its “great heavenly” claim as this free-form sculpture made from layers of ash emerges from a desk and spirals to the ceiling of the Artist House, Roche Court, in Wiltshire, where it is installed.

Galleries

Before entering the workshop, Walsh discusses some of his pieces that are housed in galleries around the world as well as works in progress such as a commission to produce a large-scale wall piece in ash for a church in Verona, Italy. Designed to support candle holders, it will span 80ft and will be constructed in the workshop before it is reassembled in the church later this year.

Walsh and his team had acquired an international reputation by the time the economic downturn hit Ireland so they concentrated on the export market from 2008. “We actually grew during the recession and the scale of our commissions changed, so that today we are not dependant on what is happening domestically,” he says.

“We try not to work too far ahead because each piece we make is unique and obviously the design language is constantly evolving so you don’t need to have long-term commitments – over five years – because by then you might want to do something completely different. However, we have a good sense of what we will be doing up until the end of 2017.”

Using ash requires knowledge and understanding of the wood. As Walsh admits, it is not an easy medium. “It’s got a lot of attitude but the information exists on how to use it, but you have to be precise in detailing,” he maintains. “You cannot afford to have a ‘more or less’ attitude.”

Sketches

The whole process begins with some free sketches followed by model making. While he would love to use homegrown ash, he relies on imports from France because the required material is not available in Ireland.

“The hardwood mills in France tend to have a niche market and take a long view to sawmilling,” he says. “They examine trees with an eye to craftsmanship rather than looking at volume running through the mill. They are sensitive to the wood’s characteristics and saw it in the best possible way.”

This approach allows both the mill and the client to maximise the quality and the value of each log. “The team can spend up to 2,000 hours on a piece,” says Walsh, stressing the importance of beginning the process with the best material, sawn and dried to exacting standards.

The wood is reworked when it reaches the workshop. He largely avoids fixing with steel and other fittings so relies on his team of master makers and design technicians to ensure his complex pieces not only look beautiful, but stand the test of time. Making the work in the studio is just part of the process. It will need to live and breathe in its new environment and climate vastly different from Riverstick. Moisture content of the wood is measured to ensure it matches the humidity of the building in which it will be housed. He outlines the procedure after a piece leaves the studio, with engineering knowledge required when installing large pieces in museums, churches and corporate boardrooms.

While the workshop is a hive of activity, the atmosphere is serene. In one area, the finishing touches are being applied to a table, while further on, work is well advanced on a magnificent 6.5-metre bed head – headboard is too small a word for it – which has been commissioned by Chatsworth House in Derbyshire.

Common goal

Back in the cottage, the team convenes for a mid-morning break to discuss progress or just to relax before the creative and making process recommences. There is a common goal here which is to create and make objects “that possess values beyond their function or aesthetic”, according to Walsh.

He has surrounded himself with the best Irish and international craftspeople, resulting in a vibrant cultural and creative mix. He has successfully merged international craftspeople from well-established wood cultures with Irish woodworkers who are recreating a wood culture. Walsh currently employs 14 craftspeople – five Irish, two UK, two Japanese, four French and one Spanish.

They have worked in leading international studio workshops as well as graduating in renowned design colleges including the Shinrin Takumi Juku, Japan; Les Compagnons du Devoir, France; and the Furniture College Letterfrack, Galway.

Exhibits

Walsh’s work – mainly in ash – is now exhibited throughout the world in collections such as the Museum of Arts and Design, New York; Mint Museum of Craft & Design, Charlotte, North Carolina; National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History, Dublin; the Devonshire Collection, Chatsworth House; the Embassy of Japan, Dublin; and Rafael Vinoly, Uruguay. He is proud of the international recognition but is equally proud that his work is featured in his own county including the Sacred Heart Church, Minane Bridge, St Mary’s Church, Innishannon, and the Inchydoney Lodge and Spa Hotel.

The project therefore is not just a triumph for Walsh and his team, but a major initiative in creating a wood culture in Ireland. The only regrettable note in the whole enterprise is that Walsh’s aim of sourcing home-grown ash may never be realised as ash dieback takes hold in Irish woodlands.

However, he and his team will source other species and other natural materials to ensure that the Joseph Walsh Studio continues as a leading international centre of excellence in design.