Interview | May 2025

On Thursday 15^th May, we will be hosting an evening in our store where you can drink wine, meet Otis and listen to him talk us through the stages of production at Otzi: from the careful selection of sustainable woods and leathers to the handcrafting techniques that define their work. Steps will be explained in detail, providing a deeper understanding of how Otzi creates timeless, bespoke pieces that balance heritage with modern design. It’s an opportunity to talk with the makers, ask questions, and discover the dedication that goes into creating high-quality furniture that is designed to last. The evening is free, you just need to sign up through Eventbrite here so we know you’re coming. 

To grab yourself a free ticket, click the link below.

In Norwich, East Anglia, UK. I both live and work with my wife, Isabelle.

We moved to Norwich during the pandemic, just in time to have our first daughter. It was becoming harder to find a suitable workshop on any reasonable budget in London - I had been relocating more and more frequently and further afield, and space was always a big limitation. As we were both born and raised in London, it was a difficult decision to make, but we love it here and being in Norwich has allowed us to grow our business.

It’s close to abundant nature, wildlife, and the sea! The city itself is beautiful, has a wonderful history and historical collection of buildings. In fact, Norwich once was one of the great shoemaking cities of the UK. It feels possible to pursue a creative work practice here, which is reflected in the high numbers of makers now based in Norfolk and Suffolk.

I’ve been working with leather for almost 15 years now, starting practically straight after university. After making a few personal projects and falling in love with the material I took an informal apprenticeship with Bill Amberg Studio before naively striking out on my own. I’ve been honing my craft since then, and developed some of my interior objects during that time, which were starting to be stocked in places like RW Guild in NY and The New Craftsmen in London. I completed an MA in Product & Furniture design at Kingston in 2019 and I started building Otzi, the company, in earnest shortly after that.

We design and hand make high quality furniture and interior objects. My aim is to recontextualise traditional leatherwork. I love the material and the craft and I want to adapt them to more contemporary settings and pieces. It’s important to me that Otzi is a champion of traditional British craftsmanship, both in leatherwork and woodwork, which is appreciated and valued around the world. I find the possibilities of developing new work so exciting – whether it’s for our own collection, or from an external design brief.

I like to think about how to use a technique or the material in a novel way. There is endless potential in leather and timber, and they work incredibly well together. I focus on a detail like how the material moves, bends, interacts with another material; then I think about what that could be used for and extrapolate it into a whole piece. I design pieces that have a very strong aesthetic character, and are heavily considered in their form and their detail – I think that’s how you make work endure beyond seasons and trends.

We use leather, wood, sheepskin, and linen. Leather is a byproduct and wood is regenerative so they’re very sustainable materials when responsibly sourced, produced, and utilised. The leather is traditionally pit-tanned with bark (which is itself a byproduct from the timber industry) or vegetable tanned; the timber is native hardwood. When you consider the lifespan of a piece made well with those high quality materials – they maintain both their aesthetic and performance for a long time – these pieces are very environmentally friendly.

The leather mostly comes from a close partner of ours – J&FJ Baker, in Devon. The timber is generally from domestic managed woodland and is milled locally.

The Mesa daybed in wild deer suede is a favourite of mine – it’s a complex and refined piece that uses every person in our workshop to make, and the material is particularly sustainable.

Our log basket is one of the pieces I developed back in 2016 and it is still really popular today. It showcases the true quality and character of the best leather, utilising most of a butt of leather and celebrating the material’s animal origin.

The Mesa Daybed - www.otzi.ltd

There is a huge catalogue of amazing makers and small workshops, both historic and current,  who inspire me. Obviously, there’s Carl Auboch and Jacques Adnet – my heroes. Contemporary makers like BDDW and Jan Hendzel routinely produce incredible work.

They’re symbiotic in the process of achieving a final piece. We are craft and material led – we start with the potentials in the material and traditional craft. What I like about Otzi is that we can use the knowledge about the materials and techniques within the team to work up towards developing ideas that will contribute towards a design. The design must be excellent and must work both functionally and aesthetically, but it’s based on explorations of how to craft the materials in innovative and meaningful ways.

Tim invited me to the Grenson factory, and I was blown away by all of the processes involved and their dedication to making shoes in the proper way. We agreed to collaborate on something and when we got the opportunity Tim thought the quintessential industrial stool would represent both partners well, as it has an iconic typology and aesthetic.

Looking after my two energetic young daughters, mostly. If I have time, I like to research craft and try my hand at something new. The joy of turning your hobby into your living is that you are never working – or am I just working in my spare time?

There’s a place called the Steam Packet in Norwich that does a lovely pint and delicious bar food. They also serve my favourite – Pinot de Charante.

Steam Packet

In London I was spoilt for choice growing up on the Uxbridge Road in Shepherd’s Bush – so many different cuisines in one place. Up here, we love a Japanese restaurant called Shiki. Or outside of Norwich is the Suffield Arms.

Suffield Arms

The Lanes in Norwich is exclusively independent stores and businesses, which is something I really appreciate about the city.

The Lanes, Norwich

I love Plantation Gardens in Norwich – it’s an Edwardian decorative garden in an abandoned chalk quarry. We also love going to Great Yarmouth on a day trip with the children – it has a fair ground, the beach, and banger racing; what more could you need?

Plantation Gardens, Norwich

Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace

99% Invisible

We always seem to end up listening to Radio 1 Xtra or David Rodigan

Com mais de 30 by Claudia – makes me feel so positive

Time and Place by Lee Moses – I love funk.

Run through the jungle by Creedence Clearwater Revival – undeniably dope.

To read all of our Off the Beaten Track interviews, click the link below: