Rising Stars: Meet Matt Brenn of Wake Forest

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Brenn

Hi Matt, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I got my start in woodworking from a very young age. My grandfather was a cabinetmaker, and I grew up hanging around his shop and watching him work. In high school and college I always held summer jobs that kept me tethered to woodworking: scenic carpentry, trim work, etc.

After college, I went to grad school and pursued my Phd in philosophy. After teaching for a few years, I realized my true passion lied in how I was raised: woodworking. As soon as I could, I left academia, moved to Chicago, and took an apprenticeship from a top-tier cabinetmaker in the city. I never looked back. I spent three years in Chicago learning as much as I could from some of the premier woodworkers in the Midwest, pushing myself to get better every day.

From Chicago I moved to North Carolina, where I became general manager of a well-known furniture company in the Raleigh area. When that company sold to a set of foreign investors, my wife and I decided to start our own business, built around high-quality, solid wood pieces.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not at all. There’s a reason why it’s called woodwork and not wood-play. The job and life of a woodworker isn’t easy. It’s tough on your body, and incredibly mentally taxing. Throw small business ownership on that and you’ve got a trifecta of physical stress and mental angst.

One of the biggest struggles in this industry is confidence. From TV networks like HGTV, to the Makers Channel, to the endless stream of DIY videos, everyone and their uncle seems like they could be professional woodworkers. But that just isn’t the case. There’s a legacy here to uphold. Hundreds of years of tried and true methods to learn and perfect and follow. And not everyone has that.

In any over-saturated industry, it can be a challenge to have faith in the fact that you’re one of the folks who truly does possess a knowledge base and skillset that sets you apart from many others. I’ve worked hard over the last decade to come into my own with that confidence.

And I’d be lying if I said that that confidence came easy. In professional furniture making, you’re only as good as the last piece you sold, so for me there’s a direct link between confidence and staying busy with new work.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Broadly, I specialize in 100% custom furniture. My design work has been mainly in working directly with clients to take their ideas and bring them to life. This means translating their visions into structurally sound and aesthically pleasing pieces of furniture.

More specifically, for the past several years, I’ve turned towards custom entertainment furniture. This has ranged from solid wood ping pong tables, shuffleboard tables, barstools, and game tables.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I’ve had numerous mentors in my career as a furniture maker. A couple master craftsmen in particular–Rick and George–played a particularly significant role in instilling in me the drive it takes to master this craft. Both of these teachers modeled for me the care and dedication it takes to make high-quality pieces.

The person I owe everything to, however, is my wife, Amanda. She has a good eye and a level head. She always asks me the questions I need to find answers to, and she challenges me to keep pushing when times are hard. She’s more than just my business partner or my better half–she’s the pilot light that keeps my flame burning.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.brenellidesign.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brenelli_design/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551379963515