“Where it’s possible I use sustainable or reclaimed products. I try to cycle to jobs, use local suppliers and, by working out of Edinburgh Open Workshop, I feel I am using a very sustainable, green space where we are not wasting resources.

“I still feel very nostalgic about working with scaffold boards. They are affordable and you can do anything with them. They are special as they have had quite a life before – holding the weight of hundreds of workers, having paint and materials splashed on them. When I collect them they look so old and used but just a little sand and oil and they can last another 50 years as a beautiful piece of furniture.”

Marcin joined EOW as a member in December 2021. Until then he had been building everything from under an awning in his garden, which was becoming tiring and increasingly difficult.

He says: “I had no direct access to the street, everything was taking so long and I was getting wet. I did an internet search and found EOW. I liked the sound of it being an open community and it meant that I wouldn’t have to purchase and maintain my own tools.

“Out of curiosity I decided to take out a membership to test it on one project. It cost me £120 but considering I finished the job in 3 days, when it would have taken 2 to 3 weeks to complete in my garden, I ended up saving money.”

While Marcin avoids taking inspiration from other makers or from the internet, preferring a journey of self-observation and exploration in his work, he does value the help and support he has received at EOW.

He says: “Before I joined I was not very good at asking questions of other people but that changed when I came here. The other makers are so generous with their time and the help and advice they give, and I would never have progressed without them.”

Over the last two years Marcin says he has noticed a trend amongst Edinburgh residents wishing to truly utilise the space they have, particularly the high ceilings where the extra height is generally wasted. By building mezzanine floors he helps homeowners make the most of their homes and increase the usable area.

“It’s important for me to feel like I’m a good fit with the customer. I like to visit the home first and do some brainstorming together so I can understand what they want to achieve and get an idea of their tastes. It’s a two-way process.”

“Generally, customers come to me through word-of-mouth and my Facebook page is just a way of displaying my work and letting them know a little bit more about me as a person. My clients could buy something in IKEA but instead they want something unique, using materials that are purchased locally, and giving work to a local maker.”

Having embraced yoga, meditation and cold-water therapy during lockdown, Marcin now runs retreats in his spare time, offering other people the chance to try some of the techniques that he has found so valuable and rewarding. It’s perhaps not surprising therefore that his dream project also centres around giving back to others and embracing a fulfilling and self-sustaining way of life.

“My ambition is to get some land and build tiny wooden houses for my friends and family who choose to live there. I would convert sheds and outbuildings into workshops, saunas and areas for habitation. What I’m doing now is providing small steps towards this dream. I’m always looking at things with a critical eye and thinking about how I would improve it or develop existing ideas for my wooden houses.”

Marcin takes up his full-time residency at EOW in August and is looking forward to the opportunities this will give him in terms of unlimited time to explore more creative forms of woodworking.

“I am looking forward to learning new things and starting a new chapter in my life. It will offer me a chance to change the format of my profession. But that’s not to say I don’t love what I’m doing now. I get such a great feeling of satisfaction when I have finished a project and everything is straight and neat and painted. It reminds me of when I was a boy playing with Lego blocks and that incredible sense of achievement when you have finished making your creation.”

Photo credits to Connor Shankland.