About Our Carpentry and Joinery Services
— Good afternoon, Dmitry! I must admit, this is my first interview with someone in your profession. What’s the correct term — are you a joiner or a carpenter? Tell us, how long have you been working with wood?
— Hello. My profession is called a joiner, or to be more precise — a cabinetmaker. I started working with wood in childhood; I always liked to make things. When I was 7 years old, I remember how my brother and I, without any help from adults, made a birdhouse. That was my first creation. I was lucky to be born into a family of artists, and for as long as I can remember, I was surrounded by creative, passionate people — my parents’ friends — which undoubtedly influenced my future path.
— One of my degrees is in wood processing technology. In Russia, I worked for a long time as a cabinetmaker and ran a private workshop producing exclusive furniture. I am currently the head of a carpentry and furniture workshop in Montenegro, where, together with my assistants, I make custom wood products and furniture.
— In my opinion, this is a profession that is always in demand — in any country and at any time. Was this the reason you decided to open a carpentry workshop in Montenegro? Has the idea lived up to your expectations? Is there demand among the local population, the Montenegrins?
— Despite the dominance of chipboard furniture, there have always been — and always will be — people who appreciate natural wood. It’s a kind of life philosophy, like healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle in general. When I decided to take up carpentry in Montenegro, I understood very well that competition in this field here is high and the consumer market is very, very small. Still, the desire to do what I love outweighed everything. Talking about high profitability in this business here is not really possible for a number of reasons. First of all, it’s the extremely high prices of many materials and tools. Compared to Russia, for example, they can be up to 10 times more expensive! Montenegro is not the kind of country where you come to make money. It’s a country you need to love to live in. As for local demand, we haven’t seen much of it so far, but I hope that will change. Most of our clients are people from the former USSR and from Europe.
— How long have you been living in Montenegro? What made you move there, and why did you choose Budva?
— We’ve been living in Montenegro permanently for two years. The reason for the move is a story of its own. Budva is a city of contrasts. Wild summer fun gives way to a calm winter life. We chose it mainly for its convenient location. But I must say that all Montenegrin towns are good in their own way — it’s just not possible to live in all of them at once.
Types of Wood We Use
— Tell our readers about the specifics of your work: what services your company offers, pricing, and deadlines. What is the main focus of your business, and what is your “signature” style or favorite kind of project? Do you make custom furniture or do you also offer ready-made designs? What types of wood do you work with?.. I think many will be interested in these details.
— The main focus of our company is the production of non-standard woodwork and furniture made to individual sizes — basically, things you can’t buy in a regular store. Our top priority is the quality of our products. We use the most modern technologies and the best materials available within the client’s budget. Our possibilities are limited only by the client’s imagination and wallet. We mainly work with solid hardwoods like oak, beech, maple, and ash. However, we often work with softwoods too. Sometimes we get orders involving exotic wood species. To reduce the final price, we often use veneered MDF panels and plywood. We try to avoid chipboard because of its toxicity. We work only by order — I don’t see the point in making things for stock, as that becomes mass production. As for pricing and deadlines — everything is very individual and depends on workload and project complexity. My favorite style is probably classic English furniture. I’ve recreated quite a lot of it in Russia — in various types and sizes. But I never focus on one style only. For example, here in Montenegro, we often make decorative beams and interior elements with an antique look. That’s also an interesting area. It’s always a pleasure to create elegant pieces that fit harmoniously into an interior or exterior — especially when the whole design is well thought out. In that regard, the Italians are the best — there’s a lot to learn from them. That said, Montenegro also has some very interesting and high-level designers. We have close partnerships with some of them. We’re always open to new professional contacts and invite talented architects and designers to collaborate on mutually beneficial terms.
— Dmitry, tell us, is it a myth or reality — at least in the country we are currently in — that custom-made furniture is cheaper than store-bought furniture, as claimed by some locals? Is this really the case? Of course, when it comes to individuality, it’s clear: dimensions, personal taste — no argument there. But what about the variety of materials used for furniture facades and the furniture itself — does your company offer an assortment that can compete with local furniture stores?
— The idea that custom-made furniture is cheaper is a misconception that makes me smile. Apparently, some locals still think with a mindset from the Soviet era, when factory-made things were considered expensive. But when it comes to one-off or small-batch production, overhead costs are many times higher. Think about it: how can I compete with a production line that puts out hundreds of doors per shift? The essence of my work lies in individuality, and individuality can’t be cheap. The final price includes not only the actual manufacturing, but also project design, client consultations, material delivery, tooling production, equipment adjustment — and many other things I can’t even list. All of this takes a huge amount of time. The larger the batch, the lower the costs. Just look at the Chinese — they produce millions of items, hence the price.
On the other hand, our production is very flexible. We can easily switch from one type of product to another. Today it might be a dining set, tomorrow — dog houses (laughs). We are in a completely different niche. As for assortment — furniture showrooms are not our competitors. We can make a copy of almost any item from virtually any type of wood, and it will look no worse than the original. But more often we develop something from scratch, based on a sketch or a photo, and taking into account the customer’s wishes.
— Where do you get your materials — wood and fittings? Which countries do you work with in this regard? Is it easy to clear such products through customs? Have you ever had any difficulties?
— It’s quite complicated in Montenegro. Due to low demand, the range of materials is small and generally expensive. We import a lot from Germany, Serbia, Russia, and China — and because of customs markups, that’s also not cheap. But we haven’t had any problems with customs clearance.
— Dmitry, what plans do you have in general for Montenegro and specifically for your business? Possibly expanding your range of services, rebranding, increasing staff?..
— There’s a joke: «If you want to make God laugh — tell Him about your plans.» It’s hard to plan anything in today’s world, with crises and conflicts everywhere. But if demand grows, we’ll grow too. I really hope that the turmoil in brotherly Ukraine doesn’t reduce the number of our orders. There’s a big problem with staffing — probably worldwide. Finding a highly qualified specialist is extremely difficult — my colleagues in the U.S. and Germany say the same thing. That’s why I do all the critical work myself. In the near future, we plan to install CNC equipment, which will greatly speed up the work and reduce the amount of manual labor.
— Do you see potential for the country’s development and your personal growth with it?
— Montenegro definitely has great potential. Such a unique combination of nature and climate can’t help but attract people who want to enjoy it. If effort is put into increasing their number, the economic situation in the country will improve — and so will our business. Without a doubt, an increase in real estate buyers will automatically bring an increase in the number of our clients.
— As is tradition: your contact details so future clients can easily find and reach you.
We’ll be happy to see you on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GoldenRatioMontenegro
— Dmitry, thank you very much for the interview! We wish you creative success and plenty of work!
— Thank you!
