Michaela Raggl: The versatile planner in portrait

Michaela Raggl: The versatile planner in portrait

The traditional business is located west of Innsbruck, in the 4,100-strong community of Inzing Kirchmair carpentry. Michaela Raggl's professional dream has also come true where furniture and entire interior furnishings have been planned and implemented with high craftsmanship precision for more than a hundred years.

The 31-year-old has been with the company for three years and has had a comparatively unusual career: After graduating from the HTL for electrical engineering, she worked in a medical technology company and studied the subject for a few semesters - and then Corona came. “Everything changed for me during the pandemic and I ended up in a real crisis of meaning professionally,” says Raggl. She set up a small workshop and quickly realized that the passion she pursued as a child would shape her professional future: “My father had a small machine park at home and I was always fascinated by manual work.” A few more Corona years were to pass before Michaela Raggl finally decided to get things done in 2022. She started looking for a training company and finally found one in Inzing.

“Perfect Match”

“Kirchmair carpentry immediately appealed to me as a company and we realized during the interview that we fit together well,” continues Raggl. Thanks to her previous training in the technical area, she can quickly gain experience and quickly caught up with the rest of her apprenticeship - she has now been fully trained for two years and is fully committed to the company. She lives out her passion for craftsmanship both in the areas of planning and in the workshop. “There was actually a greater need for planning within the company, but I didn’t want to miss out on the use in production,” she laughs.

Variety is important to her: “I like it when it’s physically demanding and at the same time I appreciate it when it’s also challenging for my brain.” Together with Kirchmair managing director Christian Matt and the team, they found a perfect solution and Raggl works around 50 percent in planning and 50 percent in production. If she had the opportunity to turn back time, she would probably have started working as a carpenter straight away - at the same time, she can also put her previous life experience to good use in the craft. “It took a long time, but now I’ve finally landed.” Incidentally, she has retained her affinity for technology and this is also evident in the current operation: "We have currently switched to an innovative 3D drawing tool in the planning. I was able to actively drive the project forward and we are noticing that this area is currently gaining momentum - it's really cool to be able to contribute something." During her time at the HTL for Electrical Engineering, she was able to prove that she really has what it takes as a woman. “Sometimes women in the trades have to work twice as hard in terms of credibility in order to be seen - fortunately there is no sign of this in my current company.”

Kirchmair in Paris

But that's not the only reason why Michaela Raggl definitely wants to stay where she ended up. “I was impressed by the equipment in the workshop right from the start, it’s simply top notch.” The projects that her employer implements are also outstanding - and are known far beyond the Inn Valley simply through word of mouth: A few years ago, an apartment in Paris was completely planned and implemented by the carpentry company - right in the center, in a building that is over 400 years old with all the challenges that come with it. An apartment suitable for small families with high standards of design and aesthetics was created in the smallest of spaces. Particularly outstanding for an apartment in the Paris metropolitan area: closet and storage space was designed to be almost invisible and yet easily accessible, allowing the clear design of the apartment to stand out for itself. The bedroom, closet and bathroom are combined on one level on the upper floor, only the toilet is housed in a small side room. This concept enabled a level of spaciousness that was unusual for the size of the apartment.

In love with materials and details

The interior design of an apartment in Milan is currently being planned, and of course there are also “exciting things” in the local area – the focus is on upscale furniture carpentry with individual solutions and a high level of consulting expertise. Everything is built directly in the company, nothing is bought off the shelf. Solid woods are generally used, including oak, maple, fir or spruce - but complex reclaimed wood projects such as furnishing chalets are also implemented. In all projects, the topic of surface treatment is a matter close to the heart. In order to maintain longevity and ease of care, only natural-based oils or particularly ecologically positive water-based paint systems are used - solvent-based coatings are completely avoided. For seamless interior design elements, the solid surface material Corian has been used for 25 years, and is processed directly in the company. As a planner and “workshop aficionado”, Raggl herself is rarely on site when assembling the furniture – her expertise is already in demand when it comes to taking measurements.

This ensures that everything runs smoothly in terms of production. Finally, in-house fitters ensure that the furniture ends up where it is supposed to go with millimeter precision. And after each project, the pictures of the finished works are presented to the entire team on a large wall in the company. “That’s what makes me particularly happy – to see what comes out when we plan and implement furniture and interior design for our customers.” And who knows, maybe Michaela Raggl will soon pick up the measuring tape in Milan. www.tischlereikirhmair.at