Tobias Pütz goes by The German Woodworker because—well, that’s basically all you need to know, he said.

Woodworking has essentially been his life since he was growing up in Germany. He’s always had a fondness in working with his hands, using his creativity to create new things. He’s quick to point out that unlike in the United States, woodworkers there needed three years of education in the craft before they were able to get a license and officially start work in the business. But that was close to 40 years ago. And he’s been creating tables, cabinets, chairs or really whatever strikes his fancy or his clients’ fancy ever since. “If you are a woodworker in Germany, you have to know how to build just about anything,” he says.

Pütz and his wife Doris moved to Naples in 2019. They had visited before, but the sunshine became infectious. He had a successful business in Dusseldorf, and she was a sales manager at a steel company. But under the mantra, “no risk no fun,” they made the move.

They’ve primarily built their business through word of mouth. Pütz is known for unique or whimsical takes on common pieces; he’s worked with the Aldo Castillo Gallery before on several projects, including a shelving unit incorporating a blue sculpture of a woman that had been split into five pieces. He uses epoxy in some cases to fill in imperfections in the wood or to create a whole new piece, such as the table that has a winding river of blue down the center. “I’ll take a look at something and say, ‘Let’s make something fun,” he says.

Even through a pandemic and a hurricane that put knee-deep water into his Naples studio, he’s still committed to life in the Sunshine State. “I can run around all year in shorts,” he says with a laugh. “Sure beats Germany.”