I have been taking a little break in the Spotted Photo Challenge that Hanna is hosting this year. When the topic vintage was announced I was like I don’t have anything that would qualify as vintage. But my parents have a whole building that is vintage. And there is an old wood working workshop from my great grandpa. It ran until the 1960’s when he retired somewhere in his high 70th. While my dad did an apprenticeship he never took over. So it’s like a time capsule of old machinery and tools. Over the years I have captured this workshop multiple times.
In recent years it has changed. When my parents build the sauna above, the entire ceiling had to be removed and stabilized. That resulted in modernizing of the workshop with white washed walls and some clean up. While it is better to use now (and it is still fully functional) it has lost a bit of charm. For safety reasons my dad also replaced the old stove – however, he managed to find the exact model through eBay Kleinanzeigen/craigslist and picked it up. Not sure how he managed that as it weights half a ton or so.
The header photo shows a wall in the machinery room. The papers glued to the wall are mainly safety instructions for the saws and milling and planing machines. One however is a lengthy article on how marzipan is made. Why it hangs there… no one knows. An inside joke among former wood workers?
photo taken July, 23rd, 2016 in Nossdorf, Germany
Vintage – Postcard
If Í had to take one iconic photo from this workshop it would be exactly this still life. It has been like this for the past 40 years. I remember as a kid reading this card and finding it funny. These days I read it and can only nod as the sentiment still holds true. It says: “Don’t be annoyed, just wonder and smile quietly.” Who hang that up? What kind of day did they have in the workshop?
photo taken July, 23rd, 2016 in Nossdorf, Germany
Vintage – Workshop
This is a pretty perfect capture of how this workshop looks like. It is a mess. Usually everyone is dumping stuff in here that needs to be repaired, taken out of the way, burnt, hacked to pieces or if one doesn’t know what to do with it yet.
My parents had their engagement party here. Everything moved to the side to have a dance floor. I learned how to use a hammer here, a saw, how to make fire… We spend days in here. We played in here. We searched cats in here. This is where life happened. Where we would go on adventures and find hidden treasures. At the beginning we found lots of paper embossed flowers. They were used to nail onto coffins back in the day. And during the war no one wanted furniture but everyone needed coffins. They looked pretty though.
Through the door in the back you had the machinery room. When my dad was working in there we would have to wait at the door waiting until he turned of the machines. Never to approach him from the back or scare him. And the door was closed as to not have dust come into the other room where things were glued and polished and varnished.
The cupboard with the open door holds all the screws and nails and nuts and what not. These things got sorted many times and rummaged through. But there are some copper nails and old vintage ones that my dad keeps an eye on. Those are not to be used unless to restore an old piece.
photo taken November 24th, 2018 in Nossdorf, Germany
Vintage – Book of Commissions
This was a real treasure I found one day roaming the little room where all the paints and varnishes are stored. I am not able to completely read it all but it holds dates of 1952. I think it talks about a bed room set in birch to be ready at August 30th. And then listing what gets done at what date. I assume this is my great grandpas writing. It could be my grandma though as she was keeping books at some time I think. And my great grandpa must have been in his late 50s by then. I am not sure.
photo taken March 11th, 2014 in Nossdorf, Germany
Vintage – Chairs
This is my latest discovery when I was there for my weekend with myself. I was wandering the workshop for no reason at all – just to have a look as one does. And the morning light was just so perfect. It always is extra special with all the wood dust and spider webs. And this stack of old chairs caught my eye. Apparently my dad is planning on fixing them as they are most likely a bit wobbly. This was a big discussion anytime I grew up. In that household (my grandmas and my childhood one) heat was not allowed to rock a chair. Everyone knew the length you had to go through to fix a chair. First het the joins so the glue is getting warm, then remove the old glue with a rag. After that sand down any remains. Make sure the joints were still intakt and not splintered before heating up the glue (it’s usually bone glue) apply it, glue it, screw clamp it and wait.
photo taken November 8th, 2025 in Nossdorf, Germany
Have you ever been to a wood workshop? Do you love these old places or do they creep you out? Have you ever found writing from your great grandparents?
10 comments
You certainly found the perfect vintage items for the photo challenge. What an amazing place to explore. I love that you found things from your great grandparents there as well, definitely a treasure!
It’s so cool to find these things. The commission book was a big surprise because I had never seen that before.
This is a wonderful place, so full of your family’s history. I love seeing the old tools, the quirky signs, and the feeling that it was a well-used place. Our ranch shop still has my father-in-law’s old tools, and vintage coffee cans full of rusty nuts, screws, nails, and other items that don’t fit anywhere. It’s still a working shop, but there’s a lot of history there, too. I really enjoyed your photos, Tobia!
Old coffee cans to hold screws, nuts and nails seems to be an universal usage.
I’d love to see you place if you ever run out of content to share.
Happy you enjoyed this little tour.
These photos and the memories you share- like exploring as a child, so sweet and interesting. I was always trying to make something out of whatever I could find in our garage, and a workshop like this would have been my dream. Thanks for sharing.
It’s definitely a dream and it was exciting. Even if we didn’t do any woodworking it was a place of wonder. We made candles there and just watched dad or sorted nails and what not.
These photos are amazing – this post really felt like a tour to your family’s workshop. There is so much – a picture really does say a thousand words.
It’s only a fraction of all the books and crannies one can discover there. Maybe I’ll do a second part.
What a wonderful place filled with history. I love it!
I’m a fan of any place where creativity happens because I love all the mess, materials, tools of the trade and so on. Thanks for sharing this gem Tobia.
It’s such a fun place for sure and yes lots of creativity happening there.