diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index e313ff1..d3cea56 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -3,9 +3,8 @@ sudo: false
 language: java
 
 jdk:
-  - oraclejdk7
-  - openjdk7
-  - openjdk6
+  - oraclejdk8
+  - openjdk8
 
 cache:
   directories:
diff --git a/pom.xml b/pom.xml
index 271c906..9aa85d9 100644
--- a/pom.xml
+++ b/pom.xml
@@ -91,6 +91,8 @@
         <configuration>
           <source>1.6</source>
           <target>1.6</target>
+          <testSource>1.8</testSource>
+          <testTarget>1.8</testTarget>
           <fork>true</fork>
           <showDeprecation>true</showDeprecation>
           <showWarnings>true</showWarnings>
@@ -101,6 +103,7 @@
           </compilerArgs>
         </configuration>
       </plugin>
+
       <plugin>
         <groupId>org.apache.felix</groupId>
         <artifactId>maven-bundle-plugin</artifactId>
@@ -115,6 +118,7 @@
           </instructions>
         </configuration>
       </plugin>
+
 <!-- disabled due to src/main/gwt related hoseage
       <plugin>
         <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
@@ -132,6 +136,7 @@
         </executions>
       </plugin>
 -->
+
       <plugin>
         <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
         <artifactId>maven-resources-plugin</artifactId>
@@ -140,6 +145,7 @@
           <encoding>UTF-8</encoding>
         </configuration>
       </plugin>
+
       <plugin>
         <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
         <artifactId>maven-surefire-plugin</artifactId>
@@ -148,6 +154,7 @@
           <includes><include>**/*Test.java</include></includes>
         </configuration>
       </plugin>
+
       <plugin>
         <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
         <artifactId>maven-javadoc-plugin</artifactId>
@@ -158,6 +165,7 @@
           <additionalparam>-Xdoclint:all -Xdoclint:-missing</additionalparam>
         </configuration>
       </plugin>
+
       <plugin>
         <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
         <artifactId>maven-jar-plugin</artifactId>
@@ -184,6 +192,7 @@
           <maxmem>256m</maxmem>
         </configuration>
       </plugin>
+
       <plugin>
         <groupId>org.eluder.coveralls</groupId>
         <artifactId>coveralls-maven-plugin</artifactId>
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/samskivert/mustache/DefaultCollector.java b/src/main/java/com/samskivert/mustache/DefaultCollector.java
index 13d1eec..9e3a8f6 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/samskivert/mustache/DefaultCollector.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/samskivert/mustache/DefaultCollector.java
@@ -10,7 +10,9 @@ import java.lang.reflect.Method;
 
 import java.util.AbstractList;
 import java.util.Iterator;
+import java.util.LinkedHashSet;
 import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
 
 /**
@@ -41,6 +43,7 @@ public class DefaultCollector extends BasicCollector
         Mustache.VariableFetcher fetcher = super.createFetcher(ctx, name);
         if (fetcher != null) return fetcher;
 
+        // first check for a getter which provides the value
         Class<?> cclass = ctx.getClass();
         final Method m = getMethod(cclass, name);
         if (m != null) {
@@ -51,6 +54,7 @@ public class DefaultCollector extends BasicCollector
             };
         }
 
+        // next check for a getter which provides the value
         final Field f = getField(cclass, name);
         if (f != null) {
             return new Mustache.VariableFetcher() {
@@ -60,6 +64,17 @@ public class DefaultCollector extends BasicCollector
             };
         }
 
+        // finally check for a default interface method which provides the value (this is left to
+        // last because it's much more expensive and hopefully something already matched above)
+        final Method im = getIfaceMethod(cclass, name);
+        if (im != null) {
+            return new Mustache.VariableFetcher() {
+                public Object get (Object ctx, String name) throws Exception {
+                    return im.invoke(ctx);
+                }
+            };
+        }
+
         return null;
     }
 
@@ -69,15 +84,38 @@ public class DefaultCollector extends BasicCollector
     }
 
     protected Method getMethod (Class<?> clazz, String name) {
+        // first check up the superclass chain
+        for (Class<?> cc = clazz; cc != null && cc != Object.class; cc = cc.getSuperclass()) {
+            Method m = getMethodOn(cc, name);
+            if (m != null) return m;
+        }
+        return null;
+    }
+
+    protected Method getIfaceMethod (Class<?> clazz, String name) {
+        // enumerate the transitive closure of all interfaces implemented by clazz
+        Set<Class<?>> ifaces = new LinkedHashSet<Class<?>>();
+        for (Class<?> cc = clazz; cc != null && cc != Object.class; cc = cc.getSuperclass()) {
+            addIfaces(ifaces, cc, false);
+        }
+        // now search those in the order that we found them
+        for  (Class<?> iface : ifaces) {
+            Method m = getMethodOn(iface, name);
+            if (m != null) return m;
+        }
+        return null;
+    }
+
+    private void addIfaces (Set<Class<?>> ifaces, Class<?> clazz, boolean isIface) {
+        if (isIface) ifaces.add(clazz);
+        for (Class<?> iface : clazz.getInterfaces()) addIfaces(ifaces, iface, true);
+    }
+
+    protected Method getMethodOn (Class<?> clazz, String name) {
         Method m;
         try {
             m = clazz.getDeclaredMethod(name);
-            if (!m.getReturnType().equals(void.class)) {
-                if (!m.isAccessible()) {
-                    m.setAccessible(true);
-                }
-                return m;
-            }
+            if (!m.getReturnType().equals(void.class)) return makeAccessible(m);
         } catch (Exception e) {
             // fall through
         }
@@ -85,12 +123,7 @@ public class DefaultCollector extends BasicCollector
         String upperName = Character.toUpperCase(name.charAt(0)) + name.substring(1);
         try {
             m = clazz.getDeclaredMethod("get" + upperName);
-            if (!m.getReturnType().equals(void.class)) {
-                if (!m.isAccessible()) {
-                    m.setAccessible(true);
-                }
-                return m;
-            }
+            if (!m.getReturnType().equals(void.class)) return makeAccessible(m);
         } catch (Exception e) {
             // fall through
         }
@@ -98,23 +131,19 @@ public class DefaultCollector extends BasicCollector
         try {
             m = clazz.getDeclaredMethod("is" + upperName);
             if (m.getReturnType().equals(boolean.class) ||
-                m.getReturnType().equals(Boolean.class)) {
-                if (!m.isAccessible()) {
-                    m.setAccessible(true);
-                }
-                return m;
-            }
+                m.getReturnType().equals(Boolean.class)) return makeAccessible(m);
         } catch (Exception e) {
             // fall through
         }
 
-        Class<?> sclass = clazz.getSuperclass();
-        if (sclass != Object.class && sclass != null) {
-            return getMethod(clazz.getSuperclass(), name);
-        }
         return null;
     }
 
+    private Method makeAccessible (Method m) {
+        if (!m.isAccessible()) m.setAccessible(true);
+        return m;
+    }
+
     protected Field getField (Class<?> clazz, String name) {
         Field f;
         try {
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/samskivert/mustache/MustacheTest.java b/src/test/java/com/samskivert/mustache/MustacheTest.java
index 67c5881..c67968d 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/samskivert/mustache/MustacheTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/samskivert/mustache/MustacheTest.java
@@ -41,6 +41,22 @@ public class MustacheTest
         });
     }
 
+    public interface HasDefault {
+        default String getFoo () { return "bar"; }
+    }
+    public interface Interloper extends HasDefault {
+        default String getFoo () { return "bang"; }
+    }
+    @Test public void testDefaultMethodVariable () {
+        test("bar", "{{foo}}", new HasDefault() {
+        });
+        test("bang", "{{foo}}", new Interloper() {
+        });
+        test("bong", "{{foo}}", new Interloper() {
+            public String getFoo () { return "bong"; }
+        });
+    }
+
     @Test public void testPropertyVariable () {
         test("bar", "{{foo}}", new Object() {
             String getFoo () { return "bar"; }