Antrei Hartikainen, designer, master cabinetmaker

Processing and patination will determine how an object or a furniture piece will appear. Will we give the material the time it needs? Wood tends to first turn yellow, then brown, but people just don’t have the patience for it these days. They want instant results. I like to leave pine untreated, I only sand it. The other extreme is to use woodstains and vinegar solutions when I am looking for a specific colour.

Wood tends to first turn yellow, then brown, but people just don’t have the patience for it these days.

In my own work, a technical focus has little by little taken a back seat. The carpenter’s sin is to want everything to look complex. Damages and errors have become a more natural part of my work. When we obsess over flawlessness, we also distance ourselves from the material itself. If we desire a knotless surface, we are desiring something that is made of wood but no longer looks like it.

The design process has slowly entered my work. I look for streamlined forms, while also maintaining an organic and clear feel. Some years ago, my works had a lot of tenderness to them. As an example, the Sisin sculpture series featured both organic and geometric curves. The material was almost faded out. Aside from wood, I have also started familiarising myself with glass, ceramics, and metal. I was lucky enough to work with glass experts in the glass city of Riihimäki to produce my glass series. It is new for me as an artisan to create something where I am personally not in contact with the material in question.    

Working with surplus materials does not always allow for a strict plan, we need instead to leave room for chance.

Responsibility in all aspects of design and production has taken a central role. Responsibility involves many themes. In addition to production methods, it also includes the notion of timelessness. To consider the durability of an object, also in terms of aesthetics. I am not one to seek out trends or certain styles, and I avoid toying around with new materials as a gimmick. Very often, my new works start with the leftover materials of a previous creation. Working with surplus materials does not always allow for a strict plan, we need instead to leave room for chance. Industrial production can also be done with material consciousness, by working with various components for instance.

I use chemicals but I try to find the least harmful ones. The durability of an object or furniture piece is the most precious factor, and I truly want my works to be produced in a way that allows for maximum longevity. Sculptures should be seen like we see magnificent buildings, as creations that we want to keep.    

Getting to know a material requires understanding and a vision of the various processes involved, from the source all the way to the end of the life cycle. A designer is always faced with something new, and an essential part of the job is to challenge oneself and others. The list of items of different magnitudes to learn is endless, and they hit all subtopics of the work. I wish there were more interaction amongst different fields, so that the finest aspects of architecture and design could draw from each other.

The importance of making things by hand will surely retain its importance alongside new technological developments. I believe that forgotten skills, historical knowledge of materials, and artisan skills will again find new users. Doing something with your hands will continue to ground people also in the future, granting a balance to all things digital. Handiwork will increasingly take a back seat in terms of industrial production, but it will become ever more important in art, culture, and everyday life.

Doing something with your hands will continue to ground people also in the future, granting a balance to all things digital.

My own dream is to bring a breath of handwork into industrial production – to find a way to make products for everyone, with features that make us want to keep them, and to pass them on.  

Antrei Hartikainen is a master cabinetmaker and designer known for his exquisite works in wood. The award-winning pieces, including functional products and pure art works, achieve heights of sensuality, elegance and craftsmanship.