Furnishing craftsmanship
“I must admit that there’s always a little twinge of sadness when I deliver a handcrafted piece of furniture,” says WoodenDay’s owner and furniture designer, Andreas Andersen. “They’re time-consuming undertakings, and I put my heart into making them, and it’s a bit nerve-wracking and slightly bittersweet having to see them go. But it’s always worth it at the end, when you see the client’s reaction and realise they love it just as much as I do.”
Andreas Andersen has been designing furniture since 2016. Originally a carpenter, he approaches each piece through the wood he uses, creating beautiful tables, bookcases, benches and more. “It all started out with an acquaintance of mine asking if I could make them a plank table desk. It turned out there was a huge market for bespoke plank tables, and slowly, I discovered the joy of making my own designs. There’s something very special in letting the wood speak for itself and bringing out the grain and lines that give each piece character,” he says. “I make plank tables to order, and I’ve made a lot of them by now, but that doesn’t stop each of them being a little adventure in itself.”
Nowadays, WoodenDay receives commissions from all across Denmark. Andersen, who handles and delivers every larger order himself, is ready and willing to take on the rest of the world, too. “I really love the customer contact – getting to see how people like your product at the end and being set challenges and given new ideas at the beginning. It motivates me to do my very best every time, and getting to work on so many different pieces has helped my own sense of design evolve tremendously,” he adds. “I’ve got a bit of a different approach to design than most designers, I suppose, with my carpenter background, and that made me free to experiment and evolve quite organically from piece to piece.”
One of Andersen’s most cherished pieces is a dining table made from polished American walnut planks joined together by a thin and elegant line of copper. “I love American walnut; it’s a very elegant and charitable wood type to work with, as is elm, and oak of all kinds is wonderful, too. I’ve got a particular penchant for smoked oak at the moment – it adds an elegant darkness to a wooden surface,” he says.
If taken care of, a WoodenDay piece can last for generations, although Andersen stresses that the furniture should be loved and used exactly as the client wants.
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