Mette Bentzen & Lasse Kristensen

Egeværk

Cabinetmaker

©Egeværk

©Backhaus Brown & Egevaerk

©Egeværk

©Mew

©Egeværk

Challenging the status quo

Mette and Lasse founded their workshop in 2011
They train all their employees themselves
They are based in Elsinore, north of Copenhagen

Mette Bentzen and Lasse Kristensen both trained at PP Furniture, a Danish joinery famous for creating the furniture of Danish designer Wegner. For as long as he can remember, Lasse has been fascinated by shapes and the shaping of objects, so a career in joinery and cabinetmaking was an obvious choice. For Mette, however, it was a three-year trip around the world in a wooden sailboat that propelled her towards woodworking. “For three years, I admired the fine craftsmanship of the boat’s accommodation, but was also faced with the need to repair it,” she says. Together they set up their workshop Egeværk, which aims to push the boundaries of woodworking.

Interview

©Mew

©Egeværk

What’s your approach to woodworking?: Mette: Extreme precision and very complicated wooden construction make me tick. The art of having precise joints ‘collaborate’ with perfect pieces of wood, making even fragile-looking constructions sturdy, is to me an art form.
What was the first object you made?: Lasse: Right before I began my training at PP Furniture, I challenged myself by constructing a triangular watch with dovetails in all corners. One of my teachers saw my sketches and told me it could not be done, which only made me up the ante by using maple.
How do tradition and innovation come together in your work?: Mette: Pushing the boundaries of furniture making is the driving vision behind Egeværk. We are trained in Danish mid-century modern pieces, and are proud of that heritage. That said, our aim is to challenge the status quo of our craft. How do we make impossible constructions possible?
Can you describe a memorable moment in your professional life?: Lasse: Participating in the World Cup in Japan was an eye-opening experience. More than 20 contestants were given the same assignment. Seeing how differently we approached it changed my perspective on my craft and helped establish one of my firmest beliefs: that we can and should challenge any given status quo.

Mette Bentzen & Lasse Kristensen are master artisans: they began their career in 2011 and they started teaching in 2011