Morten Stenbæk

Cabinetmaker

Bridging aesthetics and function

Morten puts his heart and soul into the furniture he makes
He brands his creations with his monogram, serial number and date
It takes him three to six months to craft a single piece

Morten Stenbæk’s thoughts and all that excites him revolve around the idea of creating unique, well crafted furniture and sculptural pieces. Crafting all his furniture entirely by hand, Morten's working methods require precision, dedication and the will to obtain perfection. He started out in 2007 as a hobby. “Soon I was dreaming of making it my profession. I just love the combination of designing, planning how to do it and in the end producing something really unique,” he says. In 2010 he designed his first chair and started to get orders. “It was not enough to make a living from it, so I kept my job and invested all profits into my workshop, until in 2016 I could finally quit my old job and start making furniture full time.”

Interview

Do you master many traditional techniques?: Apart from a basic understanding of wood, I believe I am a pretty good carver, but new ideas often require me to learn new things. Most of my designs rely on traditional techniques, and as far as innovation goes, I try to bring as many ideas to life as my time allows.
What aspect of your craft do you love the most?: That it allows me to be creative. The fact that I’m not designing for commercial mass production gives me a lot of freedom. When I get an idea I don’t worry much about the time it will take or the cost of the final piece.
What special moments does this career bring you?: In the workshop it’s always amazing to finish a new design. But there have also been many memorable moments when I have delivered my own pieces to clients. To see where your work is going to ‘live’ is always exciting as well as seeing the reaction from open and sensitive clients.
What's the potential of your craft?: If you look at the craft as something that has transformed and now produces objects that have more value than just a piece of furniture, then I see a big potential. But it obviously requires the pieces to have originality and showcase the finest craftsmanship.

Morten Stenbæk is a rising star: he began his career in 2016