Antrei Hartikainen

Antrei Hartikainen is a Finnish master cabinetmaker and designer known for his exquisite works in wood. The award-winning pieces, from functional products to pure art works, achieve heights of sensuality, elegance and craftsmanship. His work constantly seeks to challenge and blur the traditional categorisations of functional objects and visual arts. Hartikainen’s sculptural approach can be seen in his organic body of work, which simultaneously highlights the inspiration drawn from his material of choice – wood.

Hartikainen lives and works in the small Finnish village of Fiskars, renowned for being an epicentre of art and design in the country, populated by talented local artists, designers and craftspeople. Known for his impeccable work with wood, Hartikainen is the son of a carpenter who has spent his whole life working with his hands and natural materials.

As well as obtaining a degree in master carpentry, he has worked at notable woodwork factories in Finland, including alongside master carpenter Seppo Auvinen in Kitee, and has presented his works in numerous solo and group exhibitions all over the world. Hartikainen was awarded the Young Designer of the Year prize by Design Forum Finland in 2018.

Hartikainen enjoys experimenting with the possibilities of wood through the use of form and sensitivity, whilst still ensuring he respects the organic properties of the material.

Exampling this is one of his most well-known designs, the Bastone series for Poiat, which features a cabinet and sideboard that both explore light and shadow with their designs. The collection was inspired by details in nature – Hartikainen wished to capture the way in which light shifts through tall and sparse trees in the woods.