The Artistry of Antrei Hartikainen

Finland. A land of a thousand lakes, where endless pine forests stretch into the distance beneath vast, open skies. A land of quiet contrasts, where long summer days give way to dark winters, and nature still quietly guides the way of life.

This is the world of Finnish designer and master cabinetmaker Antrei Hartikainen, whose work is intimately shaped by a close observation of nature, a deep understanding of its materials and a curiosity for what they can become.

This November, Great Dane is delighted to host an exhibition of his work across our Sydney and Melbourne showrooms. Bringing together a selection of his creations, including his glassworks, the exhibition offers an opportunity to discover one of Finland’s distinctive contemporary design voices.

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST HERE

Who Is Antrei Hartikainen?

Born in 1991, Antrei Hartikainen is a Finnish designer and master cabinetmaker recognised for his refined approach to woodworking and his ability to move between functional design and fine art.

The son of a carpenter, Antrei grew up with an appreciation for working with his hands and understanding materials from within. “In my youth I was always drawing, painting, carving and knitting,” he recalls. “My father had a woodworking company where I made small works for myself as a hobby, and as his little helper.”

His early interest in making developed into formal training in crafts and design, artisanal woodworking and master cabinetmaking. An important stage in his career came at Nikari, a Finnish furniture manufacturer known for its commitment to traditional woodworking. There, he gained practical experience in developing furniture, learning how an initial idea progresses through prototyping and production.

In 2017, a grant from the Finnish Cultural Foundation gave Hartikainen the opportunity to establish his own design studio, now located in a former metal spring factory near Fiskars, an idyllic Finnish village known for its close-knit community of artists, designers and craftspeople.

His designs have received international recognition, including the Young Designer of the Year award from Design Forum Finland in 2018, a place on the shortlist for the Dezeen Awards’ Emerging Designer of the Year in 2019, and the Rising Star of the Year award at the Scandinavian Design Awards in 2023. In 2024, he received a Red Dot Design Award for his Parasol Tables, followed by the Pro Arte Award from Helsinki’s Didrichsen Art Museum in 2025.

The Finnish Design Tradition

To understand Hartikainen’s work, it helps to consider the broader context of Scandinavian design. Finland may share a Nordic identity with its neighbours, but its design tradition has a character of its own.

Where Swedish and Danish interiors often embrace warmth and brightness, Finnish design can feel more austere, with greater focus on the raw character of natural materials and the marks left by the making process. This restraint in form is often balanced by bolder uses of colour and pattern in textiles, beautifully reflected in Lena Rewell’s work.

Wood, especially, has played a significant role in Finnish architecture, furniture, and everyday objects. Its availability and versatility have encouraged generations of makers to explore the relationship between practical construction and expressive form, often embracing what might be seen as “imperfections” and allowing them to guide their hand.

Contemporary Finnish designers continue to draw on this heritage while developing their own approaches to material experimentation and artistic expression.

Hartikainen’s work sits within this ongoing conversation. His knowledge of woodworking connects him to a longstanding craft tradition, while his curiosity pushes its conventional boundaries.

A Different Way of Working with Wood

Wood is never entirely uniform. Its grain, knots and textures give each piece its own character, influencing how it can be shaped and finished. Hartikainen considers these qualities an integral part of the creative process rather than details to be concealed.

For all the technical skill involved in his work, there is room for the material to respond and for an initial idea to become something different through the act of making. As he puts it, “It feels great when it’s in your own hands to find the limits of the material.”

While wood does have inherent limits, these can also become a source of new ideas. Hartikainen’s willingness to experiment allows him to create fluid forms that give the illusion of rippling, growing, or moving. Some of his pieces have an architectural clarity, while others take on a delicacy that seems at odds with the solidity of timber.

In a way, this reflects the ingenious workings of nature, which continually finds new forms and ways to adapt. It’s also a recurring influence in Hartikainen’s work. He studies landscapes shaped by climate, human activity, and the changing seasons, paying attention to details that might otherwise go unnoticed.

“I want to transfer the vulnerability, fragility and beauty of nature into my own material, wood.” The statement captures an important aspect of his design philosophy. The aim is not to imitate nature, but to find a way for wood to express some of the qualities that make natural forms so compelling.

Sculpting the Unexpected

One of the defining characteristics of Hartikainen’s work is his fascination with different materials. The question is not only what an object should do, but what a particular material and technique might make possible. “I really love to develop and create new things. It doesn’t matter if the piece is one of a kind, limited edition or a product of serial production,” he explains. “I get excited and interested by working with different materials.”

Over the years, Antrei has increasingly explored more overtly artistic forms, including glass works that sit alongside his wooden pieces in exhibitions.

The MELT glass series is a striking example of this exploration. Developed in collaboration with Finnish glass studio Lasismi, the collection of vases and bowls draws inspiration from the movement of water and gradual melting of ice. Each piece carries its own subtle variations, united by organic, rounded forms and richly textured surfaces that reward the eye from every angle.

For our November exhibition, we are delighted to present a curated collection of Hartikainen’s glassworks at Great Dane, as well as a number of his spectacular wood objects. Each piece is one of a kind and will be available for purchase by collectors.

Discover Antrei Hartikainen at Great Dane This November

At Great Dane, we believe that exceptional design begins with an appreciation for the people, processes and materials behind the beautiful objects we bring into our homes.

Our collection brings together established and contemporary voices in Scandinavian design, with a focus on furniture, lighting and objects that balance form, function and enduring craftsmanship.

As admirers of Antrei Hartikainen’s work, we’ve long appreciated his approach to making and the way he brings traditional woodworking into conversation with more experimental forms. Having lived with his pieces ourselves, we’re excited to share his work with a wider Australian audience.

If you’re interested in discovering Antrei’s work in person, we invite you to register your interest in the upcoming exhibition.

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST HERE