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© Roland Paschhoff
© Cale Brennan Aaslepp
© Cale Brennan Aaslepp
© Cale Brennan Aaslepp
© Cale Brennan Aaslepp

Stevan Hartung

  • Cabinetmaker
  • County Wicklow, Ireland
  • Master Artisan
Stevan Hartung Cabinetmaker
© Cale Brennan Aaslepp

From forest to furniture

  • • Stevan is influenced by Japanese woodworking
  • • He was selected for the Irish Portfolio Critical Selection 2019-20
  • • He uses traditional techniques in an innovative way

After studying industrial design in Dublin, Stevan Hartung was initially employed as a product designer. Though he enjoyed the process of seeing an idea become a physical object, he became disillusioned with the commercial environment that was “often sacrificing good design for fashion and style”. Long attracted to wood, he sought out work experience and began to teach himself the traditional techniques of cabinetmaking. He now combines his design and woodworking skills to create pieces of furniture that “bring people closer to wood as a living material”. Such is his love for wood and his desire to nurture the environment, he has planted 2,000 trees on his land in County Wicklow, Ireland.

Read the full interview

Works

  • © Roland Paschhoff
  • © Roland Paschhoff
  • © Roland Paschhoff
  • © Roland Paschhoff
  • © Roland Paschhoff
Photo: © Roland Paschhoff
CUBES I

This is the first in a series of three cabinets in which Stevan explores the use of cubes and the interaction between positive and negative space. Crafted in quarter-sawn Irish oak, light ochre dovetailed drawers are supported by four legs, beneath an open display area.

Height 110 cm
Length 37 cm
Width 37 cm

Photo: © Roland Paschhoff
Image of Longing

A chest of Macassar ebony drawers is fitted to a stand of Swiss pear wood. The cabinet was commissioned for an exhibition curated by Martha Haveman and Karel Betman, whose idea was to ask artisans to create a gift for a chosen person. The organisers would ultimately contact the intended recipients. Stevan crafted this piece for Lama Yeshe Rinpoche, the abbot of Samye Ling Buddhist monastery in Scotland.

Height 111 cm
Length 47 cm
Width 27 cm

Photo: © Roland Paschhoff
LUTE wardrobe

With a solid rosewood frame and marquetry in saw-cut veneers, this wardrobe was finished with a shellac polish applied by hand. Four rosewood feet elevate the body of the wardrobe from the floor.

Height 190 cm
Length 86 cm
Width 53 cm

Photo: © Roland Paschhoff
Pair of bedside tables

This pair of bedside tables with dovetailed drawers of ebony and pear wood, finished with shellac and wax, was created for a private commission. The drawers do not have handles, as Stevan felt that they would spoil the clear lines of the tables. The solid silver keys were handcrafted by a silversmith.

Height 77 cm
Length 47 cm
Width 33 cm

Photo: © Roland Paschhoff
SHOJI wardrobe

The doors of this large wardrobe were built of light, solid panels held in narrow frames. It was inspired by Japanese sliding screens, shoji. The walnut boards were cut to show the characteristic texture with alternate markings of hard and soft fibre.

Height 224 cm
Length 160 cm
Width 45 cm

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