2_Q9_ScanMag_78_July_2015_Text_JOE _Scan Magazine 1 07/07/2015 15:46 Page 27
Scan Magazine | Design | The Oak Men
vice versa,” he says. There is no limit on the extent of the product range, but size is an issue. “A stool or a small table is probably where we draw a line on the size; then we get outside the accessory category and they are too big to deliver by mail too.” At the workshop the two design and work up all their prototypes and they like to use different materials. “We are both cabinet makers so our starting point is always the wood and it tends to be oak, not that our name excludes using other wood types, but we prefer oak,” explains Hensberg. He refers to the tradition in the joinery craft: “Wood is always different to work with from time to time. It is a material you respect because you can do so much with it and you need to think about it properly before you start working on it,” says Hensberg. “Those things that can sometimes be perceived as flaws are the things that we like – the knots are what makes a piece of wood interesting.” Other materials they use in the workshop include metal, leather, brass, rubber and
lino. The Oak Men work alongside highly skilled suppliers based in other parts of Denmark, Germany, Slovenia, Poland and China. The market is somewhat oversaturated with plenty of high quality accessories for the home today. Jensen and Hensberg say that what makes them different from the rest of the market is that sense of edge and masculinity. “We only make things that we can see a clear purpose with,” says Hensberg. “Things that men might buy themselves or women may buy for the men in their life – or for themselves of course.” The Oak Men has an increasing visibility on home accessory markets both in Denmark and internationally. Among the retailers that stock their products is highend home ware department store Illums Bolighuss in Copenhagen. Currently the products are available in a limited number of UK stockists, but the full range is available on the website.
For more information, please visit: www.theoakmen.com
Issue 78 | July 2015 | 27