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Superunique

Behind the tree

I have learned all my woodworking skills from my father, by master and apprentice -style. I had been following my father's woodworking since childhood and the attraction of wood as a material grew stronger and stronger. I've been in the creative field for most of my working life, but the inner need to make things out of wood started to come through my body as I turned forty.

I got an explanation on this inner need later. Last autumn I was surprised to discover that my family tree is full of carpenters, metalworkers and craftsmen! I felt really supported and rooted. This is why I need to get to make. My family roots also support my choice, so I guess it was only a matter of time before I realised this myself. The call of the wood comes from deeper than just a whim, because the call has been handed down from a long time ago. I find this inspiring!

I started with the easy jobs. I sanded and repainted stools, small tables and chests of drawers. My father would always hand me a suitable sander or chisel or other implement, the names were not memorised, I always just used the right tool. My dad has an amazing amount of tips and tricks for overcoming challenging spots in woodworking. They come up every now and then. It's as if he has an innate ability to think of solutions to wood problems. And he probably does, having spent his childhood in the country, where everything was done by hand and everything was done by himself. My generation got off pretty easy in that sense.

My father and I did also a fun coat rack project, where we retrieved a weathered tree trunk from the shores of Lauttasaari, with the interesting traces of worm-eaten trails. We made a central tree from this trunk, piercing the lower part with a shoe string and the upper part with a hat string. It was during this project that I started to get the idea of designing furniture. It would be tempting to design unique furniture and sell it big. However, this remained on the back burner, as I had no direction in mind.

Bit by bit furniture renovations started to slide into client projects and I have had the honour of refurbishing numerous Artek stools and benches, gorgeous old Thonet chairs, a rocking chair, chests of drawers, coffee tables and even a few large dining tables as well as cabinet doors and a Lundia shelving unit. It is so interesting and rewarding to recreate the old into the new again.

My father is now 83 years old, in good shape and still able to do his own wood projects. However, I think the baton has been passed and I feel honoured to take my turn in running the family's long tradition of woodworking to the best of my ability.

Huh, I'm moved myself on this idea. And by that I mean, to visibly move forward so that as many people as possible can experience the touch of wood, with my father still woodworking in the background and standing firmly behind the title of master woodworker.

Currently I want to promote Levonpuu products. I feel it is important to make them in this day and age and I am impressed by how people are delighted to touch the velvety surface of Levonpuu. The idea of Levonpuu was born in the summer of 2023 from an intuitive insight: how can it be that we have no place for a phone! This insight was combined with the beautiful wooden boards that I had stored, confident that I would find a suitable use for them. Thus began the story of the Levonpuu, which I hope will reach you and many others. I love making these beautiful, meaningful pieces of furniture with the energy and touch of wood.