#03 WABI SABI NORDIC: “Slowness” is expressed in our design through the use of timeless natural stones and craftsmanship.
Stine Appel and Stine Rosgaard at Wabi Sabi showroom.
I visited Wabi Sabi Nordic at their beautiful Danish showroom and design space in Aarhus, Denmark. We had a conversation about their timeless interior design and furniture, and of course on how they see “slowness” in their design and their way of living.
The past months, I have been deepening myself into the Japanese concept of Wabi Sabi, as I find it fascinating; so to me, meeting Wabi Sabi Nordic and the Danish founder and designer Stine Rosgaard felt natural and obvious.
I photo-documented Stine’s creative process as well as her beautiful creations.
Thank you Wabi Sabi Nordic, for your warm welcome, your words and for opening up your beautiful universe.
I hope you will love their design as much as I do. You can read the article below both in in English and in Danish.
Dear Wabi Sabi Nordic, would you please tell us about your adventure? And why did you choose to design sustainable fine furniture from timeless stones?
Wabi Sabi Nordic was created by founder Stine Rosgaard in 2020. At that time, Stine and her partner were renovating a townhouse and had used some beautiful marble tiles in various parts of the house. One of the tiles broke, and Stine felt it was a waste to simply discard it.
They needed coat hooks for the entrance, and the idea arose: why not make them out of the broken tile? That's how it all began, with a small round hook that Stine crafted in the backyard of her home. She posted the hook on Instagram, and many people expressed interest in buying it. Suddenly, it was not far from idea to action - Wabi Sabi Nordic was born. The name, Stine came across in a beautiful book of the same name. Wabi Sabi is a Japanese concept that loosely translates to the beauty in imperfection, a philosophy that perfectly matched Stine's vision for her new business.
The hooks were made and sold, and new designs were added. The first piece of furniture was Venus, our side table, which is still part of our collection today. The demand for more and larger furniture was there, and that meant Stine could no longer make everything by herself in the backyard.
Therefore, Stine found the perfect production in Turkey, which we still work closely with today, and the backyard was replaced with a new beautiful raw showroom/office/warehouse/workshop in Brabrand, where the company is still based today.
A year and a half ago, Stine hired her first employee, Stine Appel, who serves as the PR & Sales Manager. So today, it's a small team working with Wabi Sabi Nordic.
Much has happened in the past 3.5 years, but the visions remain the same. For Stine, it's important to create high-quality furniture and objects that can last for generations.
The love and fascination for the material, natural stone, are still the same. It's not an easy material to work with, but it has a quality and aesthetics that are entirely unique and timeless, which has truly become a core DNA of the brand.
“With Wabi Sabi Nordic, I aim to appreciate the beauty of natural materials and preserve the “imperfect” details created by nature. Furthermore, it all began with Stine using only waste and remnants from other stone production, materials that others would not want.”
How do you see "slowness" in your design and in your products?
Slowness is largely expressed through the use of natural materials and craftsmanship, something we greatly cherish. We aim to preserve all the natural details, so the material appears as genuine and natural as possible.
One material we often use is travertine, where water has created numerous holes and clefts in the limestone over millions of years. This imparts the most beautiful details in our designs, which we personally hold in high regard. It makes each design unique and provides a tactile quality that delights the eye. We love that you can see nature's work in our products.
Furthermore, we exclusively work with timeless design. This is not only to give the material the space it deserves but also to create long-lasting design that can be enjoyed in one's home for many, many years.
Stine Rosgaard hand drawing a new piece of furniture.
Would you please tell us more about your new collection, "timeless tales"?
"Timeless Tales stems from our core philosophy of creating products designed to endure for many years to come.
In the design of our products, I always emphasize quality and aesthetics. At the same time, the collection is based on my personal needs and desires in relation to the decoration of my own home.
When I design our products, I always start with what I myself miss and feel a need for in my daily life.
Timeless Tales complements our existing range because I believe that our products should form a harmonious whole that can be combined in various ways.
The quest for coherence among our different products is essential to create a holistic experience for you.
I constantly strive to refine our designs so that they are not only modern but also timeless. My desire is to deliver products that can be a part of your home for many years and still feel just as relevant and beautiful as the day you received them.
I believe that when quality and aesthetics go hand in hand, timeless stories are created in each and every product, and that is precisely what we aim to achieve with Timeless Tales.”
Stine Rosgaard's statement about the collection.
Slow living is a choice and a commitment, as busy women, entrepreneurs and mothers of toddlers, how do your keep "slowness" as a life style and in your daily routines?
It is very true that it's a choice, and it's something we strive to uphold in our daily lives at Wabi Sabi Nordic.
For us, it's about balance and giving ourselves and each other the space to do things in a way that makes sense for the business and for our family life at home.
Our jobs require a lot of energy and passion - and often, quite a few hours, but they also provide a freedom and flexibility that allow us to create a daily life tailored to our current family life. We both have young children whom we want to be present for. So, we pick them up early when needed, and sometimes we work a bit in the evening when the house is quiet again.
For us, it's about setting realistic goals for the day and supporting each other in resting in that and not creating an unrealistic to-do list for the day.
It's something we really focus on right now because we've realized that it gives both of us a sense of calm to complete the day's to-do list and not always feel behind.
Additionally, we've created an environment in our showroom that invites tranquility. The natural and aesthetic materials, along with jazz in the speakers and our favorite scent in the diffuser, create an atmosphere in which we thrive and work well - and that also means a lot to our daily lives.
We are both mothers with a capital "M," but we are also career women, who thrive in our work. For us, it hasn't been a choice of one or the other.
It's about making room to recognize that at times, work takes precedence, while at other times, family is the main focus.
And we constantly try to support and help each other maintain the right balance at any given time.
“We believe that we are better mothers by having a job we are passionate about and that we also become better at our work by being mothers.”
Stine Rosgaard, wabisabinordic
All photos are owned by A Slow Way Photography.
Danish Version:
Kære Wabi Sabi Nordic, vil I fortælle mig om jeres eventyr?
Wabi Sabi Nordic blev skabt af stifter Stine Rosgaard i 2020. På daværende tidspunkt istandsatte Stine sammen med sin kæreste et rækkehus, hvor de brugte nogle meget smukke marmorfliser flere steder i huset. En flise knækkede, og Stine synes det var spild og synd blot at smide den ud.
De manglede selv knager til entreen, og ideen opstod, hvorfor ikke lave dem, af den knækkede flise. Og sådan startede det, med en lille rund knage, som Stine selv stod og lavede i baghaven i Højbjerg. Knagen blev lagt på Instagram, hvor flere gerne ville købe den, og pludselig var der ikke langt fra tanke til handling - Wabi SABI NORDIC var skabt. Navnet, stødte Stine på i en smuk bog af samme navn. Wabi Sabi er et japansk begreb, der løst oversat betyder skønheden i det uperfekte. En filosofi, der passede perfekt til Stine visioner for hendes nye virksomhed.
For med Wabi Sabi Nordic ønsker Stine netop at se det smukke i de naturlige materialer og bibeholde de “uperfekte” naturskabte detaljer.
Derudover startede det hele med, at Stine udelukkende brugte spild og rester fra andres stenproduktion, materialer andre ikke ville have.
Knagerne blev lavet og solgt, og nye designs kom til. Det første møbel var Venus, vores sidebord, som stadig er i sortiment i dag. Efterspørgslen på flere og større møbler var der, og det betød, at Stine ikke længere kunne lave det hele selv i baghaven. Derfor fandt Stine den perfekte produktion i Tyrkiet, som vi stadig arbejder tæt sammen med i dag, og baghaven blev skiftet ud med et nyt smukt råt showroom/kontor/lager/værksted i Brabrand, hvor virksomheden stadig holder til i dag.
For halvandet år siden ansatte Stine sin første medarbejder Stine Appel, som sidder som PR & Sales Manager, så i dag er det et lille team, der arbejder med Wabi Sabi Nordic.
Meget er sket på de godt 3,5 år, men visionerne forbliver. For Stine er det vigtigt at skabe møbler og objekter af høj kvalitet, der kan holde i generationer.
Kærligheden og fascinationen til materialet, natursten, er også stadig den samme. Det er ikke et let materiale at arbejde med, men det har en kvalitet og æstetik, der er helt unik og tidløs, og som virkelig er blevet en kerne dna for brandet.
Hvordan udtrykker I “slowness” (langsomhed) i jeres design?
Slowness kommer i høj grad til udtryk gennem de naturlige materialer og det gode håndværk, noget vi værner meget om. Vi ønsker at bevare alle de naturlige detaljer, så materialet fremstår så ægte og naturligt som muligt.
Et materiale vi ofte bruger er travertin, hvor vand gennem millioner af år har skabt en masse huller og kløfter i kalkstenen. Dette giver de smukkeste detaljer i vores designs, som vi personligt holder meget af. Det gør hvert design unikt, og det giver en taktilitet, der pirrer øjet. Vi elsker, at man kan se naturens arbejde i vores produkter.
Derudover arbejder vi udelukkende med tidløs formgivning. Dette er både for at give materialet den plads, som det fortjener, men også for at det er langtidsholdbart design, som man kan se i sit hjem i mange, mange år.
“Slow living” er et tilvalg; I er mødre til små børn, selvstændige karrierekvinder. Hvordan finder I balance i en travl hverdag?
Det er meget rigtigt, at det er et valg, og det er noget, vi bestræber os meget på at efterleve i vores hverdag i Wabi Sabi Nordic.
For os handler det om balance, og om at give os selv og hinanden plads til at gøre tingene på en måde, der både giver mening for virksomheden og for familielivet derhjemme.
Vores job kræver meget energi og passion - og ofte en del timer, men det giver også en frihed og fleksibilitet, som giver os mulighed for at skabe en hverdag, der er tilpasset vores nuværende familieliv.
Vi har begge små børn, som vi ønsker at være nærværende overfor. Derfor henter vi tidligt, når der er brug for det, og så kan det være vi sidder lidt om aftenen, når der igen er ro i huset.
Det er ikke altid let, og vi øver os meget i at huske på, at ting tager tid, så vi ikke hele tiden føler os presset over alt det, vi gerne vil. For os handler det meget om at sætte realistiske mål for dagen, og støtte hinanden i at hvile i det, og dermed ikke lave en evig urealistisk to-do for dagen.
Det er noget, vi virkelig har fokus på lige nu, da vi har fundet ud af, at det giver os begge en ro, at man når dagens to-do, og ikke altid er bagefter.
Derudover har vi skabt nogle omgivelser i vores showroom, som for os indbyder til ro.
De naturlige og æstetiske materiale sammen med jazz i højtaleren og vores yndlings duft i vores diffuser skaber en stemning, som vi trives i og arbejder godt i - og det betyder også meget for vores hverdag.
Vi er begge mødre med stort M, men vi er også begge karrierekvinder, der trives med at arbejde. For os har det derfor ikke været et valg om det ene eller det andet.
Det handler om at give plads til at i perioder er det arbejdet der fylder meget, mens det i andre perioder er familien, der er størst fokus på.
Og så forsøger vi hele tiden at støtte og hjælpe hinanden med at have den rette balance på det pågældende tidspunkt. Vi tror på, at vi er bedre mødre ved at have et job vi er passioneret omkring, men også at vi bliver bedre til vores arbejde ved at være mødre.
Thank you Wabi Sabi Nordic! Tak!