K MEMBERS #3: Ateljé Ask
In this interview with one of Kolgruvan members, Ateljé Ask, a traditional wood workshop, we dive deep into their process, personal approach and experience at our coworking.
Kolgruvan: Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about what you do.
Clara: We are Clara and Viktor and we are woodworkers who specialise in furniture making. Our company is called Ateljé Ask which basically means “Ash wood workshop” but a bit more elevated. “Ateljé” is a French word for “workshop” because I am from France and then “ask” is Swedish for “ash” because Viktor is from Sweden and we also love working with this material.
Victor: Both of our parents have their own companies, mostly also in architecture or art so we kind of naturally gravitated towards opening our own workshop.
Clara: And it ended up being the right decision. We really enjoy the freedom of choosing our own projects and building relationships with the clients. It is so fun to be involved in every part of the project, from an idea to the sketch, from a request to the finished product.
Victor: We like to follow our client’s desires and see how their input and our expertise create something special as a result. We had clients with whom we would have dinners and really get into their vision, get a vibe of their house, see other furniture that they have, styles that they prefer. Those projects are time demanding but so rewarding.
Clara: I think it is really worth it to take the extra time to get to know them, we become sort of a team in the process. And seems like the customers also enjoy being more involved.
Kolgruvan: How do these people find you?
Victor: It started with the people we know and then those people knew other people. Word of a mouth or, better say, word of an eye. Because people visit our home or someone else’s home, see our creations and become curious. Moreover, simply working at Kolgruvan helped us get customers. Through open house events or other coworking members.
Clara: Actually, a lot of customers came through Kolgruvan. It is a big plus that we are here.
Ateljé Ask:
“We want to create furniture that could potentially be passed on through generations. And it feels like this approach goes against these fast consumerist ideas where everything is changing all the time, furniture is disposable and replaceable”.
Kolgruvan: How did you come to woodworking?
Clara: I actually started out studying textile and then I saw this woodworking course at the school and decided to try something new, more construction related. Viktor was studying the year above mine. Then directly after we finished, we got some jobs and an opportunity to start a company.
Victor: It’s quite a nice journey to be able to create something from the ground up. Wood is more flexible than metal or fabric, for example.
Clara: Exactly, the same piece could be transformed into such different objects.
Kolgruvan: What is your process? Maybe certain materials that you prefer?
Victor: We usually prefer to work with massive wood, we buy it directly after it was cut down, which is a more traditional way. Nowadays it is common that woodworkers buy ready material but we specialise in something more raw, solid wood that comes straight from the tree. This way we personally feel that we are creating something that will last for a long time.
Clara: We want to create furniture that could potentially be passed on through generations. And it feels like this approach goes against these fast consumerist ideas where everything is changing all the time, furniture is disposable and replaceable.
Victor: And also our generation seems to be gravitating more towards sustainable, crafty lifestyle. At least here in Sweden.
Clara: Coming from France, I definitely notice that woodworking is part of the culture here. It is quite common for a lot of people to have it as a hobby or just go to a few classes once in a while, build their own stuff. It seems like people here really appreciate handmade wood or other crafts.
Kolgruvan: How did you and Kolgruvan come together?
Victor: Well, I was involved with the construction of the space from the very beginning, helping out here and there, and then 2 years ago we decided to permanently assimilate here with our own company.
Clara: Kolgruvan started investing in some woodworking equipment before and then we came back to Sweden after half a year of building a house abroad. So it kinda organically happened that both we were ready and Kolgruvan was looking into having a consistent wood workshop. Now it is hard to imagine being anywhere else or just having a small garage for just the two of us.
Victor: Definitely not. You can get so isolated in your work process, just dive into your projects. So Kolgruvan has been great to socialise as well, not just to network. You cannot lock yourself in the studio forever and just lose a sense of reality, community.
Clara: You gain so much from sharing your week days with people, even if it is just having lunch together. Makes your day so much lighter, richer, you can snap out of your spiral, get some distance from your work and come back to it with a fresh mind. You constantly get inspired here. It is a place that is always in motion, lots of new stuff and it gives you motivation to not stand still as well.
Kolgruvan: What do you see as the future for Ateljé Ask?
Clara: We would love to focus even more on solid wood. We work with lots of other materials at the moment as well, but solid wood is definitely our passion. There is so much to explore with it.
Victor: And more of the collaborative projects with our customers. More of these personal projects. I don’t want us to become a big furniture company that mass produces items. We really treasure the connections that we have built right now.
Want to become part of Kolgruvan’s coworking community? Send us an email to info@kolgruvan.com
Interested in personalised handmade wood furniture from Ateljé Ask? Check out their website and send them an email to post@ateljeask.com
