Centuries-old Danish oak forms the cornerstone of artisan carpenter René Theis’ workshop. Here, design principles rooted in simplicity and classic Danish furniture art align with a passion for extraordinary craftsmanship, resulting in a collection of tables and smaller pieces of furniture of superior quality. From his base in the coastal town of Gilleleje, Theis creates bespoke designs centred on aesthetic beauty and harmony. Each project – whether large or small, private or commercial – is custom-built to personal specifications and measurements. No two pieces are the same: each one is made by hand using traditional carpentry techniques and a focus on unique, individual wood treatment.
The natural shape and grain of the wood play an important role in the finished look, further underlining the truly special nature of each design. Every piece of furniture begins with thorough research and curation of each oak plank, carefully selected in collaboration with a timber agent based on the best characteristics of the wood. This way, each design becomes an aesthetic continuation of the wood’s own history, which often dates back more than 150 years, also ensuring a high density and standard of quality. With its timeless aesthetic, uncompromising quality and belief in the value of restraint, the collection is destined for use for generations to come.
Sustainability and local production are therefore also natural guiding
principles at René Theis. The workshop strives to only use oak sourced in Denmark, such as from Nordskoven in Jægerspris and the Corselitze estate forest on Falster, home today to some of the best oak after the Royal Danish Navy exhausted large parts of the Danish forests in the late 1700s. The primary focus is on Danish pedunculate oak, or naval oak as it is also known, which over time takes on a beautiful patina regardless of
how it has been treated.
René Theis offers five different surface treatments,
each with its own characteristics: untreated oak, natural clear oil, black oiled, white oiled and three different grades of smoked oak depending on hue preference. After wet grinding and the application of a deeply penetrating oil, the wood is polished and finished with a surface oil that makes the wood highly resistant and gives it a silky expression, allowing each design to sit as a natural
statement piece within an interior.
