Hvid Træ Workshop

Out on Refshaleøen, in one end of a former shipyard hall, three furniture makers build chairs and tables to order in Danish oak and ash. There is no shop window and no stock to browse: you book a visit, sit in the prototypes and talk through what you need.

We draw a chair for months and then build it in a week. The drawing is where the comfort comes from.

The dining chairs are the best known, with a steam-bent back rail and a seat woven from paper cord, finished in white soap or linseed oil. Tables are made to measure, and offcuts become chopping boards that sit on a shelf by the door.

Orders take ten to fourteen weeks. Visits run on weekday afternoons and some Saturdays; the kettle is always on, and the shavings on the floor are free for anyone with a fireplace.