Our story
Fewer, better things — from a Copenhagen harbour.
VILHAVN was founded in 2019 by furniture maker Mikkel Østergaard and ceramicist Liva Holm, in a converted harbour workshop on Copenhagen’s north quay.
It started with a windowsill
Mikkel was restoring a 1930s apartment in Islands Brygge when he noticed how hard it was to find a small side table that was honest — solid oak, no veneer tricks, no pretence. The market swung between flat-pack disposable and showroom prices that assumed you were furnishing a hotel lobby.
So he built one. Then the neighbours asked. Then their friends.
We never wanted to make furniture for show homes. We make furniture for the homes people actually live in.— Mikkel Østergaard, co-founder
Liva joined with a kiln
Ceramicist Liva Holm brought the second half of the language: warm, imperfect, handmade clay. Her vase and lamp forms are thrown and glazed in the same workshop, which is why no two are perfectly identical — and why we would never want them to be.
Together, the pairing of pale wood and soft matte ceramics became the quiet signature of the brand.
Small batches, on purpose
We produce in runs of 80–150 pieces. It keeps quality close, waste near zero, and lets us repair or refinish any piece that comes home to us. It also means some pieces sell out — we would rather run out than cut a corner.
Every order ships carbon-neutral from our harbour workshop, in packaging that is either recycled or composts.
If a piece cannot be repaired, it should never have been made.— Liva Holm, co-founder
Solid, traceable wood
FSC-certified European oak and walnut, dried slowly and cut to last generations — never veneer on chipboard.
Handmade ceramics
Every ceramic piece is thrown, glazed and fired in our own workshop. Small variations are the signature of a human hand.
Repair before replace
We keep spare parts for a decade and refinish well-loved pieces. The most sustainable furniture is the one you never throw away.