Svenningsen Studios is the woodworking practice by
Ellen Svenningsen.
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Biography
‘I was born in Copenhagen on the same day as the fall of the Berlin Wall, 9th November 1989, into a small family of two carrier driven parents, who had good faith in the mark of a new area. The possibilities for me were plentiful and my path fell far from my upbringing, in the knowledge economy, but close to that of my grandfather who was a mechanic in a small village. As a kid I swept the garage floor and collected screws in a wooden vine-box. I established a relationship with the workshop environment, I liked it there, it was a playful space to me.
I first came across woodwork in my mid twenties while I was working as set design assisting building props and set flats. My curiosity for the material and craftsmanship grew vast and I went to complete a Fine Furniture and Bench Joinery degree at the Building Crafts College. There, in the smell of freshly cut pine, the memories of playing in my grandfather's workshop vividly replayed, and I knew I had found out exactly the kind of workshop in which I belonged.
After graduation I won a prize for a table, it gave me the courage to take a leap of faith and invest in the dream of making a living from my wooden creations.
It was yet a dream to have my own workshop, but as a very green woodworker it was wise to start out in a shared workshop space, working on various commissions and projects, until I had, in 2021, gathered just enough knowledge and ideas to set up on my own. By luck I found a small rundown garage in Clapton and turned it into the smallest workshop I have ever seen. Setting up a workshop space was much more work than anticipated, however i did, it works and I am grateful for the journey that enabled me to be where I am today. The next step is to materialise six designs I have drawn and complete my furniture line of seven pieces in total, whereas the Jordan Stool was the first.’
