Continuum of Craft

Owned and operated by Sten Havumaki, Oak & Laurel Workshop is located in downtown Biddeford, Maine, on the coast about an hour and a half north of Boston.

Sten designs and fabricates custom millwork and architectural ornament often inspired by the Classical design tradition with its emphasis on beauty and excellence. He works closely with architects, designers, builders and millwork shops to arrive at creative solutions to meet the unique requirements of each project.

For larger and more complicated projects, he leads the design and fabrication process and brings in other specialists (cnc shops, production wood turning shops, installers, finishers, etc.) to deliver the job in a practical manner.

He acquired his traditional woodworking skills formally while attending the 2 year furniture program at the North Bennet Street School in Boston from 2007 to 2009. In this spirit, all designs and scale drawings are hand rendered and he carves in the traditional manner by hand with gouges and mallet. However, he is not a purist motivated by nostalgia; there simply is no substitute for the skilled human hand and eye combined with sharp tools to bring life and exuberance to the finished design.

The work Sten produces is intended to delight and serve generations to come.

scheme about your next project with sten

Services

Design
Decorative Millwork
Ornamental Carving
Sculptural Carving
Stair Parts & Railing Systems
Wood Turning
Furniture components
Custom Moldings
Restoration/Repair/Replication

Words from the maker:

Function and beauty.

“My work is not only about function, it's also about beauty. Beauty is a major goal of classical architecture and it is what drives me in my work and design. It's humbling to be a small part of this tradition”

— S.H.

Design in abstract thoughts.

“When you design you're not thinking in words. You're thinking in shapes. Then you draw your ideas and try to make the best line or curve. When you build a piece you've drawn it's like seeing a dream come to life.”

— S.H.

A universal activity.

“There's a basic visceral pleasure about a sharp plane going over a piece of wood or a sharp chisel cutting...and manipulating this material. Working with hand tools is a universal activity and carving is an art form that goes back to almost the beginning of time.”

— S.H.