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Your premier site for Artisan Scandinavian Boxes on the Internet & your source for the finest in handcrafted unique and one-of-a-kind wooden items. Be sure to visit. |
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| Menu: | Home | Hot Glass Shop at Sweetpea Cottage | Wood Shop at Sweetpea Cottage | History of Scandinavian Bentwood Boxes |
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For over twenty years the Woodworking Shop at Sweetpea Cottage, operated by Ken Drews, has been producing interesting and unusual objects made out of wood. The shop has been used to produce fine furniture. In fact, much of the furniture including benches and tables that are used in Sweetpea Cottage have been made in the wood shop. In recent years Ken's interests have turned to producing smaller items including Scandinavian boxes, salt boxes, trays, and Mission style dresser boxes. The shop specializes in the use of beautiful and unusual grained woods, such as coconut palm, quartersawn ash, curly cherry, birdseye maple, leopardwood and curly oak. Whenever a particularly interesting piece of wood is encountered, it is obtained to be used for future projects. |
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Ken originally started his career as a cabinet-maker by focusing on fine furniture specializing in antique reproductions using fine Pennsyvlvania black cherry, walnut, quartersawn white oak, and red oak. While he will still occasionally produce specially requested pieces, his focus has switched to smaller items, boxes, trays, salt boxes and dresser boxes -- pieces that are more accessible to the eager collector. Eventually he started to focus on the challenging art of bending wood. As a result he has become widely known for his beautiful and affordable versions of the classic Norwegian tine, Swedish svepask, or bentwood box which is similar to the classic Shaker box but with a much longer history and more interesting design. |
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The basic construction of his bentwood boxes is still using the traditional techniques employed by Scandinavian artisans for many centuries. A modern twist is often added while still maintaining the integrity of the origins of these special boxes. His Scandinavian boxes have been sent far and wide as they are eagerly sought by people for gifts as well as something special for display purposes. His bent wood boxes have even been given to European royalty and have been used as the final resting place for the ashes of a dearly beloved individual or pet. Whenever new inventory is made available at Sweetpea Cottage, it does not remain available very long.
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In addition to making Scandinavian boxes, he has developed a full line of small desk boxes or dresser boxes often done in the Mission style. Many of them are decorated with hand-carved designs or inlaid with highly polished stone cabochons. In addition, in a new take on an old design he has created a line of salt boxes that can be used in the kitchen by the door to hold keys or any other detritus that needs a place to stay. The only limitation to their use is your imagination. If you are looking for something unique as a gift or to make a grand statement, then you will not be disappointed with these fine artisan object. Regardless of what the object is, the emphasis is on the selection of the best and most visually appealing woodsalong with the finest possible craftsmanship. As a result these fine objects will become heirlooms that will be cherished by generations to come.
Please spend some time looking over the materials that he made available about the 
along with a photo gallery of some of the