Leave the furniture outside, but give it a little TLC

You have a lovely summer house in Svinkløv Plantage. What do you love to do there?

It’s funny, because my wife, Vibsen, and I were actually just talking about that the other day. What is it that makes you think, “I’d love to stay here a little longer,” when it’s time to head home? I think it’s because things are just… simple here. There’s time, there’s food, and there are friends. It is what it is. And I actually really like that.

We always make sure the food is absolutely outstanding when we’re away, and we always bring along some sources of inspiration—a jigsaw puzzle or a good book. We’re in a place where there’s time, where a deer might suddenly appear in the garden, and where you can just go for a walk in the great outdoors. When we arrive, we always feel that it’s just lovely here.

How do you take care of your own furniture at the summer house?

I clean it twice a year—that is, in addition to the regular wipe-down we do after dinner. I love the memories tied to that table. Whether there’s a stain here or there doesn’t really bother me. But twice a year, I give it a good cleaning so it’s ready for barbecue season, and then again when summer is over. My favorite brush is definitely the medium-bristle brush from Blindes Arbejde—it’s not too hard, so it doesn’t slip, nor too soft, like a toothbrush you’ve forgotten to replace. And here at Skagerak, we’ve found a German cleaning product that I think is fantastic for the job, since it also goes a long way. If your furniture is painted white, a wrung-out cloth works just fine. You can just do it as needed.

> I love the memories that are embedded in the table. Whether there’s a little stain from one thing or another doesn’t bother me much.

Why shouldn’t you use a pressure washer on furniture?

You absolutely should not use a pressure washer to clean your wooden furniture. It’s too harsh a treatment, and it’s not the right way to care for your furniture. After all, you’ve bought something you like, and it’s meant to last for many years to come—and it simply won’t if you damage the wood’s surface. When you use a pressure washer, you create a larger surface area on the wood that will need to be cleaned more thoroughly next time. That way, you’re just creating more work for yourself—cleaning is simple, but if there are lots of cracks, it’ll just take longer. No high-pressure washers. Don’t do that!

> You should care for your wooden furniture the way you like best, and the more love you give it, the more value it gains.

I thought all outdoor furniture needed to be oiled. Doesn’t it?

Only if you think it looks nice. You could call it a kind of “makeup” for the furniture. My sweet mother-in-law, Bodil, likes it that way best, so she oils the furniture every year. Personally, I prefer the raw look. Most garden furniture is actually made of teak, and it has the natural advantage of already being impregnated—so it doesn’t require that kind of treatment. I think you should embrace the patina that the furniture develops as you use it. But if you want it to look just like it did when you bought it ten years ago, you can sand it down and start over. You should, of course, treat your wooden furniture the way you like best, and the more love you give it, the more value it gains.

So what do you do with your furniture in the winter?

Danish summer weather is unpredictable, but it’s actually fine to leave the furniture out in the rain. Of course, dirt will get on it—that’s unavoidable—but you can just wipe it off with a cloth when the sun comes out again. We just leave the furniture outside during the winter, but you can also place it under a lean-to or cover it with a tarp. It’s not necessary, and if you have to explain to your guests what to do with the patio furniture every time someone rents the summer house, it can quickly become a hassle. It’s easier this way, and I’ll just take care of the ongoing maintenance and tightening of the furniture myself. Because that’s important, too: tightening. We move the furniture around, sit on it, stand on it. It just needs a quick check with a screwdriver every now and then to make sure everything is secure. It’s just like what you do with your bike—and that only needs to be done once a year.

You focus a great deal on sustainability. Why is that?

The better you maintain your belongings, the better it is for our planet. And that’s the fundamental philosophy behind Skagerak. The higher the quality of what you buy, the longer it will last, and if you take good care of it, it will have greater value for others when the furniture is ready for a new home. When it comes down to it, everything we surround ourselves with is on loan. There’s only one way to do it, and that’s to do it right. That’s the core philosophy of our company, and it doesn’t make sense for us to do it any other way. We became B Corp certified in late 2016, and it’s really become a movement now, which makes me so happy. The coolest thing about B Corp is the whole mindset—it’s the way we make decisions. We all have a responsibility to take care of things and each other. That’s the kind of sustainability that fills my heart.

Vacation homes where you can enjoy the sun in beautiful wooden furniture:

Photos: Skagerak