Nuen’s website demonstrates the company’s dedication to transparency, and Kristian Notland Harnes was equally transparent while speaking with Localfolk. “We didn’t have any experience with furniture,” Kristian confessed at the very beginning of the interview. He and another one of Nuen’s co-founders had other interests they were keen on pursuing at first, and one of those was music. Their record label, Koke Plate, was their first endeavour. Koke Plate came to be in 2008. All is still going well with the record label, but Kristian felt there was something vital missing in his life. “I needed to do something that could make a change, and I had the idea of producing something that had a positive effect on nature. I needed to do something more grounded.”
In 2018, Kristian and his wife moved from Oslo to Huglo, an island of roughly thirteen square kilometres with a population of less than one hundred inhabitants. The couple benefitted from the island’s long history of furniture production and Nuen was able to launch their first collection in 2019. It consisted of only three expertly handcrafted designs. They have since expanded their collection to five pieces: a day bed, a junior bed, a lounge chair, a full-length mirror and a versatile table/stool.
“When we launched our first collection, it was kind of a study on local infrastructure.” Kristian admits he had been naïve to start, but that’s certainly no longer the case.
He’s currently conducting studies with two local universities in Norway on how to make use of timber in a way that has less impact on the environment. “We want to take a step further.”
Albeit inexperienced in the beginning, Kristian was never idle or misinformed. Their methods don’t contaminate the earth or exploit the people involved. Since everything is locally sourced, there isn’t any hefty transportation involved that would contribute to environmental harm. They use Norwegian timber and Norwegian wool – a blend from an old European sheep breed. “Most of the wool in Norway travels to England to be washed. Our wool doesn’t travel.” They work with two types of sheep, and one lives entirely outdoors. “They are used to living in the cold, used to living in harsh climates. They’re constantly roaming outside, ethically.”
In fact, the company’s entire production line and sources are so few in number that they are able to name all of their employees and list all of their materials on their website. Anne provides the timber, which is bent by Njål. The wool is woven by Viktor, who gives it to Marie, who does the sewing. That’s it.
For such a new and modest company, it’s heartening to hear that the pandemic hasn’t threatened their success. “It’s hard to be in the market at all. There are always challenges to do it efficiently,” Kristian said, noting there always have been and always will be obstacles for small, local businesses. Yet their website urges those browsing not to make any unnecessary purchases! Do not buy if you don’t need it. Click here if you need is the biggest and boldest message displayed on their website, a message most businesses would shy away from if they were trying to make sales – especially in 2021.
“It’s a passion project that started with a lot of ambition.” Kristian has future ambitions, but his aspirations are rooted in the preservation of the land’s integrity, as well as Nuen’s. “Our ambition now is to have more volume, but the question is how to harvest the timber in a way that won’t disrupt biodiversity.” Nuen’s co-founders are as adamant on protecting what they love as they are in pursuing their passions.
