* photo by Alex Waterhouse-Hayward

Welcome to the website of Arnt Arntzen, a furniture designer based in Vancouver

I have always had a hard time looking at furniture as furniture. To me furniture is mixed media sculpture that demands to be touched, sat on, dined upon and slept on. The challenge is to design and build objects that will withstand the test of time structurally as well as visually. Most antique furniture you see today was contemporary at the time it was built, but the design and construction was so good, that they became classics. You could say the same about classical music. This is what I endeavor to do with my designs.

Most of the materials I use are recycled or reclaimed. This is not only practical but gives the work a very unique appearance. In this world of mass production, I feel it is important to design pieces that can not be mass produced. this is achieved by cutting my own wood from trees that have already been cut down and left to rot or from demolished buildings. Much of the metal comes from scrap yards or is found.

I prefer contemporary design because it is more challenging to create something that is not familiar and by this process I think we can better our living environment.