Designs

Otfried designs are shaped by years of travel and by paying attention to architecture and the small details around us. We create pieces that draw on old Bohemian furniture and Scandinavian minimalism. Our approach is defined by function and visual coherence, focusing on how people live and behave at home today. We believe the objects we live with can help us feel the best version of ourselves.

Materials

Every material our products are made from comes from small businesses across Bohemia, in the Czech Republic. The wood itself is harvested from Czech forests and chosen by people who have worked with it for many years.

Production

The production process starts with drying the freshly cut trunks of wood, which were delivered to our workshop, over multiple days. Our workshop is also self-sustaining. We grow a small forest of our own trees, a kind that's naturally thin and was never suited for furniture. We cut them for firewood, which heats the fireplace that warms the rooms where the fresh-cut furniture wood dries. Once dried, the trunks are cut and glued into solid panels, from which each piece of furniture is made. Through this meticulous process, we make sure the wood will not curl or form an uneven surface over time. Forming the piece and curving it into the desired shape takes patience and an understanding of the wood's tissue and surface. After achieving the desired shape, each piece is then sanded and finished by hand with a tinted lacquer and polish. This protects the wood and gives it its deep, distinctive colour. And while doing so, we work with deep care and respect for nature, creating new pieces that are both sustainable and beautiful.

Otfried was founded in 2026 by Laura Ondruš and Jan Stenzl, a Copenhagen-based couple, driven by an admiration for simple designs and for the woodworking heritage of Bohemia. With an approach that supports a more conscious, sustainable way of consuming, they want to encourage people to surround themselves with pieces at home that last a lifetime. The main purpose is to create pieces for people who are design-conscious and care to create their daily habits and rituals around the pieces that make them feel the best version of themselves. All pieces are produced in small batches in our workshop in the Czech Republic, emphasizing Otfried's commitment to waste-reducing production values.