Creating custom timber joinery and design with a Scandinavian sensibility

Michael Ramlov has always loved working with timber, and, from a young age, had dreamt of running his own business. Now, as owner and director of Scandic Limited Carpentry and Joinery, it would be fair to say that Michael is living his dream. 

Born and raised in Denmark, Michael received his Danish Trade Certificate in joinery in 1992, and developed his skills working as a builder, joiner, cabinet maker, window and door manufacturer, before moving to New Zealand in 2007 with his wife Lone. Living on Auckland’s Hibiscus Coast, the couple established Scandic Limited in 2013 — named for their Scandinavian heritage and Danish design influence. As co-owners, Michael and Lone share the load, with Michael at the helm of design, joinery, and consulting, and Lone managing admin, marketing, and assisting Michael in the factory. 

Since 2013, Michael and Lone have been supplying architects, builders, designers, and homeowners with expertly crafted custom joinery, feature walls, louvres, and one-off furniture pieces. While Michael can take on any project, from kitchen benches to barn doors, his favourite jobs include feature walls, windows and doors, and solid timber furniture.

Informed by Danish design principles, Scandic pieces feature simple, clean lines and elegant forms. Rather than overcomplicating with motifs and complex details, Michael allows the wood to speak for itself, often highlighting the timber’s natural grain as a design feature.

“We work with all sorts of timber, but prefer to use yellow and red cedar for windows and doors, and hardwoods, such as kwila, for window sills. For interior pieces, like feature walls and furniture, we often use ash or oak,” Michael explains. 

For a recent project, Michael used American oak to create a slatted feature wall that gently divides an entranceway and kitchen. “The project was planned and designed for an individual client, with no visible fixings or hardware, and a beautiful polyurethane finish,” Michael says. 

LED lights have been placed intermittently between the slats, adding an element of visual drama whilst also highlighting the beautiful oak grain. At hip height, oak spacers, painted black, carry the monochromatic palette of the kitchen to create connection between the two spaces.

In another project, a red cedar privacy screen showcases Michael’s delicate craftsmanship. Made from four sliding doors, with adjustable louvres in each, the privacy screen is designed for versatility. 

“Delicately crafted from the red cedar, each louvre can be easily adjusted to give a range of different options when it comes to privacy and temperature control. This piece takes advantage of the natural resilience of the wood, producing a structure full of strength and longevity,” Michael explains. 

Scandic is currently working on a large project for a new house in Mangawhai that will feature a six-metre-long sliding door with three door leafs, four large sliding windows with two sashes, and one French door — the doors and sashes made from yellow cedar, with macrocarpa jambs.

Michael says he still uses everything he learned from his education in Denmark all those years ago. He approaches every project with care and attention, never compromising on quality, and always looking for the best solution to suit the brief. 

“It’s really important to us that our clients are happy with the finished product, so we invest a lot of time ensuring that we can create exactly what our clients have in mind.”

Learn more about Scandic Limited.