The central idea behind the LesnaVesna wood products is to preserve historical tradition by adding a modern twist and using today's technology. The designers use exclusively Slovenian wood as they wish to support domestic natural resources and environment. They make handy wooden accessories and products for home as well as gifts and modular toy systems.
How did LesnaVesna start? After living abroad for quite a long time and working in a big architecture firm, Eva wanted to reinvent and remind herself where she comes from and what she stands for. She began reading books about the abundant Slovenian ethnology and mythology and so, as she laughingly explains, LesnaVesna lurked from behind a tree, determined to spring to life. "LesnaVesna is a restless forest fairy, who would like us to stop and be reminded of beautiful stories and old values in this conformist-like, fast paced world, if only for a moment. She epitomises the wood, she is beautiful and she radiates the poetic nature," says Eva, who describes herself as a designer, storyteller and the creative leader, while her partner Ignacio contributes invaluable work in the realization of projects and sorting out details.
Remembering the roots of folk tradition
The designers say their articles always reveal a story, a legend, a natural motive, perhaps a memory of a grandmother found when rummaging through an old chest. They make their products are custom-made for individuals and personalised so that there is concordance between the user and every piece they make.
The wood products also tell stories from the Slovenian folk tradition. The Dota (Dowry) collection is inspired by an age-old tradition when every woman would collect and prepare lace for her dowry, and later on also for the dowry of her daughter. It was a social event during which wisdom was passed down from one generation to another, with plenty of laughter along the way; Eva managed to embed this into the products. "I wanted to integrate this beautiful story and the wonderful art of the fine, frail lace into wood; in time, a fine amount of "Dowry" was created, including a plate, place mats, coasters and a box, i.e. a chest, where you can store everything into a big puzzle of life."
The Pisanica (Easter Egg) collection was created in an effort to pay homage to the treasure of ornaments which used to be omnipotent in architecture and clothing, but can only be seen on Easter Eggs today. The traditional ornament was transferred into a modern-shaped products made of wood – a collection of wooden boards. It turns out that people love ornaments and they want to have them on other pieces of furniture too, which Eva now designs custom-made upon request.
The "Lepa misel (Nice Thought) coasters are a reference to the old custom of giving your loved one an embroidered handkerchief. The coasters full of holes carry a message: "I present to you this gift because you are on my mind."
The Doma doma (Home Home) collection is comprised of pendants, magnets and brooches with typical Slovenian motives, such as the linden tree, Mount Triglav, a dragon, the potica cake, stork, bear, the Water Man etc., with a funny description added in two languages.
The LesnaVesna products can be purchased at the shop.lesnavesna.com online store, and a part of the programme can be seen at the Slovenika and Ika stores in Ljubljana. Most often, potential buyers contact Eva directly when they want a custom-made, personalised item. There is also an increasing number of inquiries made when people want an innovative, custom-made and large-scale item. "The motives traditionally found on small objects were transferred to modern garden furniture, a book shelf, a big chest for children, interior furniture, the concept of a house, hotel etc.," says Eva adding that LesnaVesna is slowly but surely expanding. The designers will soon open their own studio. They wish that the place would come alive in its full potential, working with other designers and workshops, offering numerous experiences and meeting expectations for new products by establishing a direct contact with customers.
Wooden trees for winter days
Eva and Ignacio also design wooden Christmas trees out of beech-wood panels.They are called Forest Walk (Gozdni sprehod), Snow Cloud (Snežni oblaček) and Winter Flower (Zimska roža), and each is unique in its own way. Eva's favourite is the Forest Walk tree, because of the animals which can be inserted in the openings and the playfulness that the tree invokes. The Snow Cloud and the Winter Flower are smaller trees which can be put on a table, hung from the ceiling or placed to stand alone. All trees are hand-sanded and painted using natural oils containing a touch of essential oil.
The time right before the holidays is one of the busiest periods for the two designers since many people want LesnaVesna gifts at the last moment. However, the creators never forget to decorate their own home: "It is a very good thing that our Christmas trees are so simple to put up and have no expiration date. Our home will be decorated with the first wooden trees we made, both our children will scatter the Forest Walk wooden animals all over the house and fight each other who will get a hold of them first :), I will be drawing coloured ribbons through the holes in the trees when I have a moment to spare, and perhaps my oldest son will contribute a paper ornament or jot a wish down on paper to hang it on the tree," says Eva through laughter, adding that it is not important for a home to be aesthetically perfect, but rather to have the right content.
