Stevan Hartung studied Industrial Design at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin, graduating in 1990. Drawn to the possibilities of furniture design and making, he established his first workshop in Dublin in 1992. Today, he works from a purpose-built studio in Wicklow, creating bespoke pieces for clients across Ireland, the UK, and Europe.
Working primarily with native timbers, Hartung’s practice is defined by a deep sensitivity to materials. He often explores the natural contrasts of colour, grain, and texture within a single piece, uniting design training with masterful craftsmanship to produce finely considered, enduring works. His furniture has been widely exhibited in Ireland and abroad, and is represented in numerous private and public collections, including the National Museum of Ireland. In 2026, his series Hedge Cabinets will be on display at the Museum’s Collins Barracks.
Recognition of Hartung’s work includes the prestigious Golden Fleece Award for excellence in craftsmanship (2009), the RDS Craft Bursary Award (2024), and his listing as a master craftsman in the Michelangelo Foundation’s Homo Faber Guide (2022). He was for many years a member of the Design & Crafts Council Ireland’s Portfolio programme, which showcases Ireland’s leading makers.
As his understanding of cabinetmaking has deepened, so too has his sense of responsibility toward the materials he works with. Hartung approaches design as a fluid process, deliberately resisting rigid preconceptions in order to allow space for change and unexpected discoveries. In this openness, the materials themselves become collaborators—guiding decisions about pattern, form, and contrast. He believes wood holds an inherent creative potential, and his role is to reveal and honour that voice.
For Hartung, design is about more than the physical object; it is also about experience. The subtleties of shadow, line, edge, and texture give each piece depth and presence, while the act of opening a drawer or discovering an interior space adds another dimension to the encounter. In blending function with artistry, he creates furniture that invites exploration, evokes wonder, and resonates with a sense of the timeless and the alive.