The Studio
Hands at Work
Our company consists of several departments involved in manufacturing and sending out our designs on a daily basis.
Our hot shop produces glass items, the pottery our stone and earthenware goods, we have a casting corner where members of the team cast many of our porcelain pieces and the glazing team decorating each item by hand.
Our downtown Copenhagen location also houses our wholesale fulfilment department, webshop and design studio - where Hanx, our studio Frenchie, roams freely, checking in on each team member throughout the day.
Clay is the Way
The Pottery
The team of potters (four at the moment) throw several of our designs in our rustic stoneware Edo Line every day at their wheels; the Mion Mug, Sun Bowl, Spring Bowl, Mini Yuki and more. They also sometimes produce our earthenware Ghosts and Pen Holders.
Alongside our in-studio team we work with a handful of local freelance potters across Denmark doing special commissions or dedicated lines for us.
The potters sit just behind the register in our studio store and frequently answer questions passed their way by visitors. You can also watch Stig, our most senior potter, throwing at our corner window, where he fases the busy intersection of Skindergade and Neils Hemmingsens Gade.
Hand Thrown In the Pottery
Most people aren't used to seeing actual manufacturing in the middle of the city. These days everyone works in front of a computer. We try to do something different.
Fire & Glass
The Hot Shop
In 2020 we built our own glass blowing studio inside our flagship store and studio. The team of skilled glass blowers manufacture our general lines such as Elf Glass and Bing Vase but also work freely and creatively on limited, one off lines like the Crystal Blobs and Misfit Glass.
We run on green electricity instead of gas and blow our work just behind the Tokyo Series shelves in our store. You can actually feel the heat from the glory hole as you walk by.
With many years of experience between them the glass blowers Erik and Marte make their work look easy, but don't let them fool you - it takes a lot of practice and learning to do what they do.
You're welcome to say hi to the team as you pass through, they're happy to answer any questions you may have about their craft.
Blown in the Hot Shop
Elf Glass Miasma
Elf Glass Kingyo
Elf Glass Echo Cloud
Elf Glass Midnight
Elf Glass Poppy
Minerals & Color
The Glaze Department
Our skilled team of artisanal glazers each have their own workstation in the open studio where they glaze our ceramic items (Chug Mugs, Ghosts, etc.), invent new colour combos or experiment with new techniques.
The team knows their glazes and what they require of heat work and firing schedules. They are responsible for the general firings of most items in our kilns.
We work with a combination of industrial glaze lines and our own recipes to obtain the best look and feel.
Pia, our head of production, leads the team in keeping a tight schedule of what needs to be made when, tetrising the kilns to make sure it all fits and comes out as fast as possible. You may also catch her leading the team in their daily stretch, to be sure their not overworking their bodies
Glazed in our Studio
Original Art and Unique Design
The Design Atelier
Some projects require extra special attention. Many are hand painted by founder Anders Arhoj as unique items and one-off collections.
Our special limited Fire Lab line is often made in collaboration between several departments in the studio, bringing all team skills into play. We use the Fire Lab line to experiment with new techniques or aesthetics we believe are only for a small crowd and not a mainstream pleaser.
The design department is responsible for special collaborations with companies like Oxford Pennant and Lazy Oaf. Other fun projects include our blankets, cards and enamel pins.
There is no shortage of ideas floating around the studio at any given time, only a shortage of time and hands. Having our own design team in-house allows quick turnarounds and making changes on a dime. We can discuss an idea on Monday and have it on the shelves by Friday.
Special One-off Items
Packing & Handling
Fulfillment
As soon as an item comes out of the kiln or annealer it heads to one of two places; our studio store or our fulfilment department - both in the same building in downtown Copenhagen.
We put a lot of care and consideration in packing our goods, both to happy arhoj.com shoppers and the stores that carry our goods around the globe.
Our worldwide retailers receive their orders in custom built grid boxes for the safest passage across the sky and sea.
Our webshop team does their utmost to quickly pack and ship orders in the fastest and safest way possible. Each box includes a special handwritten note from whomever packed the box.
We do our best to pack in the strongest packing materials with the most recycled content. Our web boxes are made with up to 70% recycled paper and are completely recycleable (including the biodegradeable packing tape). We avoid plastic at all costs, all inner packaging is made with mixed paper (some if not all recycled content) and is completely recycleable - even the packing label.