Dinesen

History

 
 
Dinesen’s cornerstone was laid in the late 1800s when master builder Hans Peter Dinesen of Jels, Denmark, started his own sawmill. Dinesen took an uncompromising approach to the raw materials he used and accordingly spent a long time in the forest carefully selecting the trees. He would assess and note down the exterior properties of tree trunks and, when they were cut at the sawmill, he would compare the inner quality to the outer features. Hans Peter Dinesen continued in this manner from trunk to trunk – to ensure unrivalled quality. Dinesen was a flexible, service-minded person who listened to his customers and took their wishes seriously. It was said back then that if there was something you couldn’t get at the pharmacist’s, you could buy it at Jels Savværk.
Hans Peter Dinesen bequeathed his life’s work to his oldest son, who in turn left it to his son. Now, four generations later, this genuine interest in customers and insight into and processing of raw wood still comprise the core business of the company.
 
Plank floors

I965 was a historic year for Jels Savværk. The architects in charge of refurbishing the 400-year-old Sønderborg Castle were looking for long, wide floor planks. They chose Douglas as the wood and Jels Savværk to perform the assignment. It turned out to be the sawmill’s first large-scale delivery of floor planks, in lengths of up to 15 metres and widths of up to 45 cm.

The outstanding plank floors from Jels attracted the attention of other architects. And the company subsequently delivered plank floors to a wide variety of castles, country estates and churches. So when Heidi and Thomas Dinesen took over the company in 1989, they chose a focused strategy: Jels Savværk should solely produce floor planks in large dimensions and with emphasis on quality.

In the early 1990s, British architect John Pawson contacted Jels Savværk for the first time regarding a project. The consistent, composed aspect of the plank floors seemed a perfect match for Pawson’s minimalist style. This venture breached new frontiers for the company – transforming it from a local sawmill into a player in the international market.
 
Dinesen today

After being handed down from one generation to another, Jels Savværk celebrated its centenary in 1998, and on in the future, excellent quality would be associated with the name. For this reason, the floor planks are currently marketed under the Dinesen family name, but the company is still founded on the original, strong principles of quality craftsmanship and deep respect for the raw wood and each customer’s project.

An interesting new project is being carried out in the company’s 110th year: the doors of the old Duke of York’s Headquarters, Chelsea – a beautifully refurbished building with 5,000 square metres of Dinesen plank floors in the heart of London – will be opening in October 2008. The building houses the Saatchi Gallery, a leading gallery of contemporary art with Dinesen as a founding patron. Thus marking yet another milestone in the long history of Dinesen.