Sharpening innovation: The Makers Cabinet story of Høvels and heirloom tools

As amateur photographers, the Makers Cabinet team observed that camera apertures are remarkably reliable mechanisms, and it was surprising to them that these had not been adapted for other uses. Inspired by this observation, they designed the Iris to bring the same quality and precision to the desk.

The Iris is built to last, with rings machined from solid brass that will develop a distinctive patina, reflecting its enduring craftsmanship. The 20 intricately designed leaves are stamped from carefully selected stainless spring steel, chosen for its durability and resistance to wear from ink and graphite. Diameter measurements are laser-etched onto the brass ring at one-millimetre intervals, with a red dot marking the scale, paying homage to the camera lens design. A fine rubber footprint keeps the instrument firmly in place on the drawing surface to ensure stability and precision.

The Iris also comes with a wooden base that supports and displays the instrument, and functions as a tool for locating the centre of a circle. Users can easily find the centre point by placing the base on its side within the outer ring of the Iris. This approach reflects the Makers Cabinet philosophy of creating products that are functional and made to last, combining time-honoured materials with modern design to deliver exceptional longevity and performance.

Building a Lasting Legacy

Engaging the community in the creative process is central to Makers Cabinet’s approach. The team, driven by passion and a shared vision, creates products they would love to use, fostering a deep connection with consumers. This relationship, cultivated through Kickstarter campaigns and active social media interaction, allows supporters to be integral to the development journey. By seeking feedback and incorporating suggestions directly from their community, Makers Cabinet ensures that its designs are innovative and precisely tailored to their users’ needs and desires.

“The designers, my business partner and I do this for fun. We’re essentially creating our dream products, items we want and would use ourselves,” Bier continued. “We have a very close-knit community built on the back of our Kickstarter campaigns. We ask them for feedback and advice, and whenever we complete a campaign, we ask them what they want us to do next. More often than not, we end up creating something that had been requested. Throughout the design process, we show our designs to these supporters for their feedback, making it iterative. We keep them very much involved.

“Our use of social media also provides a platform where they can easily reach out to us and share their feedback. We avoid doing what many competitors do, such as manufacturing products without engaging with the end users. While our competitors might manufacture at a much larger scale, they don’t engage with their customers the same way we do, influencing the quality and relevance of what we make.”

Reflecting on their journey, Bier recalls a time when their ambitions were modest, hoping merely to gain some traction or perhaps enjoy a brief holiday from their university studies. Starting in 2017, their venture faced numerous challenges, including disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic, but it also provided an unexpected opportunity to focus on their business and achieve remarkable success.

Today, they aim to disrupt the stationery industry by crafting heirloom-quality products that stand the test of time and resonate with their commitment to meaningful design.

“We felt we were in the right place at the right time,” he added. “Luckily, our business caught the attention of Generation Z. As digital natives, being online and doing social media came naturally to us. The traditional routes of designing a product, launching it through distributors, and trade shows were unfamiliar to us, so we launched the business with very little funding and built a community along the way.

“We had no idea we’d be here today. We’ve had amazing opportunities, working with brands like The Royal Mint and designing products for them. We’ve also collaborated with Blackwing, a leading design company worldwide. I would have said no, if you had asked me seven years ago if we expected to be here now. If you asked the distributors and people we met at the trade show we almost attended six-and-a-half years ago, they would have laughed at our product, thinking it would never sell.

“Now, we’ve sold tens of thousands of products and have customers worldwide. I think we’ve managed to prove them wrong. We have a great story of taking opportunities and building this from very little.

“When my business partner and I think about the objects that have given us the most joy, they aren’t necessarily new. They’re often things passed down from family members and homes. We want to make future heirlooms that harken back to when products were made better. In line with that, we had an experience during a university trip to one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of fridges, freezers, and kettles. We sat down with the design team to discuss their innovations, and they proudly showed us a refrigerator connected to the Internet so you could watch Netflix on it. We thought this was insane and not what the world needs right now. We left that meeting feeling that companies should change towards a circular design system, making products designed to last, be repaired, and made from sustainable materials rather than focusing on gimmicks like putting Netflix inside a fridge.

“We dream that one day we might produce a fridge or something similar, but for now, in stationery, we share that experience and aim to disrupt the whole industry. We intend to do this by making things that last, are beautiful, and can eventually be passed on. This approach fits much closer in line with the circular economy than what currently exists on the market today.”