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Ageing gracefully - How our products change their appearance with time
Our products are made to stand outside, year-round. The materials are chosen to handle it. And to look better because of it.
If you've just bought something from us, or you're thinking about it, this page is worth a few minutes. It explains what happens to the materials over time, and why none of it is anything to worry about.
Corten steel. Made to rust.
Our ovens and fireplaces are built in corten steel. It's a weathering steel, which means it contains copper, chromium and nickel that react with rain and air and form a protective oxide layer on the surface. This isn't decay. It's the material doing exactly what it should.
During the first few weeks the surface develops a blotchy, uneven rust. Some people worry at that stage. They don't need to. The surface is finding its way.
After a few months the colour turns into a warm amber-brown tone. After roughly a year it darkens further. The patina stabilises, seals the surface, and then stays. No paint. No covering. No maintenance. It repairs itself if it gets scratched. Rain helps. Sun helps. Time does the rest.
How long it takes depends on where you live. A product by the coast weathers faster than one sheltered inland. A Faster Greta in Gothenburg won't look the same as one standing among birches in Jokkmokk. That's part of the point. Each product finds its own colour.
Bohemen. Two materials, one bath.
The outdoor bath Bohemen takes a different path. The tub is aluminium. The frame is oak. Both materials age beautifully, each in its own way.
The aluminium stays as it is. It doesn't rust. A thin oxide layer forms on the surface almost immediately and protects the metal underneath. No flaking, no discolouration. It just quietly does its job.
The oak greys over time if left untreated. Sunlight breaks down the surface fibres and the wood shifts from its original warm honey tone to a soft grey. The same process you see on old fishing cabins and fences across Scandinavia. Untreated oak can last up to 120 years outdoors. You can oil it once or twice a year to keep the warmth, or leave it alone. Either way it holds. There's no right or wrong.
Nature blurs the boundaries
Put something new in a garden and it stands out. Give it a year. The corten darkens and matches the earth. Moss finds its footing. Lichen comes. Grass grows up around the legs. Leaves gather and rot where the steel meets the ground.
The product stops looking placed and starts looking like it belongs. The sharp line between object and landscape softens. Nature doesn't care what you paid for something. It just does its job and folds it into the surroundings.
This isn't a fault. It's the whole point. We chose materials that nature can work with, not fight against.
Product by product
Each Hikki product ages based on its materials and its place. Here's what you can expect.
Faster Greta
Corten steel, oak and fire-resistant brick. The oven body develops a rich patina during its first year. Heat speeds up the process a little around the opening. The brick darkens with use. Flour dust and ash from years of bread, pizza and flatbread are part of it.
Lillhälla
Corten steel. The fireplace weathers evenly across the whole surface. The firelight and patina together look exactly as they should. The inside darkens with soot over time. Leave it be.
Bohemen
Aluminium tub, oak frame. The aluminium stays clean. The oak greys or keeps its warmth, depending on whether you oil it. Both ways suit the bath. Together it just looks more at home the more seasons pass.
Built to be passed on
All the products we make use solid materials. No composites, no glued layers, nothing that can't be separated cleanly. If a part ever needs replacing you can do it with simple tools. We keep spare parts in stock.
The day it eventually becomes relevant, years and probably generations from now, the oak unscrews from the steel. The wood goes one way, the metal another. Both can be recycled or reused. Nothing ends up in the bin, because nothing was designed to be thrown away.
We grew up around craftspeople who chose materials because they would last, not to impress. That thinking runs through everything we do. When we say our products are built to last we mean it literally. They are meant to last. And last. And very probably outlive you.
Made to stand where they stand
Every Hikki product is designed to stand outside. Not put away in a shed in winter. Not wrapped in a tarp. Outside, through the frost, the rain and the long summer evenings.
Corten steel has been used in bridges, sculptures and buildings for decades. Oak has held up Scandinavian houses for centuries. Aluminium handles saltwater without complaint. These are materials that earn their place with time, not ones that need protecting from it.
After a few seasons the product doesn't look like something you bought. It looks like something that's always been there. The rust matches the autumn leaves. The greyed oak matches the birch bark. The edges blur. And that's exactly what we intended.
We could have chosen materials that stay the same. We chose ones that get better.
The only thing that needs a decision from you is the oak on Bohemen. Oil it to keep the honey colour, or let it grey. We've written a short care guide if you want the details. Everything else takes care of itself.