My name is Aaron Hafvenstein, but most people call me AJ - a nickname my grandmother coined for me on the day I was born, and it has stuck ever since. I was born in Minneapolis, MN in the early 90’s to a proud Swedish family lineage, and when I was 3 years old we moved up to Cloquet, MN. Growing up my father was a shop teacher, so obviously, woodworking was a very integral part of my life. I remember building small wood projects such as tiny toolboxes and shelves, and then also bigger ones such as tree forts and furniture. Later in life, when I was a young teen, my first job was working at a Christmas tree farm. While working there my appreciation for trees grew - pardon the tree-growing pun - from their aromatic smells to their intricate grains and textures. After that job, I went into working at a construction company. This was a very constructive time in my life - again, pardon the construction pun. I learned a lot from the “old timers” who worked on-site, and it has brought me many skill sets that I am forever grateful for. I began to love the finer side of carpentry and this is how my woodworking business, “Dalarnia Designs”, got its start in 2018. And that’s what brings me here today. As an artist I pull inspiration from many pieces of my story, but nothing more than my family heritage. Scandinavian culture is simplistic and timeless, and that is what inspires every design I craft. "Lagom," is a Swedish phrase meaning "not too little, not too much, just the right amount," this word is our motto. One of our pieces in your home is just that, it is "just the right amount," of our story meeting craftsmanship, detail, and design. I love what I do, and I hope what I do brings you some delightful distraction in your life.
