01 THE STORY
From Sketch to Table
Maria begins with contrast. Soft curves meet pointed forms, creating a line that feels both gentle and defined.
02 THE DETAILS
The Details
The knife handle folds around the blade with a sculptural precision. The detail is held in the meeting of edge and curve.
A note from Odd Leikvoll
Odd Leikvoll is the founder of Hardanger Bestikk.
Across several decades, Leikvoll developed some of Hardanger Bestikk’s most recognisable collections, moving between ornament, Scandinavian minimalism and new approaches to surface and construction. His designs were created to function naturally in the hand, while remaining distinctive enough to become part of everyday life around the table.
Odd Leikvoll
Questions about Hardanger Maria Complete Collection
What is included in the Hardanger Bestikk Maria Complete Collection?
The Maria Complete Collection brings together the essential place setting with additional pieces for serving, dessert, cake and other moments around the table. The extended collection allows Maria's distinctive design language — its polished surfaces, flowing contours and carefully balanced proportions — to remain consistent throughout the table setting rather than introducing unrelated utensils as the occasion develops.
What is the design story behind Hardanger Bestikk Maria?
Designed by Norwegian designer Odd Leikvoll in 2014, Maria draws inspiration from the movement of waves in the Hardanger Fjord. The collection combines soft, flowing lines with more pointed transitions, creating a subtle tension within otherwise gentle forms. This contrast gives Maria a personality that feels both expressive and approachable, with a silhouette that changes character depending on how the pieces are seen and held.
What makes the shape of Maria distinctive?
Maria is characterised by the meeting of soft and more sharply defined forms. This is especially visible in the knife, where the handle appears to embrace the blade and creates a deliberate tension between rounded and pointed elements. The effect gives the collection a sculptural quality without relying on ornament, allowing proportion, contour and the transition between forms to become the defining details.
Why choose the Maria Complete Collection?
The Complete Collection allows Maria's visual and tactile identity to extend beyond the principal dinner setting into serving, dessert and cake pieces. This continuity creates a more coherent table, where the same flowing forms and polished surfaces accompany the different moments of the experience. The broader collection also makes Maria's design easier to appreciate as a complete family of objects rather than as individual pieces.
Who designed Hardanger Bestikk Maria?
Maria was designed by Norwegian designer Odd Leikvoll for Hardanger Bestikk and introduced in 2014. Inspired by the landscape and movement of the Hardanger Fjord, Leikvoll created a collection in which softness and tension coexist within the same form. The carefully balanced weight, polished stainless steel and expressive transitions give Maria a distinctive presence both in the hand and around the table.