Vlastimil Hanuš

Vlasta is a sculptor, woodworker, and instrument maker whose practice is rooted in reverence for material. Working mostly from the forests of Southern Bohemia, he transforms locally sourced wood into elegant, functional tea tools—trays, scoops, and carved vessels that honor both the tree and the tea.

Short Bio

  • Began formal studies at several universities but left in search of a more tactile path
  • Took up carpentry and wood carving in Příbram in 2017
  • Trained as a professional sculptor, gilder, and instrument maker
  • Began crafting artisan tea utensils in 2018
  • Divides his time between Prague, Southern Bohemia, and wherever his projects lead

“Wood is not just a material—every tree has been alive, a living organism."

— Vlastimil Hanuš

About Vlastimil Hanuš (Southern Bohemia, Czech Republic)

In 2022, I visited Vlasta at his summer space in “Czech Canada”—a remote part of Southern Bohemia framed by ancient oaks, a tipi, a sauna, and silence. It was my first solo road trip since the pandemic and the birth of my daughter—and it felt like a reset.

Vlasta greeted me with soup made from his own pumpkin. We drank tea, talked aesthetics and wood, and ended the evening in a self-built sauna surrounded by stars and forest.

This is where Vlasta creates: surrounded by stillness, fire, and friends. His trays and scoops are carved by hand, using micro-planes instead of sandpaper to respect the wood grain. He often harvests trees himself, dries them, and finishes each piece with oils and waxes—allowing the wood’s surface and story to stay open.

His work is a collaboration with the material. Using both the natural grain of the wood and his own carving strokes, he builds layered textures that are tactile yet restrained—never leaning on dramatic burls or flashy finishes. Each piece balances form and function, ornament and modesty.

Currently available by Vlastimil Hanuš