Jessica Steinhauser, Kachelofen.

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Jessica Steinhäuser
Kachelöfen
Muskoka Kachelofen
Christian Bernard Singer, Curator
K
achelöfen are largely unknown in North America, yet
.they have heated homes and castles in Europe for more
.than 500 years with a rich history that includes a
1763 competition staged by Frederick the Great of Prussia
to find the oven that could burn the least amount of wood.
Burning only four to five split logs per day, Kachelöfen are
highly efficient and clean sources of “green” energy. A
Kachelofen is constructed with hollow brick tiles that have
been mortared together. Its interior, made of refractory
bricks, contains a series of flues designed to slow the release
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Oven of Fire and Myth
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Antique Kachelofen
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Muskoka Kachelofen
of hot gases generated by the fire. This allows the heat to
permeate the entire mass so that it continues to radiate
evenly long after the fire has ended – from 8 to 24 hours.
Despite the high temperatures in the heater’s centre, the
exterior is never too hot to touch.
“Growing up in Nuremberg, Germany we had a Kachelofen
in our house. The memories of this easy, comforting heating
method are what inspired me to expand my business to offer
custom built Kachelöfen to my clients,” says Steinhäuser.
The artist’s custom designs merge function and beauty into
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Canadian-Kachelofen
timeless works of art and her sophisticated use of clean lines,
poetic inscriptions and the occasional collaboration with
other artists are all hallmarks of her work.
Jessica Steinhäuser attended the State School of Art &
Design in Nuremberg and at age 18 started a three-year
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apprenticeship at the State School for Ceramics in Landshut,
Germany. She later worked with Kachelofen builders
(Hafner) in Austria. Steinhäuser is an award-winning
Canadian ceramic artist, who is gaining international
renown for her Kachelöfen. Her stoves are in private
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Canadian-Kachelofen
collections around the world, including Three Glens, an
ultra-modern, “carbon-neutral” farmhouse in Cairn Valley,
Scotland that won a Green Apple Environment Award in
2013 and has been featured in The Telegraph, BBC
Scotland, World Architecture News and other high profile
media. Her work has also been featured in The Globe &
Mail, Ceramics Monthly, Dwell.com, Grand Magazine and
other publications. Steinhäuser is a faculty member of the
Haliburton School of the Arts and owns and operates
Stonehouse Pottery in Guelph.
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