Simon Krichbaum

Simon Krichbaum works from Seewalchen, Austria, where he has built a quietly distinctive practice at the intersection of contemporary design and traditional bladesmithing. He trained for three years under the respected Austrian bladesmith Martin Huber, an apprenticeship that grounded him in the fundamentals of forging, grinding, and heat treatment before he developed a voice of his own. That foundation is visible in everything he makes: even his most modern silhouettes are built on disciplined, classical process. Austria has produced a small but exceptional cohort of contemporary bladesmiths, and Simon sits comfortably within that lineage while pushing in his own direction.

His knives are shaped by a deliberate tension between old and new. Traditional Japanese geometry and finishing methods inform much of the work, while his aesthetic draws on the contemporary Austrian design world — including artist Benjamin Kamon, whose influence sits alongside that of his former master. The result is a stone-ready bevel that is easy to maintain, a grind tuned for genuine cutting performance, and an overall composition that reads as quietly considered rather than busy. Simon's restraint is what carries the work: every detail feels chosen, and nothing is added simply because it could be.

The distinctive Krichbaum touch is in how readily his knives invite use. The bevels are honest, the profiles feel resolved under the hand, and the finishing rewards close inspection without ever shouting. Each piece is essentially one of a kind, with small variations in materials and surface treatment — and increasingly with octagonal takedown handles in African Blackwood, textured Gidgee, or Thuya Burl — that mark it as the work of a single maker rather than a production line. Simon is also a contributor to Modern Cooking's MCx Design Studio, where his contemporary reinterpretation of Japanese form sits alongside the work of fellow European makers — including the Krichbaum × Johnsson release with Swedish Honyaki smith Jonas Johnsson. His combination of contemporary design, traditional technique, and stone-ready geometry adds a thoughtful Austrian voice to the Collectors Selection.