Design Forum Finland

TAPIO WIRKKALA: PUUKKO knife,
Oy Hackman Ab

In the 1950s, Tapio Wirkkala (1915–1985) was considered the archetypal Finnish designer: he was versatile, primal, and original, equally at home in the fells of Lapland and the cities of Italy. His skills as an exhibition designer and PR man played a significant role when Finland received attention at the Milan Triennials of the 1950s. Wirkkala worked in glass, ceramics, wood, and metal. He was also a respected graphic designer, and his exhibition designs attracted recognition. A skilled craftsman, Wirkkala enjoyed designing tools. The traditional Finnish knife, puukko, was one of his favourite design tasks, being the most important tool for Finns throughout the ages and a central element of Finnish male identity in its time.

< Puukko knife, 1961, steel and wood or nylon, Oy Hackman Ab (no longer in production) Photo: Arno Rautavaara / Design Forum Finland

Highres
Lowres

YRJÖ KUKKAPURO: KARUSELLI chair,
Avarte Oy

Interior designer Yrjö Kukkapuro (b. 1933) spent a long time designing the Karuselli chair, which came into production in 1964. The gently curved rocking chair was moulded from fibreglass and upholstered in leather. At its launch, it was a revolutionary novelty in terms of both sitting comfort and material, and Sir Terence Conran considered it one of the most significant designs of the 1900s. The ergonomics and structural features of furniture have always been important to Kukkapuro. In the 1960s and 1970s he designed many colourful plastic pieces in line with the spirit of the times. He has since focused on the design of functional, rationally producible pieces. Kukkapuro received Finland’s most prestigious design prize, the Kaj Franck Design Award, in 1995.

www.avarte.fi

< Karuselli chair, 1964, fibreglass, leather upholstery, Avarte Oy (formerly Haimi Oy) Photo: Avarte Oy

< previous page

1 2 3 4 5