Ilmari Tapiovaara's 'Kiki' range, reissued by Artek; photo by Tuomas Uusheimo

Ilmari Tapiovaara (1914 – 1999) was an acclaimed Finnish interior architect and furniture designer.

Now, exactly 52 years after ‘Kiki’ range has won him the gold prize at the Milan Triennale in 1960, the renowned furniture brand Artek is about to rerelease this beautifully reduced collection of upholstered, tubular steel furniture. The series, which Tapiovaara developed after having designed an initial, space-saving stackable chair intended for use in large spaces such as conference halls and auditorium, now also includes a two- and three-seater sofa and bench models; a side, sofa and standard-height table, as well as our favourite, a small but brilliantly vibrant tangerine stool.

(more…)

‘U336′ pendant light by Jørn Utzon re-released by Artek

The classic ‘U336′ pendant light designed more than half a century ago by the Pritzker Prize-winning Danish architect Jørn Utzon has been re-released by the famous Finnish manufacturer Artek. The neutral white finish and shell-like structure of this 1957 lamp echo Utzon’s most famous project he designed in the same year, the Sydney Opera House. (more…)

Artek design director Ville Kokkonen's new 'Bright White 1' light for Artek

For a company renowned for producing, among other things, highly expressive, iconic lighting pieces, Artek have performed a rather curious, yet seductive, inversion of this with their new range of ‘White’ lights by design director Ville Kokkonen, launched at this year’s Euroluce during the Milan Furniture Fair. (more…)

'Pirkka' stools by Imari Tapiovaara, now in production by Artek

On the occasion of Artek’s 75th anniversary the Finnish manufacturer, founded in 1935 by Alvar Aalto extended their collection with another range of Finnish classics – those by Ilmari Tapiovaara, a great admirer of Alvar Aalto. Artek has acquired the entire share capital of Aero Design Furniture, the company which produced the Tapiovaara pieces until now.

(more…)

Northern lights: Artek shows Alvar Aalto's 'A330S' pendant lights at DROOM's Cologne showroom as part of its 75th-anniversary installation during January's furniture fair

Few design brands evoke as much warmth on the part of consumers as the heritage-steeped Finnish company Artek, currently celebrating 75 years in business. Co-founded in 1935 by the hero of Scandinavian modernism Alvar Aalto, Artek has certainly earned its design stripes. Here, its managing director, Mirkku Kullberg, in conversation with Architonic during the recent Cologne Furniture Fair, discusses how the manufacturer’s longevity is matched by its long-sighted, forward-facing vision…

(more…)

'Bolle' bottles by Tapio Wirkkala, the product of a collaboration with Murano-based glassworks Venini, 1966–67; image courtesy of Venini

With leading Finnish design brand Artek reissuing two of its fellow countryman Tapio Wirkkala’s striking designs from the late 1960s and early 70s, as well as first-time-round, ‘vintage’ pieces of his being shown at international design fairs such as Design Miami Basel, now is the time to look back at the work of this highly productive designer, whose contribution to postwar Scandinavian design was as major as it was diverse.


…..


Land of the midnight sun Finland may, in terms of historical regional politics and power at least, have often been eclipsed by its Scandinavian neighbours Sweden and Denmark, but when it comes to having helped define the course of the postwar 20th-century design, the country has certainly never been in the shadows.

'X-Frame Table' by Tapio Wirkkala, originally for Asko Oy, 1958; recently reissued by Artek

‘Domus’, the iconic and authoritative Italian design journal founded in the 1920s by architect-designer Gio Ponti, did much to disseminate images of, and commentary on, Finnish design to an international audience from the 1950s onwards, but the work of one its countrymen more than any other was to appear in its pages with great regularity: Tapio Wirkkala. Indeed, Wirkkala, who trained as a decorative carver but went on to become a key figure in Scandinavian modernism, was included in the pantheon of prolific designers’ names that featured in the masthead of the magazine from the early 1960s until 1973.

Tapio with coffee pot from the 'Finlandia' service, produced by Rosenthal AG in the 1950s; image courtesy of the Tapio Wirkkala Rut Bryk Foundation

Click here to read this article in full on Architonic

Enzo Mari on his 'Sedia 1'

‘Sedia 1′ – this pretty self-confident name sounds like a prototype of THE only primal chair. But maybe this is what Enzo Mari also wanted to suggest when he designed his self-assembly chair in 1974. ‘Sedia 1′ was the first object from the famous and thought-provoking project ‘Autoprogettazione’ – a collection of furniture to be constructed from low-end and affordable materials and techniques. This year, the year of the Euro-crisis, the Finnish manufacturer Artek put it into production – which is fantastic!

'Sedia 1' by Enzo Mari

'Sedia 1' by Enzo Mari

'Sedia 1' by Enzo Mari

'Sedia 1 ' by Enzo Mari

more Artek products @ Architonic

more Enzo Mari products @ Architonic

'Shelving System' by Naoto Fukasawa for Artek

In a world where every new product that’s launched seems to feature some pun in its name, it’s refreshing to encounter the literally titled ‘Shelving System’ by Naoto Fukasawa for Artek, launched at this year’s Milan Furniture Fair. Its utilitarian moniker fits perfectly with the project: a beautifully considered and pared-down modular system, which takes pride in its functionality.

Detail of 'Shelving System' by Naoto Fukasawa for Artek

Made of lacquered birch ladders, painted MDF shelves and zinc and aluminium supports, ‘Shelving System’ is the first collaboration between the leading Finnish design manufacturer and the renowned Japanese industrial designer, whose work is characterised by formal restraint and thoughtfulness.

'Shelving System' by Naoto Fukasawa for Artek

to the Artek collections on Architonic