The artist and designer Germund Paaer (1881-1950) was Kalevala Koru's first designer. Kalevalan Koru is perhaps best known for its lines of jewellery, inspired by mythology and real historic pieces, but they curiously enough made other things as well. Inspired by the Kalevala and Aleksis Kivi, Paaer designed a line of 200 wooden peasantry items … Continue reading Wooden designs by Kalevalan Koru

In 1923 a competition was held to choose a site for a new parliament house. Arkadianmäki, a hill beside what is now Mannerheimintie, was chosen as the best site. The architectural competition which was held in 1924 was won by the firm of Borg–Sirén–Åberg with a proposal called Oratoribus (Latin for "for the speakers"). Johan … Continue reading A visual visit to the Finnish Parliament House

Rarely seen @sarpanevadesign pieces at @designmuseo_fi. I learned that his award at @latriennale in 1951 can be attributed to #TapioWirkkala telling the Italian judges that #TimoSarpaneva’s coffee pot cover (the rooster in image #8) was a hat and placing it on his head 😄

Finlandia Hall in Helsinki by Alvar Aalto from 1971. The designs (including Aalto’s controversial concrete city center plans) were completed in 1962, with building taking place between 1967–1971. The Congress Wing was designed in 1970 and built in 1973–1975. Naturally most of the ashtrays, specially designed for the place, have been stolen over the years.

Being in Sicily, one needs to see the locations where they shot parts of The Godfather. GFI: We rented a car and drove up to Savoca to visit Bar Vitelli where Michael Corleone speaks with Apollonia’s father and the church where they were married. Unfortunately I couldn’t get in at Castello Degli Schiavi a few … Continue reading Discovering Godfather locations in Sicily

We visited the Borderless experience exhibit by TeamLab in Tokyo in 2018. One of the only exhibitions that just kept on giving and that you didn't want to leave. https://videopress.com/v/WDe5qA8u?preloadContent=metadata https://videopress.com/v/RKCF1ZNz?preloadContent=metadata https://videopress.com/v/etUo4ERo?preloadContent=metadata

So many brilliant details, the likes of which you seldom see in architecture these days. Most of the interior was auctioned off in the early 1970s and currently the building is being sold to the highest bidder. Paimio Sanatorium is a former tuberculosis sanatorium in Paimio, Southwest Finland, designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. Aalto received the … Continue reading The Paimio Sanatorium by Alvar Aalto

The Hewlett Packard HP01 is a calculator watch and is considered to be the first #smartwatch. Introduced in 1977 at the height of the LED #wristwatch craze, five models were available, two gold filled models and three stainless models., with prices ranging from $450 to $850. Most of the 28 buttons on the HP-01 are … Continue reading The Hewlett Packard HP01

The #Chernobyl disaster was an accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant on April 26, 1986 at 01:23 a.m., consisting of an explosion at the plant and subsequent radioactive contamination of the surrounding geographic area. The power plant is located near #Pripyat, Ukraine, at the time part of the Soviet Union. The city and surrounding … Continue reading Exploring Chernobyl

A legendary Helsinki restaurant run by the Kalevala Women’s Association, Kestikartano was inspired by Finland’s national epic, the Kalevala. It had a prime location in the heart of the Finnish capital, with interiors created in the style of a traditional log cabin. Known for its legendary buffet, the restaurant ran between 1946 and 1967. The … Continue reading Kestikartano – One of the most epic interiors ever created in Finland.