When teak was introduced in the Nordics in the early 1950s it was seen as something new and exotic - a darker, more beautiful alternative to the native light pine and birch. Well known designers such as Bruno Mathsson, Tapio Wirkkala, Bertel Gardberg, Hans Wegner and many more fully embraced the new material and created … Continue reading Swedish mid century teak manufacturers and artists
Author: Jonas
Digital developer and a modern design connoisseur. I love my family, reading and chairs. In that order.
I’m not a patriotic man
Today December 6th Finland celebrates its sovereignty, a country 98 years in the making but still in search of itself. I think I've followed the path of most Finnish men - kindergarten, school, military, university, work but I still feel I don't really belong, an outsider in the country I was born in. I've come to … Continue reading I’m not a patriotic man
Organized chaos
The world changes ever more quickly and it's hard to change with it, not to mention getting up front and leading the change. At work, we practice something we call organized chaos meaning that we have processes for everything but those processes can change completely in a heartbeat. And I try to apply the same … Continue reading Organized chaos
The caricatures of Olof Ottelin
Olof Ottelin (1917-1971) was both the manager of Stockmann's furniture department and at the same time its main designer. Over the years he designed lots of pieces that have since become classics. One of his most known designs were for the Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki, which he furnished in 1952. What he's perhaps less known … Continue reading The caricatures of Olof Ottelin
The golden age of Finnish design at the Triennales
Ever so often there's a design and architecture exhibition held in Milan, Italy called the Triennale and from 1933 to 1964 Finland triumphantly cleaned out the awards table. Suddenly the world saw Finland in a different light and it gave the country a much needed confidence boost. Many of the awarded items and exhibits have since … Continue reading The golden age of Finnish design at the Triennales
Relections on a scar
My son had an accident some time ago and although he's fine now, it really got to me. He got a deep cut across his face and I found him bloody on my brother's lawn. We don't really know what happened but he probably fell on a sharp rock. Someone has said that having a child is … Continue reading Relections on a scar
Moomin mania – 10 things I’ve learned about e-commerce
In late 2013 I and a few others were recruited to build up the Moomin brand's online presence (and a few other's) and get their e-commerce operations off the ground. We were in for a tumultuous ride but we learned a lot. Structured chaos - that's any new company's natural state of being and boy was there chaos. Here … Continue reading Moomin mania – 10 things I’ve learned about e-commerce
Our home in Tapiola and its history
In November of 2014Â we quickly decided that we needed more space and started looking around for something that would fit our needs: Â > 100 m2, well planned, good location and architecturally pleasing. But we quickly found that there few houses on the market of this size in the area and the ones we found didn't … Continue reading Our home in Tapiola and its history
On the concentration of good stuff in the hands of the few
"The rich get richer faster than the poor get richer. This is because returns to capital are greater than the growth of income. So over time inequality increases." - Thomas Piketty The economist and author Piketty has outlined how wealth is concentrated to a few and it got me thinking about design about how much of … Continue reading On the concentration of good stuff in the hands of the few
Eva Hidstr̦m Рenamel designer
As often it's a random thriftstore find that leads me onto a path to discover a designer or a manufacturer that I never knew before. This time it was Eva Hidström (1930-). Today's #thriftbreak yielded a small enamel plate by the little known silver smith and jewellery designer Eva Hidström. Exquisite. A photo posted by … Continue reading Eva Hidström – enamel designer
Forthzine - Jonas Forth 