Eino Mattila (1912-1971) was a moldmaker for Riihimäen Lasi but is better known for his later woodwork by his own design. On the side of his work at the glass factory, he worked with the designer Nanny Still on wooden household items using teak and rosewood with her design. In the late 1950s he started his own small … Continue reading Eino Mattila – Finest Finnish artisan
Category: Design
The rise and fall of Norrmark Handicraft
Together with the silver smith Bertel Gardberg (1916-2007), glass designer Nanny Still (1926-2009 and Birgitta Bergh (1911-1998), Maire Gullichsen set up shop in Noormarkku near Pori on the western coast of Finland, with the intention of revitalising the area and preserving the handicraft traditions.
Merivaara – a pioneer in iron, steel and design
Merivaara or Helsingin Uusi Rautasänkytehdas manufactured bent tube furniture from the early 1900s up until the 1960s. Here's the company's history.
The Asko magazine 1955-1964
I'm always on the lookout for old design magazines and catalogues as they always tidbits and valuable information about items that might not yet be identified or even known. Many years ago I started looking for a thin magazine issued four times per year between 1955 and 1964 by the company Asko Tehtaat Oy, which I've … Continue reading The Asko magazine 1955-1964
Swedish mid century teak manufacturers and artists
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
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
Our home in Tapiola and its history
In November of 2014 we quickly decided that we needed more space and started looking around for something that would fit our needs: > 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 Hidström – enamel 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 