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: Storytelling
How three chickens taught me how to run a business
During the summers of 1987-1989 I was temporarily the proud owner of three chickens (unfortunately I don't remember their names), given to me as a loan/present from the mother of a childhood friend. They arrived beat up, half featherless but left a few months later well fed and in great condition after having spent the summer … Continue reading How three chickens taught me how to run a business
Eero Rislakki – a pioneer in industrial design
Designer, artist and teacher Eero Rislakki is seldom mentioned in Finnish design history in spite of his wide body of work and many awards. This is the story of Finland's first industrial designer. Rislakki (1924-2017) long resided in Helsingborg, Sweden but he was born in Helsinki, Finland. As a little boy he liked creating and carving things … Continue reading Eero Rislakki – a pioneer in industrial design
25 surprising stories about Finnish design
Finnish design is appreciated around the world for its minimalistic appearance, playful ruggedness and strict functionalism. There are a couple of cliches that most often get tossed around though, like Timo Sarpaneva's Orchid vase was voted the most beautiful object in the world by House Beautiful in 1954 as was Tapio Wirkkala's leaf shaped wood … Continue reading 25 surprising stories about Finnish design
A collection of interactive and dynamic infographics
Data is being produced, released and gathered at an ever increasing rate and journalists are rushing to make use of it. I compiled a few illustrative examples and I also made a list of tools that you can use to find, extract and visualize your own data. Timeline using Timeline Verite Chart using Infogram … Continue reading A collection of interactive and dynamic infographics
Ilmari Tapiovaara liked posing with his chairs
The Finnish designer Ilmari Tapiovaara is famous for his well made chairs and boy did he like posing with them. The other day I came across yet another one in the digital archives of our national newspaper and this is the third one I've found. Do you know of any others? If so, please comment … Continue reading Ilmari Tapiovaara liked posing with his chairs
Be the change you want to see
I've never been patriotic and I can't say that I ever really felt my country to be my own. I grew up with different kinds of people, with various cultural backgrounds, using a different language compared to others around me. Still I always felt that I was accepted. The last couple of years there has … Continue reading Be the change you want to see
The value of an image
"Images have no value" Those are my words that sparked a heated discussion between my colleagues and I in a LA hotel lobby at 11pm a month ago. I said it to provoke the others to prove me wrong. In a world where digital content is sharable and free for the taking, with minor risk … Continue reading The value of an image
Anna ♥ Jonas – a timeline
Oh Anna, what a sad puppy I would be without you. A year has past since we married and what a grand year it has been. In my speech to you on our wedding day, I named three things that I value most in you - that you make me believe, that you broaden my … Continue reading Anna ♥ Jonas – a timeline
A short story of how we bought our apartment
I and my wife bought our first home together in Helsinki last year in August. I had previously been part of buying two other apartments but it was in my hometown of Vaasa where the situation is quite different from the overheated market of Helsinki. We had planned to move for close to a year … Continue reading A short story of how we bought our apartment
Forthzine - Jonas Forth 