058


BRIEF ENCOUNTERS


Furniture fairs are rarely the place to go looking for seriously sustainable design, but the Finns take a different approach, as Veronica Simpson discovered at 2023’s Habitare


IT MAY sound like a strange thing to say as a long-serving design and architecture journalist, but I avoid furniture fairs. However much the word ‘sustainability’ might pop up in the promotional literature, the overwhelming imperative is to simply sell more stuff. Finland does things differently, however. I’ve always been impressed both by its thoughtful approach to design, as well as its respect for its own design history. And a visit to 2023’s Habitare – Finland’s biggest annual furniture showcase – proved that this sense of stewardship of nature’s resources as well as their own cultural legacy prevails. Within yards of entering the exhibition hall, I come to the Nikari stand. Tis furniture design studio is built on the legacy of master cabinetmaker Kari Virtanen, who founded his workshop in 1967 and grew his business largely through helping Finnish architecture legends Alvar Aalto and Kaj Frank to create their stunning wood interiors of the 60s and 70s. Taken under the creative directorship of Johanna Vuorio in 2009, she has maintained the continuity of the brand’s DNA, retaining the


Above The design of the exhibition itself aided a sense of calm contemplation with wide-spacing, slow-pacing and materials and colours that added variety, sculptural scale and interest


Opposite page, top Basta’s exhibition showed the company’s desire to create beautiful and durable sofas from easily replaceable or repairable materials


Opposite page, bottom Fargo sources vintage and rare pieces of Scandinavian furniture, including heirloom dinner sets


JOANNA LAAJISTO


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117