How does your philosophy of "form follows intuition" influence the design process and final aesthetics of your products?
I do as the name suggests: I start drawing intuitively with an empty mind as possible because whenever I start to think too much, the lines start to get too controlled and then it would not be that intuitive anymore.
Freely hand-drawn lines also allow strange curves and "wiggly" lines to appear, which I absolutely love and try to keep as untouched as possible when I copy the lines in 3D software.
Indeed, some controlled final touches happen as the product is finalised before CNC-milling, but I am trying to keep it as subtle as possible.
Could you discuss the conceptual development behind the Sangria shelf, and how its organic forms enhance the sense of softness in home decor?
I find that soft and organic forms seem to be very appealing to people. We are drawn to the comfort that handmade soft forms transmit to us and that is what Sangria shelf can bring to our homes.
The terracotta colour emphasises the fluid form of the shelf, bringing a sense of earthy clay that is formed with hands by the local clayworker.
How do the materials you choose, such as terracotta and painted wood, contribute to enhancing the sensory experience of your designs?
Wood is an honest natural material and birch as well as pine is also one of the most common raw materials in Finland. Sustainable material selection is also about whether it is locally available, and there are luckily ways these days how you can track if the material is sustainably sourced.
Wood was a natural choice for me and the decision to use paint on it was purely out of the curiosity to explore how such a common material can be made to look like something else.
In which way did the Marmelade lounge chair challenge traditional furniture structures, and what was the inspiration behind its unique assembly?
The fun fact is that my background is not in furniture design. And yet, I tend to always be drawn to furniture design. I would say that it is exactly that which makes my furniture design concept slightly different.
In the Marmelade lounge chair, there barely is any surface that is straight and my aim in the design was to make the structure seem as light as possible.
Reflecting on your recent exhibition at Milano Design Week 2024, how do you believe your work was received, and what impacts has this had on your approach to design?
Time in SaloneSatellite during Milano Design Week was so much more than I had expected! My work was wonderfully received, and people were curious and excited. This made my work so easy as I was telling them about my inspiration and the philosophy behind the collection. I would say the biggest impact of this all personally to me was the confirmation that trust your guts!
In the near future, for my next projects, I would love to take a look into alternative materials for plastics. That would be very interesting.
