Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2011 | Page 19
flocking to Helsinki, eager to get a sneak
peak at the coming year. For instance, The
Guardian claimed that there’s good design
everywhere in Helsinki, and even the natives
(with their high cheek bones) have a statuesque quality. Trend bible Monocle picked
Helsinki on its list of the world’s best cities
to live in (at number five), and launched an
entire special edition on Finland.
Nature & Nurture
The roots of Finnish design, of course, run
deep and wide. There is the spectacular father and son combo (Eliel and Eero Saarinen) and the sheer genius of Alvar Aalto;
nicely complemented by Tapio Wirkkala’s
romantic stylings and the sculptural forms of
Timo Sarpaneva (to name but a few).
Throughout the decades, designers
have been inspired by the forces of nature,
the changing seasons, and the delicate play
of Northern light. Standing between East
and West, Finnish design has always been in
a unique position to do something a little bit
different. The present-day designers – such
as Paola Suhonen and Stefan Lindfors – are
continuing this tradition of “Finnovation”.
Tero Vähäkylä, Chairman of the International Design Foundation which is in
charge of WDC2012 Helsinki, observes that
in the aftermath of the Second World War,
Finland was in a search of a more modern
identity. Together with the industry, designers took on the challenge of the changing
times and came up with a blueprint for new,
urban life. During 1950-1960, many design
classics were created products which even
today, fifty years later, are still in production and very much in demand.
“Design was one of the key building
blocks of the national identity in post-war
Finland. Designers such as Alvar Aalto and
Kaj Franck won international acclaim and
the whole nation was rooting for them,” says
Vähäkylä, former CEO of design powerhouse Iittala Group.
Practically Beautiful
At the same time, the link between design
and everyday Finnish lifestyle was very
strong. Ordinary Finnish households would
feature Iittala, Arabia or some other (soon to
be world-famous) brand. The practical approach was always evident in the works of
the era, and the aesthetic appeal was felt well
outside the so-called design-lovers’ circuit.
“In a sense, a certain democratisation
of design was taking place in Finland. Under this ideology, design belonged to everyone,” Vähäkylä states.
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