Designer Yrjö Kukkapuro for Apartamento Magazine #9

The fantastic blog that is Wo and We put me onto a series taken by photographer Osma Harvilahti for Apartamento Magazine issue number 9. Osma, who currently resides in New York, also has a wide array of other photography on her portfolio website, although it does mainly revolve around commissioned stuff and also some personal snaps from Finland. These ones I personally find most intriguing as they have real character and substance, either way all of her photographs are really great so I would urge you to have a look for yourself.

Moving onto the subject in this specific series, Finnish interior and furniture designer Yrjö Kukkapuro is probably best known for the chairs that he’s made throughout the years. He started working as a designer in the 1950’s and has always been interested in ergonomics and the functionality and reliability that furniture requires. Much like us his aesthetic is quite stripped down, this goes hand in hand with the functional element of his work. So photographer Osma Harvilahti was asked to go and take some pictures inside Yrjö and his wife Irmeli’s studio/home built in Kauniainen, Finland in 1968. Since the couple still work there to this day it must have an amazing atmosphere and from checking their website it looks like they will be opening it up to the public for the first time, this is a must visit if you live in Finland!

You could say Yrjö is best known for his furniture, particularly the “Karuselli”, sometimes called the Carousel chair, which was appointed the world’s most comfortable armchair by The New York Times in 1974. It’s fascinating getting a glimpse into his studio through this brilliant photography, how all the different lines of the studio come together, also amazing how he’s still designing and working today. What a building to reside in!

Obviously not everyone will get the chance to visit the Kukkapuro studio, but luckily Yrjö’s works are present in the permanent collections of various museums in the world – such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. So you can sit back and admire some of his furniture there, for now enjoy what we have here in this article and for higher resolution pictures hit Osma Harvilahti’s webpage or purchase the newest issue of Apartamento Magazine.

www.kukkapuro.fi
www.osma.fi

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