Tapio
What does the world really need?
Have you heard the story about the designer who walks in the autumn forest and gets an idea for his product from a cold, curled conifer?
I don't believe in arrogant designer myths and people staring at the fire. I go into the forest and I don't necessarily get any ideas there. Maybe fresh air and a good mood. Instead, the idea can come when I think about Finnish everyday life and its improvement. After that, maybe I'll go to the forest and get a vision for implementation and the raw material.
If the idea is not useful in people's lives, it is worthless.The world is full of uncomfortable chairs, ugly sofas and footstools that fall apart in your hands. No more of that here, thanks.
"One person's vision can fit in many places when it is properly thought out"
Our ancestors had an innate sense of practical aesthetics and a compulsion to live side by side with nature, whether they wanted it or not. They didn't necessarily love nature, they probably often hated it, but there were no alternatives. Many times they certainly cursed the narrowness, destructive power and harshness of their nature. We had to live by saving materials, make objects functional and long-lasting.
Only now do we have the luxury of loving nature and turning it into non-functional disposable items because we can afford it. Or so we thought. Now is the time to take the next step and move to relevance. As we see, reason and madness have thrown a bull's-eye. What seemed like madness to us is now wisdom. And vice versa.
Long lasting wood
Wood is my material, and at the same time that of all Finns. Think of the words. "Puukko", "puuteri", "puulaaki", "puuha", "puustelli", "kaipuu", "toppuutella", "loppuun asti", "tykätä kuin hullu puurosta".
We have an endless number of words that include the word "puu" / wood. I don't know etymologically how they came about, I like to think that wood fits in all contexts and that's why it is included in so many words. Maybe a linguist has another explanation, but I'm going to ignore reason here and let in the madness.
"Sometimes the sun doesn't rise for months and sometimes it doesn't set for months. Try to design there"
Feet on the ground, same as objects
The starting point for all my designs is the earth. The earth provides the material, traditions, people and purpose of use. And also responsibility.
Here, the earth is Finland, and we are part of the Nordic countries. Here I am connecting myself to a larger tradition that I call ruralism - with the prefix "North".
A natural way of thinking for us
I consider my way of working to be Nordic. Not necessarily the same as a four-letter Swedish company, but personable, reasonable and maybe a little crazy. As us residents of North are used to. It makes sense that I only take what I need from nature's large stock of raw materials, and I also use waste pieces whenever possible.
Functionality also makes sense. I listen to people's stories, find needs and fill them with my own plan. I make furniture for a living, not for myself. Time is an important factor in designing. I make objects at this time. I will learn from the past. I want the stories I bring to life to last a long time.
So I bend not only wood, but also time. We live in time.