Collection: Ilmari Tapiovaara

The Finn Yrjö Ilmari Tapiovaara (Tampere, 1914 - Helsinki, 1999) was one of the greatest 20th-century designers and a leading exponent of post-war Scandinavian design. Gifted with extraordinary talent, he became famous for functional furniture such as stackable chairs and furnishings assembled after delivery. His interests were as sweeping as his creativity. In his long career, he worked in woodcarving, graphic design, textile design, distinguishing himself as a teacher, entrepreneur and art director.

After a degree in interior design and several internships at Alvar Aalto's Artek in London and Le Corbusier's studio in Paris, he returned to Finland. He worked as an art director at the Asko Industries furniture factory, where he designed his first piece of furniture, the total wood Tee Tee coffee table. Obsessed by the search for the perfect chair combining functionality, ergonomics and accessibility, the designer came up with what is considered the quintessential Scandinavian chair. The Domus Chair, also known as The Finn Chair, is still produced and sold by Artek; it was designed in 1946 with his wife Annikki as part of the series of furnishings for students destined for the Domus Academica university residence in Helsinki. The stackable chair is characterised by a solid birch frame, ergonomic seat and back in birch veneer, and the famous shortened armrests that allow the chair to slide under the table to create valuable space in cramped student rooms. The success of the mass-produced chair brought the pair orders from public institutions like schools, universities and the army.

In 1951, Ilmari and Annikki Tapiovaara opened their an office and worked for banks, offices, shops and hotels. In 1952, Ilmari was invited to teach at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and had the opportunity to work in Mies van der Rohe's studio. As an advocate of democratic design, accessible to all, he was always looking for new ways to improve everyday objects. His design pieces, all rigorously in wood, his favourite material, are timeless icons, intentionally abstract and pure in form, like the Trienna coffee table (1953), the Pirkka chairs (1955), the Mademoiselle chair, with a rocker version (1956), and the Kiki collection of tables and chairs (1959). During his long career, Ilmari Tapiovaara received many awards and prizes, including six gold medals at the Milan Triennale between 1951 and 1964, the Good Design Award in Chicago in 1951 and other awards in Finland. Yrjö Ilmari Tapiovaara died in Helsinki in 1999. His furniture is now distributed by Artek. In 2014, Finalnd issued a commemorative 2-euro coin to mark the centenary of his birth.