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Tapio Anttila

A space without furniture is just a space, and furniture without space is just furniture - combined they form a home. I have studied to be both an interior architect and a furniture designer and have done both for a living. This combination has helped me to think more broadly about the field. My furniture always has some obvious or inconspicuous context for the space. Read more about what I mean.

Warning:  This is not a trendy interior design blog.

So, I don't make my furniture as detached objects without a connection to the user and the space. Some pieces of furniture I designed have ended up in museum showcases for people to admire, which is certainly nice, but that is not their first or ultimate purpose. That apparent perspective of the open union of space and furniture guides my design, which is quite multi-phased.

First, I must be able to decide what I'm designing for my collection. That's when an image of a space enters the picture, for which I'm designing something. It requires familiarity with people's everyday life and their problem areas. I think about bringing some new solutions to them, either functional or spatial. At this stage, I also need to look over my shoulder at the supply and think about whether there are any gaps that I could fill with my design. 

"I avoid introducing items that are already oversupplied." 

In the next step, a problem related to the space and/or use begins to take shape. We Finns live in quite small spaces, and most of my design is specifically related to the spatial solutions of such spaces. My sofa beds are the best example of this. I have developed several models that do not look like sofa beds. They are elegant looking, light, and suitable for rooms where there is not much space. Typically, they are guest rooms, everyday living rooms and various spaces in leisure apartments. But why not small and slightly larger living rooms, where we have also delivered many of our sofas. All of these are united by versatility, which cleverly solves the small and large problems of a small space or situation.

 

The other products in my collection follow in the footsteps of the sofa beds. I have tried to make the lounge chairs, dining tables and their chairs as light as possible. The idea behind them is that they don't take up space and would be easy to move. If the space is full of big, soft and round shapes, it will "clog" even more. With the products I design, I want to offer consumers solutions that give space to breathe, not suffocate it. In wooden furniture, implementing it is a challenge, because wooden structures are usually heavier. As a designer, I like challenges - that's why I am particularly interested in designing light wooden furniture.

"With the products I design, I want to offer consumers solutions that give space to breathe, not suffocate it." 

The colours in the interior have their own chapter. It is known that warm colours in objects expand and enlarge them. Especially when combined with round and soft shapes. Thus, they naturally fill the space – and make a smaller space look even smaller, which is not necessarily the intention. Therefore, I prefer neutral colours on large surfaces. I am by no means saying that you can't use strong colours, but perhaps rather on smaller and easily updated surfaces, such as interior textiles and other interior items. This same principle also applies to painted or wallpapered surfaces. That is, when the living situation or the purpose of use of the space changes, the neutral furniture will remain, and the colourful smaller interior elements can be updated more easily and cheaply. This is also to extend the life cycle of larger products such as sofas, which is naturally also responsible.

Although our products are well suited for small spaces, larger spaces are by no means excluded - on the contrary. Even in a larger space, it can be good to leave the space to "breathe". When the living room or dining room has a full-length glass wall and behind it a beautiful natural landscape, you really shouldn't cover the view with heavy furniture.

The furnishing of all spaces should have a goal. What kind of character do you want to modify the space into with the choices; intimate or more open, practical, cosy, multi-purpose, timeless, time-resistant, light or heavy? These questions are endless. When the goals are clear, the selection of furniture and other interior elements is easier.

We were together with the Finnish Hetki-sauna brand at the Finnish Embassy's Sauna / Die Sauna event in Berlin in the spring of 2024. We furnished the changing room of the Hetki sauna, which was only a 2 x 2 m separate building - that is, really small. I was surprised how well the space was furnished and yet it didn't look like a "fully stuffed sardine can". The space had a Frendi sofa bed that seats 3 or sleeps 2 people - with the necessary bedding. Aski coffee tables help with this, and they have multipurpose storage space for towels and small items. Renki shelves and coat rack, Aski mirror and plafond, and Kokoa carpet were the finishing touches for the interior.

When all functional goals were met, the end result was a surprisingly spacious impression.