Akademia Armrest chair, lacquered oak

Wesley Walters and Salla Luhtasela, also known as Kaksikko, specialize in designing minimalist wooden and ceramic products. They share not only a similar taste in design but also an eventful path to the design field. They met while studying design at the Aalto University Helsinki, and their work has been influenced by both Scandinavian and Japanese aesthetics.

Before Aalto University, Walters, originally from California, studied East Asian languages at the University of Berkeley. There he grew an interest in design and architecture due to an exchange program in Japan and a summer job at the art department of a movie production. He started his design studies at the Tama University in Tokyo, got his first master's degree in 2012 and moved to Helsinki to continue his education. Finnish Salla Luhtasela, in turn, worked as a pastry chef and studied architectural restoration before she discovered ceramics and applied to Aalto University in 2013.

Kaksikko's ceramic Piippu coffee pot and filter won the third prize in the Muuto Talent Award 2015. They in turn won the first FDS Awards design competition in 2016 – the successful Perch stool is now part of Nikari's range of high-quality wooden furniture. For Danish brand Muuto, the duo have designed a distinctive Ridge vase and a striking Mere bowl.