Joanna Laajisto is a Finnish interior architect – and a former professional snowboarder. In 2010, she founded Studio Joanna Laajisto in Helsinki, a design studio renowned for its sophisticated public spaces, including restaurants, retail environments and workplaces. The studio’s acclaimed projects include the offices of internationally celebrated Finnish gaming company Supercell as well as the showroom spaces of Atelier Torbjörn Tillander.
Studio Joanna Laajisto is also behind the interior architecture of Finnish Design Shop’s logistics centre in Turku, opened in 2021.
Joanna Laajisto: From snowboarding to interior architecture
Joanna Laajisto is a Helsinki-based interior architect and designer who, before turning to interiors, carved out a career as a professional-level snowboarder. Laajisto studied at the Interior Design Institute in Los Angeles and, after graduating, spent five years at Gensler Architects before returning to Finland. Studio Joanna Laajisto was founded in 2010.
Climate first
Laajisto’s design philosophy is rooted above all in sustainability: solutions that stand the test of time both visually and physically, a love of natural materials and a deep connection to architectural and cultural context.
In recent years, the climate crisis has brought a shift in Laajisto’s work. She has begun to look critically at her own earlier practices, steering her design ever more firmly towards existing structures and recycled materials.
Product design and accolades
Alongside interior architecture, Laajisto also works as a designer. She designs and produces her own lighting collection, and has created products and concepts for well-known design brands – including the Airisto seats for Finnish brand Made by Choice and the System storage boxes for Lundia.
In 2018, the Finnish Association of Interior Architects SIO named Joanna Laajisto Interior Architect of the Year.
Who: Joanna Laajisto
- A Helsinki-based interior architect and founder of Studio Joanna Laajisto (2010).
- Works across interior architecture and design.
- Her design philosophy centres on sustainability, timelessness and a user-focused approach.
- Notable projects include Supercell’s headquarters in Helsinki and Finnish Design Shop’s logistics centre in Turku.
- Named Interior Architect of the Year in 2018.
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