Ilmari Tapiovaara’s Maija lamp (1955)
The shade of the white Maija 30 floor lamp is reminiscent of a beehive.
FINNISH DESIGNER ILMARI TAPIOVAARA designed the Maija Mehiläinen lamp in 1955. For the lamp’s shade, which resembles a beehive, Tapiovaara got the inspiration from the children’s book Maya the Bee (Maija Mehiläinen in Finnish) by the Austrian German author Waldemar Bonsels, hence the name of the lamp. The original name of the children’s book, published in 1912, is Die Biene Maja.
Ilmari Tapiovaara (1914–1999) is one of the most respected Finnish designers.
Different size but same silhouette – the Maija floor lamp is 67 cm high, while the table version is 33 cm high.
The design of the Maija luminaire is scalable. The taller floor lamp was also included in the interior design of Tapiovaara's own home.
The columnar and rhythmic shape of the Maija lamp is composed of several superimposed metal discs that filter the light softly, and without a glare, into the surrounding space. The first Maija lamp that was launched was a table lamp, and it was accompanied by pendant lamps of various sizes as well as two different floor lamps a few years later.
The Finnish company Hienoteräs manufactured original Maija lamps until the 1960s.
The Maija Mehiläinen lamps were originally manufactured by Finnish Hienoteräs, and they also were part of the selection of the Finnish furniture manufacturer Asko at least until the 1960s. Nowadays, the original Maija lamps manufactured by Hienoteräs are valuable, sought-after collector’s items, both in Finland and the international design market.
The metal discs of the shade softly filter the light into the surrounding space.
The beautiful pink shade of the Maija 15 pendant lamp follows the original color scheme.
The timeless and elegant design created by Ilmari Tapiovaara is suitable for various interiors.
The story of the Maija Mehiläinen lamps continued in the 1990s, when the Spanish publishing and design company Santa & Cole contacted the Finnish art and design historian Pekka Korvenmaa about a special book series. Santa & Cole wanted to publish a book about an internationally known Finnish designer, and Korvenmaa ended up choosing Ilmari Tapiovaara as the subject of the book. The design department of the Spanish university Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, located in Barcelona, also participated in the book project.
Today, Ilmari Tapiovaara’s Maija luminaires are part of Santa & Cole’s collection.
A three-year period of research and writing began in 1994, and during that time, most of Ilmari Tapiovaara’s career was compiled into a single volume. In connection with the publication of the Tapiovaara book, Santa & Cole also took the Maija lamp into production and launched it in its Design Classics collection in a few different versions. The Maija lamps are currently available in white as well as nude rose that resembles the original tone.
Read more:
• Ilmari Tapiovaara – life, oblivion and rediscovery >
See also:
• Ilmari Tapiovaara's pre-owned designs at Franckly >
• All products by Santa & Cole at Finnish Design Shop >
Text: Elina Tuokko Images: Santa & Cole
Published on 21 Oct, 2021
