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The union of craft and design – Nikari’s cabinetmakers create furniture built to last
In the red-brick building of the Fiskars village in southern Finland, a group of cabinetmakers craft furniture entirely by hand, from start to finish. At Nikari’s workshop, traditional woodworking skills meet the vision of leading designers. “These wooden pieces are made to last for generations,” says Johanna Vuorio, CEO of Nikari.
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The Japandi trend combines Japanese and Nordic design language in a new way
The recently popular Japandi phenomenon combines Scandinavian practicality with Japanese design language. Uncompromising respect for old manufacturing techniques brings a new perspective to the interior decoration trend. We discovered how the Finnish Nikari and the Japanese Ariake both continue traditions in their own ways in modern furniture design, fully in the spirit of the Japandi trend.
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Nikari’s Biennale stool is made masterfully and meticulously
The elegant, tradition-inspired Biennale stool takes at least 12 weeks to make, requiring not only skill but also quite a lot of physical strength from Nikari’s cabinetmakers. Read on to find out how exactly the stool is made!
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Kari Virtanen, cabinetmaker and founder of Nikari, wins the Kaj Franck Design Prize 2022
Cabinetmaker Kari Virtanen is the winner of the Kaj Franck Design Prize 2022, one of the best-known design prizes in Finland. Over the years, Virtanen has designed a wide range of wooden furniture for Nikari, a company he founded in 1967, and collaborated with Alvar Aalto and even Kaj Franck himself.
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How a December chair by Nikari became as good as new – carpenter Iivari Viilomaa’s tips for refurbishing a wooden chair and its leather upholstery
Refurbishing a wax-oiled wooden chair may sound difficult, but small-scale maintenance can even be carried out at home. Franckly wants to promote furniture repair and maintenance. We had the privilege of watching how a used December chair by Nikari became as good as new. Read the expert tips and check out the photos!
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Nikari’s July stool was inspired by nature
Designed by Nao Tamura, the July stool brings together timeless design and Nikari’s signature craftsmanship and respect for the environment. The beautiful wooden stool, which is well suited for use as a seat or side table, is unique and versatile.
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Monocle magazine awarded Nikari’s Jenni Roininen as Designer of the Year
Jenni Roininen, who works as Nikari’s creative director, has won the Designer of the Year award at Monocle magazine’s Design Awards 2021. We interviewed Roininen to hear her thoughts fresh after the win.
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Nikari and Woodnotes join forces
Two Finnish veterans of the design industry, Nikari, known for its solid wood furniture, and Woodnotes, known for its paper yarn carpets and furniture, will begin collaborating. We asked Johanna Vuorio of Nikari and Mikko Puotila of Woodnotes what was behind this surprise announcement.
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Perch sprung from the FDS Award competition into Nikari’s top product
The Perch stool, which won the first FDS Award, was added to the Nikari collection in the year of the competition. Johanna Vuorio, Nikari's CEO, is delighted by their collaboration with Wesley Walters and Salla Luhtasela from Studio Kaksikko, the design duo behind the product.
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Design Stories is the online magazine of Finnish Design Shop, created to inspire and delight design lovers everywhere. We hope you enjoy exploring with us! Have a story tip or thoughts on our content? We’d love to hear from you.
