Founded by Salla Luhtasela and Wesley Walters, studio Kaksikko is a Helsinki-based design practice specializing in ceramic tableware and wooden furniture. During this year’s Stockholm Furniture Fair, the studio presented some of its designs, where understated forms and the material’s tactile qualities have been highlighted, as well as the production process itself. ‘We are very interested in self-production and most of the designs that are now produced begun as limited-edition, self-produced objects for restaurants and cultural institutions in Finland,’ comments the studio.

Exhibited at the Stockholm Furniture Fair, every piece by studio Kaksikko tries to create a balance between design and craft. ‘Salla’s attention to detail is informed by her previous career as a confectioner,’ says Walters. ‘My design aesthetic is heavily influenced by many years spent working as a Japanese interpreter, as well as studying design in Japan.’

The ‘Korematsu chair’ is the first in a series of seating designed for an osteopathy practice in Japan. The design expands on the form language of the Maissi bench, using simple cylindrical forms to create seating objects that are surprisingly light and comfortable. Referencing East Asian and Nordic typologies, the minimalistic form is made both strong and comfortable by the angle created between the upper rail, which sits atop the legs, and the lower rail, which rests just in front.

The design of the ‘Maissi bench’ was motivated by the old stair handrails and industrial machinery parts. The curved elements are made by laminating thin strips of oak over molds and routing them into cylinders. The bench seats two people comfortably while its narrow profile makes it equally suitable for living rooms and entranceways.

The convex form of the ‘Perch’ stool’s seat reference the weatherworn door handles found in old residential buildings in Helsinki. The seat width and structural dimensions are intended to be the minimum necessary for comfortable sitting, making the stool lightweight and easy to produce in solid wood. Made in solid oak, they are now being produced by nikari in collaboration with the finish design shop.

As seen at the KOTI sleepover, the ‘Ask trays’ are a set o three nesting trays designed for a restaurant in Helsinki. The structure underneath has the dual purpose of elevating them off the table for servers to lift easily and enabling them to nest for stacking and storage. They have been self-produced in solid and laminated ash.

Photography by Chikako Harada

http://www.designboom.com/design/studio-kaksikko-stockholm-furniture-fair-02-23-2017/