The Habitare Talents 2025 designers have been announced – here’s how they are transforming our object culture
Habitare Talents 2025 showcases four bold designers of a new generation, whose works reflect experimental and material-driven approaches. The insightful creations of Lennart Engels, Reeta Laine, Anton Mikkonen, and Santeri Mortti are memorable visual innovations, such as a material that utilises used sauna stones from Helsinki's public saunas. The Habitare Talents exhibition will be featured at Habitare at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre from 10 to 14 September 2025.
Habitare Talents 2025 will present a group of young designers: Lennart Engels, Reeta Laine, Anton Mikkonen, and Santeri Mortti, whohave already developed distinctive styles characterizing their way of doing. What they have in common is their pursuit of new ways to use materials and highlight their properties by combining traditional craftsmanship with modern innovations.
"The Habitare Talents 2025 designers are shaping our object culture and the way we see design as a tool for change. Visually, they are very different creators, but they are all united by fearless experimentation and a strong personal voice," say Elina Aalto and Saara Renvall from Imu Design.
Elina Aalto and Saara Renvall from Imu Design are responsible for curating and producing the exhibition. In addition, the jury included the creative lead at Habitare, Päivi Helander, and this year’s non-permanent member of the jury, the designer Antti Tuomi, who was featured in the Talentshop exhibition in 2023. The competition secretary is the Habitare producer Ida Ågren.
Habitare Talents 2025 designers
Lennart Engels
Lennart Engels is a Helsinki-based designer born in Antwerp, who focuses on material innovations and experimental sculptural objects. He combines meaningful materials with an archetypal visual language, reflecting his curiosity about the world. After moving to Finland, Lennart became interested in saunas, particularly sauna stones, which led him to develop a geopolymer material that utilises used sauna stones from Helsinki's public saunas. In this way, he transforms the stones into conveyors of cultural narratives, merging ancient traditions with contemporary practices.
saunastonelab.com I @saunastonelab I @lennart.engels
Reeta Laine
Reeta Laine is a designer who balances aesthetics and practicality in her work. She worked for five years at Nina Bruun's design office in Copenhagen and has been working independently in her hometown of Tampere for the past three years. Reeta aims to bring new perspectives to the commercial imagery of design and create visually interesting and meaningful products. She is fascinated by the different properties and processing methods of materials, and her work is characterized by a material-driven approach, thoughtful design language, and an element of surprise.
Anton Mikkonen
Anton Mikkonen is a designer whose works combine design, functional art, and sculptural expression. His process-driven approach balances between organic craftsmanship and precisely finished machining, striving for harmonious equilibrium. Anton aims to highlight the natural properties of materials and views the manufacturing process as part of a creative exploration.
antonmikkonen.com I @antonmtmikkonen
Santeri Mortti
Santeri Mortti is a designer specializing in sculptural wooden furniture and interior objects. His work focuses on materials and traditional craftsmanship, with projects evolving through the act of making, allowing room for serendipity. Santeri aims to combine meticulousness and humour in his work, creating unique, one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture that meet practical needs while pushing the boundaries of his technical skills with each object.
santerimortti.fi I @santeri_mortti
More information:
Pia Sievinen, communication & brand, Habitare, tel. +358 40 559 9155, pia.sievinen@messukeskus.com
Images of Habitare Talents can be downloaded here.
Habitare, the leading furniture, design and interior event in the Nordics, will be held at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre from 10 to 14 September 2025. | habitare.fi | @habitarefair | #habitare2025
Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre is Finland’s leading event organiser. The Finnish Fair Corporation Group, which includes Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre, also comprises the trade show organiser Expomark Oy and the AV technology company SVV Oy. In 2023, the group reported revenue of €51.3 million and generated an economic impact of €187 million for its surrounding area. I messukeskus.com I @messukeskus
