Habitare Design Competition finalist designs chosen

The finalist designs for the Habitare Design Competition have been selected. The competition is held in conjunction with Habitare, the leading design event in Finland. The theme of the competition is “tête-à-tête” – an intimate meeting or conversation between two people, especially friends. Four bold entries were selected for the final of the competition. The Habitare fair will be held at Messukeskus in Helsinki, from 11 to 15 September 2019.

The theme of this year’s Habitare Design Competition, “tête-à-tête”, encouraged contestants to design a place, space or piece of furniture that enables a meeting between two people. Of the 40 entries submitted, the panel of judges in the first stage of the competition chose four designs to go through to the final. The finalist designs form an interesting whole. The entries selected for the final are designed by students at Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture.

“More than 40 entries were submitted for the competition, and among these, four bold designs stood out, each with a distinctive character. Since its inception, the starting point of the competition has been to come up with design briefs that provide young students of architecture, interior design and furniture design with an opportunity to create bold, open-minded and artistically high-quality solutions. The competition has brought publicity to young designers and provided them with an extraordinary opportunity to meet top national and international designers over the years, such as Alessandro Mendini, Jasper Morrison and Petra Blaisse”, says the Aalto University lecturer Martin Relander, one of the judges for the first stage of the competition.

Stefan Diez as the head judge

The German designer and founder of Diez Office, Stefan Diez, has been invited to be the head judge of the Habitare Design Competition. He founded his studio in 2002 and has since worked as professor of industrial design at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design in Germany and the School of Industrial Design at Lund University in Sweden. Diez Office combines craft and technical expertise, and realises its designs together with local craftspeople. Diez Office has designed award-winning products in collaboration with, for example, Hay, Rosenthal and Thonet.

Habitare Design Competition finalists in 2019:

KAKSIN | Mira Järvinen

Kaksin (‘Us two’) straddles the middle ground between a garment, a work of art and an interior decoration element, taking you on a journey to childhood memories. The wearable form of the design, which is knitted from merino and mohair wool, brings two people close to each other and provides shelter for intimate conversations, stories and secrets.

KEVEÄ | Eveliina Juuri and Heikki Konu

Keveä (‘Lightweight’) is a weatherproof piece of furniture for public spaces that functions as a place of relaxation and that provides easy seating for, say, having a bite to eat. The symmetrical design is made of bent perforated steel, and due to its lightweight construction, it can be easily moved and used for events.

GULF OF REED | Kadri Kallaste and Pinja Koskelin

Gulf of Reed is inspired by the common reed generally found in the Gulf of Finland. The sculpture, which is made of this versatile and natural material and which mimics the shape of the Möbius strip, provides an opportunity for having intimate conversations and occupying the various surfaces and levels of the sculpture.

PALIKAT | Erik Lindahl

Palikat (‘Blocks’) features a configuration of rectangular cuboid objects that plays with massing, creating a minimalistic outdoor resting area. In the design, the blocks click into place, as the objects need each other to form a functional whole.

The panel of judges in the first stage of the competition included the designer, Professor Ville Kokkonen (Aalto University); the creative director Laura Sarvilinna (Habitare); the architect, Professor Pentti Kareoja (Aalto University); and the interior architect, lecturer Martin Relander (Aalto University).

The winning design will be announced on the opening day of Habitare. The winner of the Habitare design competition will receive a €5,000 prize, donated by the Finnish Fair Foundation.

More information:

Habitare, communications manager Eva Kiviranta, eva.kiviranta@messukeskus.com, tel. +358 407756609

Images of the finalists in Messukeskus material bank

Habitare

Habitare, the largest furniture, design and interior decoration event in Finland, will be held at Messukeskus in Helsinki, from 11 to 15 September 2019. Habitare offers experiences and ideas on interior decoration, and on the functioning and look of homes and other spaces. Habitare highlights the ideas and works by a new generation of designers, and sparks discussion. The International Friend of Habitare in 2019 is Alberto Alessi. To be held concurrently with Habitare is  the Hifi event. | www.habitare.fi | @HabitareFair | www.facebook.com/habitare | #habitare2019