Former students and co -workers remember the designer Yrjö Kukkapuro: “Always inspiring and friendly”

On Saturday 91-year-old died Yrjö Kukkapuro was one of the most important Finnish designers of all time. Known for his iconic chairs, Kukkapuro impressed people not only by his work but also by its essence.

“He was the kindest person in the world. He always remembered all the people named around the world and what has been done. He was always just as inspiring, ”the furniture designer and furniture designer Charles Holmberg tells you.

Holmberg was once a student of Kukkapuro. He first met a renowned designer at the beginning of his studies in 1973 when he passed by the University of Art and Design Helsinki.

“Our teacher Anita Karhunen asked what he was working on. Yrjö stopped and said he was making a new chair. He described it in the movement and position of the body so that the chair jumped in front of my eyes. It was so well told that I was excited about the industry. ”

If the chairs are so nice, I want it, Holmberg thought.

A couple of years later, Kukkapuro asked Holmberg to be one of the assistants.

“I learned everything from my profession. He could tell things in the way that he learned it right away. ”

Holmberg as well as his coursemate, Jouko Järvisalo and Kimmo Varjoranta belonged to the working group led by Kukkapuro, where the interior design of the Rautatientori Metro Station and the component planning of Helsinki metro stations were implemented.

For many years, Holmberg cooperated with Kukkapuro.

“I designed various stores and shops, their interiors and structures, and the stands around the world.”

Holmberg also drew chairs designed by Kukkapuro, such as a scale and a function.

“So I did the work drawings, he was a designer. In it, I learned to design my own work, and I started designing collections for different factories, ”says Holmberg, a Lepo Product chief designer.

Designer Matti Kankkunen He became acquainted with Kukkapuro in 2007 after going to an internship, the chief designer Kukkapuro was. The following year, Kukkapuro was already asking for a more permanent question about Kankkka.

Cooperation has continued since then, but in recent years more occasionally.

“It was a long time that I always booked Friday with Yrjö to work,” says Kankkunen.

Last summer, they were more closely connected as Kukkapuro had a vision of a new chair.

“It was then developed. He noticed that he became enthusiastic when he was able to do something creative when that everyday life started to be quite repeated day after day. ”

Kankkunen It helped flower stream, for example, in bringing ideas and plans to digital format. According to Kankkunen, Kukkapuro was a constant developer whose ideas were always based on some of his previous work.

“He used previous details, insights, materials in his design. It was a combination of previous things and ideas, so it was our work, ”says Kankkunen.

“When Yrjö had a thought, he could describe that ‘this and this kind of thing about that model’. We understood each other right away. ”

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“We understood each other right away.”

Based on the duo’s conversations, Kankkunen outlined the draft and brought it to the flower creek.

“He was always very grateful for everything he brought to him. Although, of course, he may have had the idea that it would be something else, but then he has been very excited that there has been something to go, ”Kankkunen describes.

According to him, Kukkapuro always had a clear vision of what he wanted.

“The basic concept and idea were clear. The table was never wiped clean and left again from zero. In his own mind, Yrjö had always developed the starting points and had already processed far, ”he says.

“Then just took the idea forward. Of course, it could sometimes take a long time. ”

Kankkusen According to, Kukkapuro was always open to people. For the children of Kankkusen, he always remembered to send chocolate or other little souvenirs.

“He was terribly kind -hearted and benevolent. He was clearly a great joy for giving it, ”says Kankkunen.

“Sometimes in the early stages I thought it was a nice old gentleman, but here I have noticed that maybe there could be more of such people in the world. He was a really good person. ”