HELSINKI, Finland — Celebrating two decades of Scandi design while infusing its codes with a sweeping pool of creative references, Helsinki Design Week 2025 leaned on two key themes for its fall edition: happiness and optimism. Indeed, the Finnish capital is known for its towering architecture and goth-like fashion, but this season felt a little different. In times of turmoil, there’s no better way to celebrate feel-good craft that lifts the spirits, and it seems the city had plenty of cool ideas on offer.
The week began at Habitare, the leading furniture, design, and interior fair in the Nordics, held at the Helsinki Expo and Convention Centre. Founded in 1970, the fair hosted nearly 500 companies this year, with its central theme being Touch. It called for a multi-sensory exploration of spaces, harnessing genuine curiosity and discovering new forms of expression through surfaces.
“It is interesting to see the return of very traditional materials and manufacturing methods. At the same time, new materials are being developed to replace fossil or otherwise harmful materials. As a result, we get an opportunity to feel new materials, surfaces and appearances,” reflected Päivi Helander, Creative Lead of Habitare.
In celebration of its 20th anniversary, Helsinki Design Week opened the doors of Suomitalo, a historic commercial office building completed in 1911, located right in the heart of the city at Lönnrotinkatu. The event featured the Designing Happiness main exhibition, an industry symposium, and several other design-themed events.
Designing Happiness
Today, Suomitalo is owned by a fund managed by German asset manager DWS and Newsec. The building’s façades were designed by architect Armas Lindgren, and its floor plans by architect Onni Tarjanne. Built with Kökar granite, Suomitalo is a representative example of Art Nouveau architecture.
The Helsinki Design Award, granted jointly by Helsinki Design Week and the City of Helsinki, honoured the Designs for a Cooler Planet exhibition as a meeting place shaping better urban futures. To mark its 20th anniversary, Helsinki Design Week wanted to recognise a bold program concept that has emerged from within the metropolitan design community. The exhibition brought people and ideas together, fostering continuous exchange, renewing understanding of design, and reaching new audiences.
Aalto University’s annual Designs for a Cooler Planet exhibition was organised as part of the European Commission’s New European Bauhaus initiative and Helsinki Design Week. Launched in 2019, the concept highlights experimental solutions developed by Aalto University students and researchers to global challenges, including new materials, construction, health, and the circular economy.
“The scope and multifaceted nature of Designs for a Cooler Planet is truly unique. The exhibition team brings together researchers, teachers, designers, manufacturers, producers, and curators, all united by a focus on a better future for our planet,” says Kari Korkman, founder of Helsinki Design Week.
As mentioned, at the heart of the week was the international exhibition Designing Happiness, curated by researcher and educator Anniina Koivu. The exhibition explored whether happiness can be designed, drawing inspiration from what has been called the “happiness cocktail” – the combination of dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins that shape our experience of wellbeing and joy.
“As we celebrate our anniversary, we’re looking ahead – but it’s also fun to reminisce,” recalls Anni Korkman, Helsinki Design Week’s Programme Director. “In 2022 our main venue was Kanavaranta 5, where we partnered with Kuurna to open a festival restaurant on the rooftop of the Sugar Cube. It was a great success and we hope it left a lasting memory for many. We are thrilled to be working again with Kuurna’s wonderful team – it feels like coming home. Twenty years is a significant milestone for anyone, and it’s fantastic to also celebrate with our friends at the Finnish Design Shop.”
Studio Kukkapuro
Legendary Finnish designer Yrjö Kukkapuro’s final creation was unveiled at Habitare 2025: the YK92 armchair, a design left unfinished on his desk and now brought into production by Studio Kukkapuro together with manufacturer Alastek.
Until the very end, Kukkapuro trusted his ergonomic expertise. The armchair was designed to provide a firm grip, making it easy even for those with weaker legs to rise from it. “Throughout the decades, Yrjö approached commissions pragmatically. His work was a study of technical, functional, and ergonomic challenges,” says his daughter Isa Kukkapuro-Enbom from Studio Kukkapuro. The YK92 is a compact and comfortable armchair, its clarity and simplicity making it suitable for any environment. It brings home-like comfort to public spaces while saving space.
Renowned Danish designer Stine Goya offered her interpretation of a classic Kukkapuro design: the Moderno chair. The result is 42 different chairs that read like a functional artwork – structured, graphic, and quietly expressive in their use of colour, materials, and composition. Moderno was one of the first chairs designed by Professor Yrjö Kukkapuro, “the master of ergonomics,” whose career spanned more than seven decades.
Kalevala Jewellery
But there’s more. Shifting territories, Kalevala launched a new jewellery collection called Itu (Finnish for “sprout”), designed by multidisciplinary artist Martin Bergström, who works in both Sweden and Finland.
“Kalevala has been a pioneer in the jewellery industry for 88 years. This new collection pays homage to that long-standing spirit of courage while introducing something fresh to our range. With its rich textures and playful combinations of materials, the Itu collection offers meaningful jewellery for all of life’s moments — designed to be worn, cherished, and perhaps one day passed on. Its themes resonate with many of life’s turning points — growth, hope, and transformation,” says Aino Ahlnäs, Creative Director at Kalevala Jewellery.
Finarte
From bare necessity to a desirable design object: Finarte’s new rug collection celebrates a heritage craft. Finnish design is often recognised for its use of a single material: wood. Yet Finland also has a rich and significant textile tradition – one deeply woven into the country’s cultural identity, resourcefulness, DIY ethos, and close relationship with nature.
One standout example is räsymatto, the traditional Finnish rag rug. Rag rugs are made from strips of recycled fabric – often old sheets or clothes – and were traditionally woven at home or in community workshops. The tradition began in the early 1800s. Beyond material scarcity, the rag rug symbolised a return to home and a sense of stability during turbulent times. Today, these rugs remain a cherished part of Finland’s national identity: objects rich in depth and meaning.
by Chidozie Obasi