Harri Koskinen (b. 1970) is a versatile Finnish designer who studied at the Lahti Institute of Design and at the University of Art and Design in Helsinki. His creations include a wide range of different products – furniture, tableware, glassware, lighting, candleholders, watches, textiles and much more – designed for world-renowned brands.
Harri Koskinen’s international breakthrough was in 1996 with the Block lamp, which is already considered a Scandinavian design classic and has been part of the MoMA’s permanent collection since 2000. Other well-known products by Harri Koskinen are the candleholder Lantern (1999) designed for Iittala, the All Steel series of pots and pans (2002) also for Iittala, the Oma tableware range (2007) for Arabia, the Art Works collection (2009) for Iittala and Vakio watches designed for Issey Miyake. In 2009 Harri Koskinen presented at the Milan International Furniture Fair his own brand, Harri Koskinen Works, under which he produces his own furniture range – such as Tablebench, Sofabed, Shelfsystem and the lamp Foldedlight.
Harri Koskinen’s design is characterized by functionality and strict aesthetic criteria. He is always looking for innovative solutions for both the consumer and the producer. Harri Koskinen has received prestigious awards for his works – including the Compasso d’Oro Award in 2004 for his Muu chair (the other two Finns who received it were Kaj Franck in 1957, for his life’s work, and Eero Aarnio in 2008 for his Trioli chair), the Torsten and Wanja Söderberg Prize, the world’s largest design award, in 2009 and the Wallpaper Design Award for his Sofabed in the category “Best Sofa Bed” in 2010.
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