Music has often been an important source of inspiration to Finish designer Mikko Paakkanen (born 1975) and the shape for his sculptural Oak Stool is found in the form of sound waves. Made of one single piece of solid burnt oak, hand-sculpted by Mikko Paakkanen himself, this piece is revealing the designers double training as a designer from the University of Design in Helsinki and as a master cabinet-maker.
Big Stool imposes itself in space as a functional sculpture, communicating the playful feeling of an oversized check pawn or a stamp. The combination of organic form and beautifully sculpted wood makes this piece an important contemporary contribution to the noble tradition of Scandinavian design.
Mikko Paakkanen is one of the most important contemporary Finish designers with a number of significant international exhibitions and private and public collections, such as the Design Museum, Helsinki. His Big Stool received the Prize for the best contemporary design piece attributed by the PAD Paris Jury 2013 (President Jean-Michel Wilmotte and Honory President former cultural minister Jean-Jacques Aillagon).
Big stool
2012
Solid Oak
82 x 42 cm
cabinetmaker Matti Söderkultalahti
12 unique pieces
Big stool
Big stool
Big stool
Big stool
Big stool
Mikko Paakkanen is one of the most important artists and designers of the new Nordic generation. Internationally
known as a fu
rniture designer, he is the founder and main designer of Studio Paakkanen.
Originally educated as a cabinetmaker, Paakkanen is fond of materials of fine quality and customized manufacturing methods. As years went forward, Paakkanen understood that his true interests lie in inventing new solutions and solving problems. By combining these two talents in his work today, Paakkanen can see things from both the designer’s and the carpenter’s point of view.
Paakkanen’s works are housed in numerous museum collections, including the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York, the Design Museum Munich, the Röhrska Museet Göteborg, the Design Museum Helsinki and the Wakita Museum Shimokawa.
Paakkanen also teaches at Aalto University School of Art and Design in Helsinki, Finland.
