Muurame

Muurame is a Finnish furniture factory founded in Lahti in 1925 by Martti Vaara and his brothers. The original name of the company was Veljekset Vaara. Winter War bombing destroyed the brothers’ joinery factory in Lahti, and in 1940 they bought the Muurame furniture factory. The factory operated in the municipality of Muurame until 1965, when it was moved back to the Lahti region to a new factory built in Hollola. At the same time, the company underwent a generational change as the founding brothers retired and Raimo Vaara becoming the new CEO. The factory went bankrupt in the economic recession of 1991 but was re-established in 1992 in Nastola.

Muurame has focused its production on the work of Martti Vaara’s daughter, interior architect Pirkko Stenros and the Muurame collection, and 1951 can be considered as the birth year of the current Muurame collection. The company’s best-known and longest-running product range is Moduli, whose first products, the Kaksonen and Kolmonen chest of drawers designed by Stenros in 1954, are still in production. In addition to various storage furniture, the product ranges include work and dining tables, TV stands, sofas and beds and children’s furniture. They are all united by a minimalist design language and a combination of dimensions and matching colours. Pirkko Stenros has been awarded several design prizes, and Muurame Oy has also been awarded the President of the Republic Export Prize in 1987.

Muurame’s archive contains documents related to the activities of Muurame from 1939-1994 and photographs of furniture designed by Stenros. See here Muurame’s archive catalogue, digitised drawings, photographs and objects.