Design of a series of environmental products for Pohjoiskalotti Oy

In 1989, Antero Ikäheimo, Managing Director of Pohjoiskalotti, asked me to carry out a study on the company's need for environmental products and to design a wide range of environmental products for the company, which included not only traditional furniture such as benches, but also a convertible canopy system. The bench range also included a number of different options, for example in terms of size, leg structures and bases, and armrests. Most of the products in the series ended up in production, and some of them are still part of the collection of the company that now operates under the name Lappset Oy.

My aim was to design the roof kit in particular to use mainly traditional wood joints in appearance and to avoid the use of extra fasteners and bolts. However, the structures changed to some extent during the transfer to production, as Pohjoiskalotti Oy wanted to use nut fasteners and spherical plugs, which had become the recognisable details of the company's outdoor play equipment. The designer also came second in terms of finishes and colours, and the end result did not match the quality I had hoped for when the products were launched. For that reason, the series did not feel right when it was finished and I have often left it unmentioned in my design work. Later, the quality of the products has improved and the designer's name has also been included in the brochures.