This project was developed for the furniture design model I took at Lapin Yliopisto University in Finland. The aim of the project was to create a piece of furniture inspired by a series or a single object by a Finnish designer.
Valonsade is a project that comes to life starting from the observation and study of Aino Aalto’s project “Glass Items from The Bölgeblick range”. The in-depth study and analysis carried out in an initial phase of design research immediately highlighted 4 main key key points for the designer: the presence of concentric circular elements, simplicity in shapes and aesthetics, possibility to replicate the basic design in different products and the choice of colors inspired by the natural world. Starting from these elements, I tried to develop a design that reflected the basic idea of Aino Aalto, but that also contained the cultural baggage related to Italian design created during these university years.
How can I create a project inspired by nature and Finnish design but at the same time reflecting the eccentric character of Italian design which is inevitably part of my cultural background?
Having chosen the fundamental aspects to be transmitted to my project, an in-depth research phase began which led to the creation of different ideas, from the design of a chair, to that of a portable table at the end of a table to be placed in the corners of a room or at the entrance of an apartment.
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A source of enormous inspiration were the works of the Italian group Memphis, specifically several works by Ettore Sottsass, and the works of the Finnish designer Hanna Anonen with his pop-eccentric aesthetic. The influence of these designers, and the combination of their simple aesthetic in shapes but characterized by bright and flashy colors, allowed me to create an object that encompasses these two apparently different but extremely similar artistic worlds.
Unfortunately, the fundamental transparent element in the work of the Finnish designer has vanished due to practical issues of realization of the final model and also due to questions of practicality of the products designed (a glass chair or coffee table can unfortunately be too fragile for everyday use of a product). The key elements chosen were therefore circularity in the final forms, the inspiration from the natural world in the choice of colors, materials (wood) and the name of the project and the extreme simplicity of the forms.
The result is a corner table where colors are inspired from nature, specifically they are base on some pictures taken during a sunset in Rovaniemi, on the frozen river. The name Valonsäde means in finnish language “ray of light”, so a name inspired by nature, in particular to the sunset that i saw in Rovaniemi, on the frozen river.
The key elements for this corner table include circular forms, extreme simplicity in the forms and nature as an inspiration for colors, for the material (wood) and for the project’s name. The choice of this type of wood stems from the desire to use a recyclable material that is readily available in Finland. This aligns with the idea of creating an object that promotes a conscious and sustainable design approach.
Through a playful and eccentric aesthetic, Valonsäde conveys an essential message-an awareness I developed during these months of my Erasmus in Rovaniemi, Finland. Every project should be based on fluid knowledge, not confined to separate compartments, but rather blending together to create unique aesthetics. These should carry philosophies, ideas, and concepts, rather than temporary styles and trends.
