Finland Celebrates Nordic Design at Habitare

A stellar array of design brands, innovative competitions and immersive exhibitions marked the 2019 Habitare, Finland’s leading design show. “Mindspaces, Habitare’s theme for 2019, emphasizes the impact of spaces on our emotions. In changing times, spaces are becoming increasingly important in creating different moods and atmospheres.” Said Laura Sarvilinna, Creative Director at Habitare.

Celebrating Alberto Alessi’s role as the International Friend of Habitare, the President of the Italian design company that bears his name launched the new Caffa range of travel mugs at the Alessi stand

Riot Innovations’ Eese-Strip project, a carefully designed smart power strip that monitors electricity consumption, was among the innovations that received accolades. The most interesting stand went to Finish furniture designer Hemmo Honkonen’s minimalistic display that launched a new chair and stool from his Audible collection.

With the theme of tet-a-tete, this year’s Habitare Design Competition challenged designers to create a space or piece of furniture that simplified the meeting between two people. This year’s winner was the duo of Kadri Kallaste and Pinja Koskelin for their bench, Gulf of Reed, which is made out of the reed commonly found in the Gulf of Finland.