About Us:

Founded in 2015, Studio Tolvanen is the product design office of husband-and-wife team Mika & Julie Tolvanen. Projects range from small everyday objects to furniture collections, which they design from their studio and workshop on the island of Lauttasaari in Helsinki, Finland. They design for international brands in Europe, North America, and Asia. Studio Tolvanen’s work has been part of the Puhdetyö exhibition in Helsinki Design Week, as well as the Furnishing Utopia exhibitions in Stockholm and New York, which was awarded Furniture of the Year by Årets Rum and included on Dezeen’s Shortlist.

Mika Tolvanen (Finland, 1975). Born and raised in the northern village of Pankakoski, Mika is a Finnish designer who started his own practice in Helsinki after graduating from London’s Royal College of Art in 2001. He has been awarded the Bruno Mathsson Prize, Finnish Furniture Designer of the Year, and 1st Prize in Finland’s 100 Year Anniversary Competition for his work.

Julie Tolvanen (USA, 1970). Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Julie is an American designer who got a bachelors degree in architecture, and then worked as a custom woodworker for 12 years before moving to Finland in 2009 to get her masters degree in furniture design from Aalto University. She has received the Good Design Award from Chicago Athenaeum, the Interior Products award from the Association of Interior Design Editors of Finland, and her Sketch Vases were chosen for the 'Finnish Glass Lives' exhibition at the Finnish Glass Museum.

About Design:

“We look for inspiration from all kinds of objects in different eras. We start to see shapes or aspects that make an object feel familiar. It’s important that an object feels familiar, but in our own work, it’s equally important to break from tradition and find our own way, even if those changes are subtle.

We do not have a dogma or ism. All good design starts from function (because products are for use), but at the same time any new product should have its own individual character. An object might be complex in its variety of functions, but it shouldn't be complicated looking. We aim to make our designs fresh and joyful, but also self-explanatory, understandable, and quiet (never shouting). That's the challenge we give ourselves.”

(photos Katri Kapaenen)

Studio Tolvanen

Tallbergin Puistotie 1

00200 Helsinki Finland

Email: mika(at)studiotolvanen.com or julie(at)studiotolvanen.com