Finland Welcomes New Design Festival to Helsinki 24 – 25 August 2022
This August sees the inaugural edition of a brand new design festival, set to become an annual fixture on the international design calendar. Design Helsinki will run from 24-25 August in Finland’s capital city which this year celebrates ten years since it was named World Design Capital in 2012. Renowned for its functional and minimalistic Nordic architecture, the city boasts the largest concentration of Art Nouveau buildings in Northern Europe, making it a key destination for architecture aficionados while Finnish design has made its mark on a global scale thanks to the likes of iconic designer Alvar Aalto as well as household names including Artek and Marrimeko, not to mention the array of emerging talent. Marking a decade since Helsinki was named World Design Capital, the city will celebrate the occasion with a series of events and city-wide activities, with Design Helsinki, the capital’s first dedicated B2B contemporary design event, at the heart of the celebrations.
Design Helsinki will seek to highlight the profound influence that Nordic design and its long held commitment to sustainability has on the architecture and design industries as well as providing a platform for international design professionals to meet with sought-after, world renowned brands. Additionally the show will work with two major partners in Finland – Habitare and the Alvar Aalto Foundation –to provide exciting and relevant content for visitors. Habitare and Design Helsinki will both feature in each other’s programmes. The creative director of Habitare, Laura Sarvilinna, will be interviewed as part of the Design Helsinki programme on “Regenerate”, while Design Helsinki will participate in Habitare’s programme as part of the theme “Blending Spaces”. Featuring an unmissable programme for design, Design Helsinki will take place in various locations in and around Helsinki, including an international pavilion in Kasarmitori, a topical Talks programme in the Design Museum, installations in Esplanadi park as well as within multiple resident design showrooms. The fair will also celebrate the area’s local design showrooms who will welcome architects, designers, dealers, retailers and more to experience the best of Nordic and Scandinavian design.
Showrooms
Integral to the festival, the local showrooms that partner with Design Helsinki will provide a stimulating programme of topic-led events including talks, workshops, product launches and more.The vast range of showrooms dotted around the city-centre provide attendees an opportunity to explore some of the most inspiring commercial spaces that Helsinki has to offer with distinguished international brands like Carl Hansen, Norman Copenhagen and Kvadrat all taking part, alongside local sought-after names like Marimekko and Skanno. Participating showrooms will include high-end contract furniture brands, technical specialists and material manufacturers, each of which will contribute to a diverse range of activities, led by industry experts.
Brands/International Design Pavilion
”We’re delighted to welcome a new international design event in Helsinki. The two-day talks program will be held at the Design Museum and will cover current topics and issues, as well as introducing both Finnish and international professionals to the audience. We are also delighted to include our main exhibition ‘Design for Everybody’ and our gallery exhibition by Milan based design studio Formafantasma to the talk’s audience. It’s exciting to kickstart the fall season with Design Helsinki!“.
Piia Lehtinen, Head of Collaboration & Marketing, Design Museum Helsinki
Media 10, organisers of Design Helsink
“Helsinki is recognised worldwide as a City of Design and in this year, its tenth since being named World Design Capital, we are delighted to shine a spotlight on the wealth of Nordic design talent with a two day celebration that will bring brands, showrooms and cultural institutions together.”
-Tanja Pasila Habitare’s Business Manager
“We see the collaboration with Design Helsinki as an interesting opportunity for Habitare. Habitare holds a strong position among the events taking place in the autumn, and for more than 50 years, it has been highlighting interesting phenomena, experts and companies from the furniture, design and interior decoration industries. Through the collaboration, we can also enhance our international appeal in a new way.”