Ilkka Suppanen

“My expression is light, forward-looking and always classically Scandinavian”. Ilkka Suppanen

lkka Suppanen contemporary Finnish designer. Ilkka studied architecture at the Technical University of Helsinki and Interior and Furniture Design at the University of Art and Design Helsinki. In 1995, he founded Studio Suppanen in Helsinki.

Ilkka has taught design at the University of Art and Design Helsinki since 1996. Suppanen was also the Chairman of the board of the International Alvar Aalto Design Seminar in 2007 and the curator of Hardcore – exhibition on Finnish Design in New York.

Ilkka is capable of managing large-scale projects and design processes for all types of projects. He believes it is important to understand the whole value chain of the company, and appreciates long-term client relationships that open new spaces for innovation. His ongoing interest in production techniques and new materials and usages is visible in a lot of his work. His expression is light, forward-looking and yet classically Scandinavian. He has also received many international awards.

In 1997, Ilkka founded the Snowcrash design cooperative together with three colleagues. In 1997, Suppanen and his Snowcrash team won the Young Designer of the Year Award in Germany. In 2000, Design Forum Finland awarded Ilkka Suppanen and Harri Koskinen the Young Designer of the Year prize. Several prizes and awards have followed since. His latest and biggest achievement was the Torsten and Wanja Söderberg Prize which is is biggest design prize in the world and annually awarded to one designer or craftsman.

Suppanen’s work has been exhibited worldwide including shows at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Milan Furniture Fair and MoMA in New York. His work continues to be widely covered by international press and publications. Ilkka has works in the permanent collections of several important museums worldwide.