At the beginning of the summer, Finnish Design Shop’s showroom & shop hosted an event for Fritz Hansen, whose iconic designs will now be an integral part of the showroom’s product selection. Additionally, the opening of Marjatta Holma’s art exhibition was also celebrated.
Finnish Design Shop’s showroom
Aviatie 2, 20360 Turku, Finland
Opening hours: Mon–Fri 11 am–6 pm, Sat 11 am–3 pm (EET/EEST)
Welcome, Fritz Hansen!
The curated selection at Finnish Design Shop is regularly updated with both major and minor additions. At the beginning of summer, we had the pleasure of welcoming Danish brand Fritz Hansen’s furniture collection to our online store and showroom. The collection includes many familiar classics as well as some lesser-known products.
The Series 7 3107 chair, designed by Arne Jacobsen and made of tubular steel and bent plywood, is the best-selling product in the manufacturer’s history. It's no wonder, given its unparalleled seating comfort. A natural pair for the Series 7 chairs is the Superellipse table, which boasts three renowned designers: Piet Hein, Bruno Mathsson, and Arne Jacobsen. The mathematically precise shape of the tabletop makes the table a perfect blend between rectangular and round tables, optimizing space usage.
• Arne Jacobsen's Series 7 chair >
For the love of design
The arrival of Fritz Hansen’s products was celebrated at an exclusive event held at the Finnish Design Shop’s Showroom & store. In the restaurant area, guests enjoyed a glass of sparkling wine and light snacks while attending the official launch event. Representatives from Finnish Design Shop began by discussing the online store and its operations, followed by presentations from Magnus Fridh and Peter Friis Reinholdt from Fritz Hansen.
As guests watched the introduction videos and listened to the presentations, it became clear how Fritz Hansen, founded in 1872, has achieved international success through an ambitious attitude, innovation, and a passion for design since its early days. Adding to this equation a team of equally ambitious and incredibly talented designers, the rest is history.
From hotel to home
It’s difficult to talk about Fritz Hansen without mentioning Arne Jacobsen, as Jacobsen’s furniture designs are a central part of the manufacturer’s collection. Originally designed for the SAS Royal Hotel in Copenhagen, the Egg chair is a beloved design icon that is now also found in many private homes.
The Egg chair features a round shape combined with a star-shaped metal base. The chair’s curvature poses a significant challenge for upholsterers, requiring a considerable amount of handcrafting: fabric upholstery demands over 500 stitches, and leather upholstery requires even more. The Egg on display in the showroom is luxurious and inviting, thanks to its soft light beige wool upholstery.
With a broad perspective
Although the core of Fritz Hansen’s collection consists of works by renowned Danish designers, the company has always kept an eye on global trends. For instance, the Bauhaus movement played a significant role in the transition from traditional wooden furniture to modern design manufacturing.
Fritz Hansen has also collaborated with a diverse group of international designers over the years. Among them are Jaime Hayón, Cecilie Manz, Oki Sato, Piero Lissoni, and Vico Magistretti. Magistretti designed the Carimate chair in 1959 for the Carimate Golf Club in Italy, and it has been produced by various manufacturers over the years. Today, this charmingly robust chair is part of Fritz Hansen’s collection.
• Fritz Hansen's Carimate chair >
Delightful and durable
In addition to the curated product selection in the online store, more luxurious classics from Fritz Hansen can be found in the special order selection, such as the PK22 lounge chair and the PK61 coffee table displayed in the showroom. Designer Poul Kjærholm was trained as a carpenter but was interested in other materials, especially steel, which he believed should be elevated alongside wood.
The PK22 lounge chair features a steel frame combined with a leather, woven, or fabric seat. Its elegantly minimalist design includes nothing superfluous, with each line serving an important function for the overall aesthetic. The PK61 coffee table continues this theme of minimalist ingenuity: its stone top rests on an airy steel base, a design Kjærholm developed from a traditional square. For those who want the ingenious structure of the base to be visible, there is also a version with a glass top.
• Read also: Introducing Fritz Hansen >
Experiential summer exhibition
The spacious showroom came alive with new energy and interest this summer as artist Marjatta Holma showcases a selection of her works in the Maalauksia summer exhibition. The exhibition features a total of 26 pieces, ranging from small works on tile backgrounds to large, multi-part paintings. All artworks are available for purchase, and smaller pieces can be taken home immediately if desired.
The exhibition was curated by showroom manager Maija Rasila, who also designed the display layout in collaboration with the artist. The pieces were selected to complement the architecture of the space and harmonize stylistically and color-wise with the furniture groupings. The calm surfaces and fine colors and textures of the artworks do not distract from their surroundings but interact with them in a complementary manner.
A symphony of art and design
Marjatta Holma’s works navigate the space between spontaneity and concretism. According to the artist, her goal is to create a painting without an image, where the subject is merely the roughness and smoothness of materials. The works serve as a starting point for interpretation, allowing viewers to place their own associations into the pieces.
In the carefully arranged furniture groupings of the showroom, Holma’s art adds the finishing touch that elevates the overall aesthetic to a new level. The objects and furniture find both parallels and contrasts in the artworks. The blue of a light blue wall appears even fresher and brighter alongside a beige tempera painting. Small works painted on tiles with oil and tempera on the adjacent wall balance the view harmoniously.
Hanging tips and treasure hunt
The arrangement of the Maalauksia exhibition has been done with the space in mind, potentially providing viewers with aha moments: ah, a painting can be placed there and at that height. It’s worth keeping your eyes open while viewing the artworks and paying attention to the overall compositions and how they are positioned in the space.
A fun way to explore the artworks is to use the catalog as a treasure map and see if you can spot each piece on your first round—some paintings are camouflaged in unexpected places! Regardless of how you choose to explore the exhibition, Holma’s display is an inspiring experience that is well worth taking the time to fully appreciate during your showroom visit.
Marjatta Holma’s summer exhibition is on display at the showroom until the end of August 2024. Featured products may not be available worldwide.
See also:
• All products by Fritz Hansen >
• Finnish Design Shop's showroomn & shop >
Text: Riikka Soini-Ferraguto Images: Suvi Kesäläinen, Edvard Enqvist and Riikka Soini-Ferraguto