Yrjö Kukkapuro
YRJÖ KUKKAPURO "ATELJEE" SOFA AND EASY CHAIR, manufactured by Haimi 1970's. Designed 1963.
Wood and metal frame. Upholstery in orange-red leather. Width sofa app. 225 cm, depth 84 cm. Width easy chair 93 cm.
Wear. A rubber piece is missing from one of the legs of the sofa.
Designer
Yrjö Kukkapuro is a Finnish interior architect and furniture designer with a prolific career spanning over 65 years. He gained fame primarily through his experimental design and ergonomic philosophy, focusing on ecological values and the inherent qualities of materials. Born in 1933 in Vyborg, Kukkapuro studied at the University of Art and Design Helsinki, later becoming a teacher there. Eventually, he served as the rector from 1978 to 1980.
Kukkapuro is perhaps best known for his chairs, with one of the most famous being the "Karuselli" from 1964. The chair was dubbed the "Most Comfortable Chair in the World" by The New York Times in 1974 and is part of the permanent collections at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.