Antti Aarre Nurmesniemi – Finnish Interior & Industrial Designer

Antti Aare Nurmesniemi (1927 – 2003) was a Finnish interior and industrial designer.

Education

From 1950 to 1950, he studied interior design at the Taideteollinen oppilaitos (Aalto School of Arts and Design) in Helsinki.  

Biography

Between 1949-50, he was a furniture designer at the Stockmann design office in Helsinki; in 1951—56, he was a furniture and interior designer at the Viljo Revell architecture office in Helsinki; and from 1954—55, he was active in the office of the Giovanni Romano architecture office in Milan. He designed interiors for hotels, restaurants, and banks. Returning to Finland in 1956, he set up his design studio. He produced popular furniture designs (sometimes with his wife Vuokko Eskolin) for various firms and his firm; lighting: glassware; wallpaper; textiles; transportation with Borje Rajalin; and metalwork, including the 1958 Finel coffee pot in two sizes for Wartsila (a standard in Finnish homes). 

Interior Design

His numerous interior designs included public and corporate offices, restaurants, hotels, and banks. He designed a widely published 1953 sauna stool for the Palace Hotel in Helsinki. He designed the 1974 railway carriages for the President of Finland and the Council of State. His clients included Artek (furniture and lighting) 1957—60, Merivaara (furniture) 1963—66, Vecta Mobel (furniture) in 1978, and Cassina (furniture) in 1985. He was active in restoration projects, lectured worldwide, and designed many exhibitions. His work combined the bareness of Modernism with the traditions of Finnish design. He was president of Ornamo, an association of Finnish designers; from 1982, he was a member of the European Council of Science, Art and Culture.

Recognition

He won the 1959 Lunning Prize and grand prizes at 1957 (XII) and 1964 (XIII) (sauna stool); Triennali di Milano and a grand prize at its 1960 (XII) session. Other awards included the first prize at the 1955 Finnish Society of Crafts and Design Competition for the 80th-anniversary exhibition, the 1975 Finnish State Design Award, the 1981 Medal of the UK Society of Industrial Artists and Designers, the 1986 Honorary Royal Designer for Industry, and the 1991 Japan Design Foundation Award. His work was included in the 1954—57 USA ‘Design in Scandinavia’ travelling exhibition, 1956— 57 West German travelling ‘Finnish Exhibition’, 1961 ‘Finlandia’ exhibition in Zurich, Amsterdam, and London. His work was the subject of the 1992 exhibition in Helsinki.

Sources

Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing. https://amzn.to/3ElmSlL

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