Designer, professor Eero Aarnio celebrated his 90th birthday on July 21st 2022. The beloved artist has already delighted, surprised and inspired design lovers in Finland and abroad on seven decades.
Born into a working-class family in Helsinki, Aarnio studied at the Art and Design Institute (today the Aalto University School of Arts and Design) and at the beginning of his career worked with the most famous Finnish designers of his time; in the offices of Ilmari Tapiovaara and Antti Nurmesniemi.
Aarnio worked for the Finnish furniture manufacturer Asko from 1960-1962, but the freedom of a freelancer attracted him to establish his own design company.
Eero Aarnio's wife Pirkko has been an important support throughout his career. Both daughters and today also the third generation work with the family business.
Aarnio's international breakthrough took place at the Cologne furniture fair in 1966, where the Ball chair brought itself to the attention of the general public.
The chair's aesthetics and innovative use of materials fit perfectly into the spirit of the Space Age, and the object quickly became a fashion icon — an international celebrity wanted by everyone from Princess Grace of Monaco to Finland's president Urho Kekkonen.
The success of the Ball chair was followed by numerous other Aarnio classics such as Pastil, Bubble and Pony, which redefined the purpose and essence of a chair once again in 1974.
Aarnio's production has been characterized by playfulness and open-minded use of materials. The numerous animal characters in the production, such as Puppy, Pony and Dino, are sympathetic and popular. However also numerous everyday objects have gotten an ingenious shape in the designer's hands to brighten up everyday life.
Veikkola house is the 17th joint home of Eero Aarnio and his wife Pirkko. It is of course drawn by the Aarnio himself and cheerfully and colorfully decorated with his own products. The windows of the studio home flood in with light, and here and there are designer's own lighting fixtures to create a cozy atmosphere.
The co-operation between Eero Aarnio and Melaja Oy began with the Double Bubble lighting series. It was presented in 2003 at the exhibition celebrating Aarnio's 50-year career at Kunsthalle in Helsinki. The Double Buble was Aarnio's first lamp designed for industrial production, and it has been a great success since the beginning.
The co-operation has now continued for almost twenty years, and as a result Studio Eero Aarnio collection includes not only lighting but also a number of different interior items and furniture. In honor of the designer's 90th birthday, new products are planned again and the designer is a familiar sight at Melaja's factory in Riihimäki.
Studio Eero Aarnio and Melaja Oy wish the eternally young Eero a happy birthday! May it be full of joy, laughter and positive surprises — the same emotions that we and our customers experience through Aarnio's imaginative and beautiful products!
