The Work of Illmari Tapiovarra
During the 1950’s Tapiovaara produced several successful chairs that crossed over the markets for both public and domestic use, the "Lukki"(1951, revisited throughout the 1950’s), the "Nana"(1956) and the "Kiki"(created 1959, produced 1960). For the first time since wartime restrictions were lifted, Tapiovaara could work freely with materials like tubular steel and upholstery and could explore new, more organic shapes-- as seen in "Lukki" and "Nana"-- and a cleaner cubic form with "Kiki." Originally created for the Helsinki University of Technology, in a version with a small, attached student desk, the "Lukki" was produced by Lukkiseppo Limited. Tapiovaara created an entire line based on this form, including chairs with and without armrests as well as stools, cafeteria chairs and tables, free standing student desks, bar stools and easy chairs. The design for the basic "Lukki" was very similar to the "Domus" chair, especially the execution of the armrests, and was created to be easily stackable.
Tapiovaara created the next of this series, the "Nana" in 1956, with space-saving solutions in mind as well, although this time he created them to be stored in tight rows rather than in stacks. Merivaara Ltd. produced the "Nana" chair and it was distributed by Knoll International Inc. "Nana"
came with and without small molded plywood armrests and the more basic models were used extensively for auditorium and other public seating. For theater seating Tapiovaara modified them with a hinged seat that would fold up when not in use. 
The third in this series, the "Kiki" chair, also produced by Merivaara Ltd., was perfect for public use because it was easy to clean, had a mechanism for locking together in rows and could be easily stacked. Made entirely of chrome plated tubular steel with an upholstered seat, the "Kiki" chair won the Gold Medal in the 1960 Milan Triennial. Like "Lukki," Tapiovaara designed several variations on the "Kiki" chair including tables, stools, shelving systems and the "Kiki Mokka" easy-chair which shared the same base as the basic "Kiki" but had a fully upholstered seat and back. Before branching out on his own, Tapiovaara worked for two of the major Finnish furniture companies. He served an Art Director for Asko from 1938-1941 and as Artistic and Commercial Director for the cabinetwork factory at Keravan Puuteolisuus from 1941-1951. His Helsinki office, opened around 1950, was involved in furniture and industrial design commissions for a number of different companies. He embraced the functionalist philosophy that a piece, both its use and structural conception should be understood at first sight. While his pieces retained a sense of innovation and character, this belief made him an ideal candidate for the design of public spaces like student housing, cinemas, the Leningrad Concert Hall, airplane interiors for Finnair and the Intercontinental Hotel in Helsinki, which he finished in 1973. These kinds of commissions enabled him to explore chair forms with great attention, leaving him with an immense selection of chair designs. His industrial design projects included the "Polar" series of cutlery for the Hackman Company, radio equipment for Centrum, and color planning for the paint company Winter & Co.
Tapiovaara exhibited his work widely and with great success. He was awarded gold medals for his chairs at the Milan Triennials in 1951, 1954, 1957 and 1960 and received a Good Design award in Chicago in 1950. He also received the Finnish State Design award in 1971 and a prize from the Finnish Culture Foundation in 1986. He worked as a teacher of interior and industrial design at the Institute of Industrial Art in the 1950s and again from the late 1970s until the mid-1980s.
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