Basel project July 22 2018

We have been working with our client over a period of time to supply custom furniture for their home in Basel, Switzerland. So far, the living and dining areas feature the Pietari table and credenza, with custom benches and dining chairs. 

The high polished finish and hand-crafted stainless steel detail by Lasse stand out as enduring features of our work.

Designed and manufactured by Helena and Lasse Kinnunen. 

Pietari table with custom bench and dining chair

Living room features the Pietari credenza

Pietari dining chair with its timber detail

Onoma 125% Summer Exhibition July 06 2018

The works in this exhibition are located within and around the periphery of Fiskars Village. The participating local artists, designers and craftspeople have each chosen a setting that has significance for them and their work. 

Lasse and Helena's Roots and Wings bench is set in the midst of the quivering leaves of the aspen. A place where they can reflect on their Finnish roots while allowing their imagination to soar. The work combines timber from Finland and Australia.

Fiskars Village, the beauty of its nature, history, artists, artisans and community together form an atmosphere of creativity and different perspectives. This place gives us, as designers, inspiration, and as makers it gives us materials. 

The view from Roots and Wings.

Experience Roots and Wings at Järnvikintie 14, Fiskars (#9 on the map). 

Onoma 125% Summer Exhibition on 1 July - 30 September 2018. Visitors are welcome to plan their journey through all the works around the village on foot or by bicycle.

Fiskars Summer House exhibition July 06 2018

The Fiskars Summer House exhibition presents 10 designers and their imaginings of a Finnish artist's summer house. Set in the Granary building, the beautiful timber exhibition architecture is designed by Joanna Laajisto. Our Nomad stool makes an appearance in the greenhouse for artist and arts patron Maire Gullichsen by Susanna Vento and Fiskars.

Fiskars Summer House exhibition 15 June - 16 September 2018.

More info at Fiskars Summer House .

Summer in Fiskars June 10 2018

Fiskars Village, home to so many amazing creative people, knows how to get the most out of summer! It is again hosting a summer season of exciting art, design and culture happenings. Here's a few coming up:

About Clay - Pearls of European Ceramic Art in Fiskars on show from 13th May at the Copper Smithy. This exhibition brings together over 40 ceramic artists from around Europe, selected for their unique approaches to material and technique. Including works in all scales and in abstract and figurative forms, this showcases the extraordinary skills and insights of emerging and established artisans. Curated by Erna Aaltonen the exhibition also includes a selection of distinguished artisans from Fiskars such as Riitta Talonpoika, Kim Simonsson, Karin Widnäs and Anneli Sainio.
Dates: 13 May - 2 September 2018, open daily 11am - 6pm
At: Copper Smithy, Fiskars.

Karin Widnäs

Riitta Talonpoika

 
Lotta Mattila

For more information: About Clay Exhibition.

Fiskars Summer House exhibition opening on 15th June shows collaborations between designers and design companies to present their imaginings of the summer homes of admired Finnish artists such as Tove Jansson, Rut Bryk and Vuokko Nurmesniemi. There will be products by local Fiskars artisans, including Lasse Kinnunen, featured and for sale.
Dates: 15 June - 16 September 2018, open daily 11am - 6pm
At: Old Granary, Fiskarsintie 333, Fiskars

For more information: Fiskars Summer House Exhibition.

125% Summer Exhibition shows local craftspeople, designers and artists presenting their work outdoors and in publicly accessible spaces around Fiskars. Visitors are invited to experience these works outside to confines of galleries and shops, in unexpected places or in their natural surrounds. Details coming soon of Deka Studio's work!
Dates: 1 July - 30 September 2018
At: around Fiskars Village and surrounds

For more information: 125% Summer Exhibition.

There are many more happenings over summer to suit any arts and culture visitor, including poetry slams, music concerts, children's musical theatre and the annual antique fair. See the Fiskars Village website for more info.

Expanded Discrete States at Artisan May 01 2018

It's an exciting time for Artisan as they move to their new home at the Brisbane Showgrounds redevelopment area in April 2018. They launched with an exhibition Expanded Discrete States: Craft + Design, and as part of the opening weekend, Nora joined a panel discussion with Chantal Henley and Leon Fitzpatrick to discuss their approach to craft and design.

Artisan's new premises at 45 King Street, Bowen Hills.

Chantal Henley and Leon Fitzpatrck with Artisan's Claire Sourgnes (image courtesy Artisan)

Claire Sourgnes, Chantal Henly, Nora Kinnunen, Leon Fitzpatrick at Expanded Discrete States panel discussion (image courtesy Artisan)

Happy hard work April 11 2018

Restoring furniture can be hard work. Stripping the old lacquer off a timber chair frame can be a whole day's work, and there are no short cuts if you want to do it properly. We have been so impressed with the hard work that our students put in, and not only do they get their project finished on time, they finish them off beautifully and they thoroughly enjoy themselves! It is an absolute pleasure to work with them each week!

Thank you both so very very much for sharing you skills and knowledge. Passing on your wealth of knowledge in hopes to keep your beautiful craft a skill with the hands alive not to vanish in time. Thank you. I and I'm sure all the other students will wake up sad this Saturday not to be coming to your workshop. I have absolutely loved it ❤️ - Rebecca, March 2018.

Opening of Deka Design School of Furniture 2018 January 28 2018

Join us for the opening of our School of Furniture at Burleigh Heads, Gold Coast.



We're happy to have our furniture courses up and running at the Relative Creative Community Hub. Take the opportunity this Thursday to come and say hi to us and meet the team at Relative Creative.

5pm, Thursday 1st February 2018.
65 West Burleigh Road, Burleigh Heads Qld 4220.

Deka Design and Relative Creative team up on the Gold Coast December 05 2017

We are excited to announce our latest collaboration with Relative Creative, a Gold Coast based redirective design practice run by Tristan Schultz and Bec Barnett. Their work focuses on designing experiences and events that help people think, talk and mobilise their futures. They offer a range of services such as strategic design consultancy, and design and workshop coordination as a way of enabling organisations, businesses, government, schools and individuals to reach their full potential.

Their new endeavour based in Burleigh Heads - the Relative Creative Community Hub - brings together the Relative Creative strategic design practice; Rebel Co-work and Play; the Rebel Design School; and our Deka Design School of Furniture. 

It's been a long time since we had a presence on the Gold Coast and we are eager to return! We will be hosting our furniture courses, starting with our sought-after Restoration and Upholstery Courses in the new Relative Creative Community Hub January and February 2018. 

The Deka Design School of Furniture:
65 West Burleigh Road, Burleigh Heads Qld 4220
Tel: 07 3396 5850

Recycling in the creative industries panel discussion July 26 2017

Nora Kinnunen will be chairing a public panel discussion "Recycling in the Creative Industries", as part of the Brisbane City Council's Salvage 2017 program.

Nora will be in conversation with two artists in the Recycling Art Exhibition Michael Littler and Cate Collopy, and Carla van Lunn, a fashion entrepreneur who experiments with recycled materials to make ethical and sustainable fashion.

Recycling in the Creative Industries
Sunday 13 August 2017, 11am - 12 noon.
Brisbane Square Library
266 George Street, Brisbane.

Free event, but bookings are needed for this event. Please call Brisbane City Council on 3403 4166.

Furniture restoration demonstrations July 26 2017

The Brisbane City Council's Salvage: Recycling Art Exhibition is on again! As part of this, Nora Kinnunen and our colleague Rebecca Barnett (Relative Creative) will be running two furniture restoration demonstrations. These will take place at the Geebung and Acacia Ridge Tip Shops.

If you have a potential furniture restoration project, bring in a photo to discuss what you can do. Or if you want to learn how to upholster and restore, drop in to watch us work. While you are there you can browse the many furniture pieces on sale at the tip shops.

Geebung Tip Shop furniture restoration demonstration:
Saturday 29 July 2017, 9am - 12 noon.
27A Prosperity Place, Geebung.
More information on the BCC website.

Acacia Ridge Tip Ship furniture restoration demonstration:
Saturday 5 August 2017, 9am - 12 noon.
46 Colebard Street, Acacia Ridge.
More information on the BCC website.

Demonstrations are free, and drop in, no booking necessary.

The tip shops are run by the Endeavour Foundation, and proceeds go towards supporting people with a disability.

Deka Design at the Roots/Juuret Exhibition June 27 2017

Hand crafted furniture by Helena and Lasse Kinnunen and the Craft Futures platform by Nora Kinnunen are exhibited at the Roots/Juuret exhibition in Fiskars Finland. This exhibition shows the work of the members of Son of Martin, our family design collective drawn together by our love of craftsmanship and design. Through this exhibition, we each reveal the essence behind our work - our craft-based sensibility which we inherited from our ancestors.

Photo: Leila Karvonen

Photo: Helena Kinnunen

On display are furniture and interior elements by Wilhelmiina Kosonen; a spatial dialogue by Anne Kosonen; furniture and accessories by Lasse and Helena Kinnunen and the Endangered Skill platform by Nora Kinnunen. 

As part of the Deka Design display are pieces from our collection alongside new pieces by Helena and Lasse and a series of custom cabinets by Lasse. We are also excited to be showing new pendants by our friends at Luxxbox. The Shingle and Birdcage are part of Luxxbox's range of lighting specifically designed with acoustic properties to assist with sound management in interior spaces. Available in a range of sizes and colours. 

Photo: Leila Karvonen

Exhibition open 17.6 - 16.7.2017 at the beautiful Granary (Makasiini) building, Fiskarsintie, Fiskars, Finland.

Roots/ Juuret Exhibition in Fiskars, Finland March 26 2017

Roots/Juuret is an exhibition by design collective Son of Martin, held in Fiskars, Finland in June-July 2017.

Son of Martin is a family design collective. As designers, our family and love of design and craftsmanship brings us together. We continue our grandfathers’ craft traditions through two generations, each in our own way. We are divided across the world, in Finland and Australia. Our time together, our dependence on each other and shared understanding provides support for the development of our individual design articulation. Each exhibiting designer works either as an independent designer or in a micro-business. Although our individual approaches to design are distinctive, the whole is brought together through an uncompromising commitment to advancing design and craft workmanship.

ROOTS/JUURET exhibition offers the differing approaches of the designers and their different perspectives: structural, conceptual, artistic and theoretical. The exhibition shows how Finnish furniture design can also break from the traditional image and be exuberant, rich in detail, and artistically realised.

Deka Design will be exhibiting custom made cabinets made by Lasse Kinnunen, and a selection of furniture and accessories from our current collection. Designers participating: designer-makers Helena and Lasse Kinnunen; redirective designer Nora Kinnunen; interior architect Anne Kosonen; and interior architect and furniture designer Wilhelmiina Kosonen.

Exhibition open: 17.6 - 16.7.2017 11am - 5pm Granary, Fiskarsintie, Fiskars 10470, Finland
Exhibition opening: Friday 16.6.2017 2 - 5pm.

Deka - Luxxbox collaboration November 10 2016

We are very excited to be joining the creative community at Luxxbox at their Eagle Farm workshop. Luxxbox and Deka Design have been collaborators for many years and see this as an opportunity to strengthen the bonds and continue to work together promoting the work of local designers and manufacturers.

In addition to exciting new collaborations, we are maintaining our normal production of our range of furniture, and will continue to custom design and manufacture high quality furniture for residential and commercial interiors.

To contact us please call on 07 3396 5850 or info@dekadesign.com.au . If you wish to visit, please contact us to make an appointment.

Luxxbox workshop
43 Kenyon Street 
Eagle Farm Qld 4009.

Spring clean - remnants and floor stock for sale October 09 2016

We have been doing a spring clean and now have a few furniture items that were floor stock, now being sold to clear!
We also have some high quality upholstery leather remnants and left over upholstery fabrics. Some are for sale and others are give-away. These would be perfect for hobbyists and furniture restorers!

We have listed the larger leather pieces on our Ebay store, please visit it for the details. If you would like to make use of the give-away leather pieces, call us on 3396 5850 or email at info@dekadesign.com.au to arrange a time to visit. Only by appointment.

The sale furniture is listed on our Sale Items page. If you would like to view the items please contact us to arrange a time to visit. Only by appointment.

Furniture upholstery mentorship July 24 2016

Deka Design has been happily involved in mentoring Bec Barnett in furniture upholstery. Over seven months Bec has undertaken one-on-one mentoring from Lasse and Helena, developing her proficiency in upholstery and learning new upholstery sewing skills and restoration.

Image: Chenoa Pettrup

Bec has had previous training upholstery training, however she needed to strengthen those skills and develop new ones in furniture repair and upholstery sewing. For her, this was also an opportunity to learn more about the business of furniture craft and about local material suppliers.

Image: Chenoa Pettrup

Bec is a designer, researcher and teacher, and part of Relative Creative, a consultancy offering cross-disciplinary design services based on redirecting design towards sustainable futures. She is utilising her knowledge of upholstery in her research in cultures of repair, and in her teaching in the design program at Griffith University Queensland College of Art. For her recent design studio course students were tasked with tackling the "wicked problem" of waste through a hands-on furniture restoration project. The great work of the students was exhibited at the Asia Pacific Design Library at State Library of Queensland as "Repair and repurpose: using waste as a standing reserve".

It's not just the rewards for the mentoree in mentoring that are significant, but also what it means to the mentor. Lasse and Helena have dedicated their lives to this craft profession, and are happy to share their expertise, and see the positive impacts as people learn new craft skills and knowledge. There is a lack of local opportunities to formally learn furniture craft skills, and we think this is a barrier for many who are interested in furniture making either as a profession or as a rewarding hobby. We provide courses and mentoring for all levels, from basic to advanced in furniture making, restoration and upholstery.

This mentorship was part of the Power Up Your Arts Mentorship Program, supported by Arts Queensland through the Regional Arts Development Fund and Gold Coast City Council. We thank them and Bec for the opportunity to be involved in this project.

Talking craft and repair June 27 2016

It's been a busy week, Nora has been out and about talking about craft and repair.

Image: Artisan.

The Apprenticeship exhibition

To close The Apprenticeship exhibition, Nora joined Artisan's panel discussion about new learning pathways to craft skills. In an interesting dialogue with the panel and an engaged audience, the concensus was that the future is bright for craft given the renewed interest and developing momentum in craft and maker culture. However, it is only possible if craft is able to garner mass support from industry, government, patrons and the public. Given that some craft disciplines are facing skills shortages and many masters are approaching retirement, there is an urgency to formulate an understanding of what we need to sustain for the future viability of these practices. As was proposed on the night, perhaps it is time to introduce guilds in a re-imagined form that not only direct the development of the discipline but also provide support to the diverse ways that craft practitioners make a living out of what they do. At a time when government spending of the arts is decreasing, any long-term stability for craft will depend on grass-root actions that push the agenda of craft as a sustaining and sustainable mode of production and a significant contributor to local culture. Each of us share in that responsibility!  

Panelists: Roy Schack, Aaron Barton, Clare Kennedy and Nora Kinnunen, and chaired by Richard Stride.Thank you Artisan and all the artisans part of this valuable exhibition!

Furniture restoration demonstration
Nora's other interest is in cultures of repair, working towards ways of dealing with what we already have.

 
Work in progress.

Nora was joined by Rebecca Barnett at the Brisbane City Council's Acacia Ridge Tip Shop for a furniture restoration and upholstery demonstration. Onlookers asked about their own restoration projects and were given tips on how to do basic re-upholstery and restoration. There are many valuable pieces that make their way to the tip shops, and can be easily repaired, re-upholstered or restored. On Saturday 2 July, Nora and Rebecca will be at the Geebung Tip Shop working on completing this chair restoration. Come along to discuss restoration and browse the shop for your next little restoration project!

The Brisbane City Counci Tip Shops at Acacia Ridge and Geebung are the retail face of the Brisbane City Council's resource recovery initiatives, and are operated by the Endeavour Foundation to support their important work providing opportunities for people with a disability. More information about the tip shops here.

Artisan: The Apprenticeship panel discussion June 13 2016

The Apprenticeship exhibition at Artisan is an important look into the tradition of crafts skills which have been in steady decline due to external forces of mass production. Thirteen artisans tell a story of how they have pioneered their own pathways to gaining craft skills, and by doing so, asking us to re-imagine how we may be able to preserve them into the future. To close this exhibition, Nora will be joining a panel discussion that explores how new learning pathways may better serve craft practice in the future. The panel, chaired by Richard Stride, also includes woodworker Roy Schack, furniture maker Aaron Barton and brick maker Clare Kennedy.

The Apprenticeship panel discussion
At Artisan, 381 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley Qld 4006
Friday 24 June 2016, 6 - 7.30pm
More info on Artisan's website. 

Brisbane City Council Green Events 2016 June 13 2016

The Brisbane City Council's Recycling Art Competition is on again at the Judith Wright Centre. Ten finalists are showing their artwork that they created from found objects at the council's tip shops. As part of this, BCC has a range of events and workshops following the recycling theme. Deka Design is happy to be part of a few of these. 

Furniture Restoration Demonstrations:
Watch Nora Kinnunen and Rebecca Barnett working on furniture re-upholstery and speak to us about how to make the most of pre-loved furniture!
Saturday 25 June 2016, 10am-1pm, at the Acacia Ridge Tip Shop.
Saturday 2 July 2016, 10am-1pm, at the Geebung Tip Shop.

Recycling in the Creative Industries - Panel Discussion - THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL A LATER DATE
Join Nora, KT Doyle and Bec Peart as they discuss working with second-hand materials in the creative industries.
Wednesday 29 June 2016, 5.30-7pm, at Queensland College of Art, South Bank.

More info at the council's website.

Deka Studio in Fiskars Finland 2016 June 13 2016

Our studio in Fiskars, Finland is open for the European summer in 2016. We have a selection of our furniture and accessories on display and for sale. We also custom design and manufacture furniture and provide re-upholstery and restoration services. 

Address:
Järnvikintie 14, 10470 Fiskars.

Opening times:
10 - 30 June 2016 - by appointment 
1 - 31 July 2016 - open every day 11am - 5pm
1 - 31 August 2016 - by appointment

Please enquire to Helena and Lasse:
tel  +358 (0)465 456 339 (10 June - 10 September only)
email  dekastudiofinland@gmail.com

DIY lamp shades February 14 2016

An easy way to brighten up an existing lamp is to make a new lamp shade. We make these leather and wool felt shades for the Ikea Kvart wall lamp and the Flos May Day lamp. But if you want to make one at home, it is very easy!

Materials:
One piece of leather or wool felt approx 45 x 45cm (for Ikea lamp) or 80 x 80cm (for Flos May Day lamp).
One open ended zipper in a complementing or contrasting colour (23cm for the Ikea lamp).

When covering an existing lamp shade with a new one, care must be taken so that the lamp does not overheat. Use an LED bulb that does not cause the cover to overheat.

Instructions:
1. Make a pattern on paper from your lamp.
2. Use this to cut your material.
3. Position and mark the zipper.
4. Sew the zipper in place.
5. You can also make a cover for the Ikea lamp wall mount by cutting a circle the 1cm larger than the mount, and a border 1cm wider than the thickness of the mount. Length is the circumference of the mount plus 1cm. Simply sew the edges together to form a cover.

Ikea Kvart lamp with DIY felt cover.

Felt cover

Flos May Day lamp with DIY leather cover.

Loose covers for furniture February 09 2016

For as long as Helena and Lasse have been making sofas, we've also been making removable loose covers. They are a practical alternative, and can be a great complement, to fully upholstered furniture. Each one of our sofa designs and many of our chairs, suit a loose cover, so by choosing a loose cover either when purchasing new, or when re-upholstering, many years will be added to the life of your furniture. So, it is surprising for us that many people don't consider seriously when purchasing a new furniture piece. With our loose covers, you will have a fully upholstered sofa frame underneath the loose cover, so that when the covers are removed for cleaning, you can still use your sofa.

See our Special Promotion for February 2016 for our Mika sofa and modular with loose covers!

As seen in these images of our Mika modular, Helena's skills in pattern making and sewing makes the loose cover so tailored that it is hardly recognisable as a loose cover.

Our Fuji sofa with loose cover:

As well as for sofas and armchairs, loose covers are also suitable for dining chairs. Here's our Markus chair with and without a loose cover.

For this furniture we chose the Marimekko upholstery fabrics which are great for washing. In fact, these been in use for many years and the loose covers have been machine washed several times. There are many other fabrics available which are either drycleanable or washable. 

Ottomans can also be made so that they have a loose cover for washing. 

To enquire about loose covers, please contact Helena on info@dekadesign.com.au .

Fiskars Village awarded January 23 2016

Congratulations to the people of Fiskars Village for being awarded the Finnish Travel Destination of 2015 by the Finnish Guild of Travel Journalists!

The working artisan village was chosen by being one of the most diverse and interesting cultural destinations of southern Finland. Fiskars Village is renowned for its ironworks and industrial history spanning to 1649, and more recent profile as the centre of Finnish art and design with over one hundred creative professionals calling Fiskars home. The inclusion of a slow food festival, local beer and cheese production, performance art, music and many other cultural happenings all year round have made it a popular travel destination.  And all of this wrapped up in the beautiful, tranquil surrounds of pristine forests and lakes...

A must visit! Enquire about our custom itinerary travel service and our Designer-Maker Wood Experience Tour for 2016.

Fiskars Village, beautiful all year round...

Exhibitions and happenings...

We Love Woods 2016

Master blacksmith's Minun Kalevalani exhibition 2016

Slow Food 2016

Valo Light exhibition 2016

Kyllikki Salmenhaara anniversary exhibition 2016

Cultura Mobila show 2016

Enrolments open for summer 2016 courses January 18 2016

We have opened enrolments for the 2016 summer season. Courses include Introductory Furniture Restoration, Intermediate Upholstery, and extended 10 weeks Chair Making Course and Woodworker's Workbench Making Courses.

For more information visit the School of Furniture.

Fiskars 2015 August 11 2015

Fiskars Village is home and workplace to many artists, craftspeople and designers. The summer months are busy with many exhibitions and events featuring the work of the locals that attract visitors from around Finland and further abroad. This year's exhibition WE LOVE WOODS features local craftspeople and designers collaborating with timber to make beautiful furniture and objects. Fiskars also hosts other interesting happenings such as the recent British car gathering where about 300 cars made their pitstop at Fiskars for the day, with live music, markets and food bringing the locals together to enjoy the beautiful summer day.