HOMEY HOUSEWARES FROM SAMUJI KOTI

In Finnish, the word koti means home. At its best, the idea of home represents a place of origin as well as a living space that evokes elements of past tradition and heritage through the objects that occupy it. For the team at Samuji, a creative studio and design house founded in Helsinki, these two meanings are married through the designs of their new home collection.

The assortment is small, but distinct, and a reminder of a slower pace of life that is less disposable. There are candleholders cast from rusted scrap iron in molds made from Belgian sand, glycerin soaps processed from vegetable oil and lye with nothing more than a metal whisk, and bowls carved from birch burls, a natural deformity of the tree. A reminder of personal tradition for Samuji creative director, Samu-Jussi Koski, is the mouth-blown glass watering bulb: “My grandmother used a plastic Coca Cola bottle that she kept upside down in a plant so that it would only take the water that it needed. We wanted to create something nicer looking than the Coca Cola bottle.”

Part of the collection was created in-house by Koski and his two lead designers, Erja Hirvi and Pasi Kärkkäinen. All three met in the print design offices of Finland’s most well-known fashion export, Marimekko. The rest is produced by mostly local craftsmen that the designers seek or happen upon. “We respect their heritage and their working methods, and we get inspired by them many times,” Kärkkäinen explains. The overall æsthetic stays in line with their clothing collection started in 2011, which has now developed into men’s, women’s, and accessories. “The values of each collection are the same,” Koski says. “We hold dear necessary things and eco-functionality. We try to do sustainable design, and the æsthetic is not anything that shouts. It’s more of a silent beauty.”

For more information, please visit Samuji.com.

Jennifer Mason is a style manager at the Saks Fifth Avenue photo studio in New York. Her fashions and travels are shared on Instagram @jennymie.

  • Share

Related

Dirk Vander Kooij Invents Machines to Craft His Furniture Designs

Considering himself more a “maker than a designer,” the Dutch inventor builds his own machines to construct his wildly creative furniture, including the award-winning Endless Chair, made from a single string of recycled plastic.

Katie James Launches Good Connection Ceramics

After four years of study in Queens and Oaxaca, the former stylist offers a selection of durable new designs made by hand to foster social interaction.

Chapter Roma Redefines Italian Hospitality

Marco Cilia, a native son of Rome, returns to his hometown after stints at Blakes and the Hotel Americano to launch a new line of boutique hotels designed to upend expectations.

Bari Ziperstein's Ceramics Bridge Art and Commerce

With practices spanning both fine art and design, the Los Angeles-based sculptor and ceramicist questions the consumerist system while taking part in it—all with a feminist perspective.

SMALLHOLD TURNS MUSHROOM FARMS INTO ART INSTALLATIONS

With its mushroom minifarms installed in various locations like Whole Foods and Mission Chinese Food, the Brooklyn start-up offers hyper-local food through impressive technology and design.

COLBY MUGRABI FINDS SURPRISING CONNECTIONS BETWEEN FASHION, ART, ARCHITECTURE, AND DESIGN ON MINNIE MUSE

Drawing on a wealth of visual knowledge gleaned from hours spent poring over books, Mugrabi reinterprets the concept of personal style to encompass art, architecture, and design as well in articles and her signature Muse Boards, which offer a new interpretation of the latest fashion collections.

SIX YOUNG LABELS HELPING TO RESHAPE THE JEWELRY INDUSTRY

The latest crop of rising jewelry designers are embracing historicism, ancient forms, and imperfection in striking, sculptural pieces with a focus on sustainability and individuality.

BROOK KLAUSING AND JESSE SEEGERS CREATE A HIDDEN OASIS FOR COLLECTIVE DESIGN

In a new installation that combines a lush garden and a futuristic bubble, the landscape designer and architect-slash-artist offer a surprising space for sensory exploration at the design fair.

ROMAN AND WILLIAMS MELDS FRENCH AND JAPANESE CULTURE AT NEW RESTAURANT LA MERCERIE

The celebrated design duo brings together the best parts of two famously refined cultures in its first restaurant and stand-alone store in New York’s SoHo.

GIANCARLO VALLE

The architect and interior designer launches his new furniture line Copacati with the Smile Chair, designed to feel like it’s giving the sitter a hug.

THE LAST GIFT GUIDE 2017

Our annual selection of gifts for you and yours, including everything you can imagine from a silk toothbrush on up to your own private island.

BEAU RUSH

The new ceramics line from Cameron Bishop—and named after her daughter—has become a favorite on New York’s restaurant scene, thanks to her fine arts training and her invaluable network of other artists and designers.

6A ARCHITECTS

The London-based firm brings its incisive understanding of both physical and social history to new and renewed projects ranging from Juergen Teller’s studio and a Paul Smith store to the nonprofit contemporary art exhibition center Raven Row.

CAMP DAVID BRINGS COWORKING TO INDUSTRY CITY

A new shared workspace in Brooklyn’s Industry City helps bring together creatives to encourage collaboration and interaction alongside sleek Midcentury Modern designs.

NAPPA DORI

Gautam Sinha’s New Delhi-based leather accessories line represents a new generation of Indian design, firmly rooted in history while constantly looking ahead.

CHRISTOPHER STUART

The Indiana-based artist and designer continually questions the boundary between art and design, producing sculptural pieces that question their own functionality and incorporate software-made accidents.

EGG COLLECTIVE PRESENTS DESIGNING WOMEN

In a new group show in their Soho space, the three women behind Egg Collective have gathered sixteen female designers to offer young women powerful proof that design is not just for guys.

MATTE / BLACK

How does a creative agency stay creative? Matte discusses the latest iteration of its experiential installation-turned-party and what it means to evolve.