Harri Koskinen (designer)

Harri Koskinen is without doubt Finland’s most important designer today. Born 1970
in Karstula, Finland, Harri’s ingenious design language is deeply rooted in Finnish design tradition, striving for austerity and simplicity.
Today he runs his own company Friends of Industry, with clients like Finnish Artek, Iittala and Marimekko, and other international brands such as Magis, MUJI, Swarovski, and Issey Miyake.

Harri was appointed design director of Iittala in 2011. From lighting, furniture, watches, loud-speakers, textiles, packaging for Finlandia, art glass to architecture – it’s hard to find a designer with a broader range of work. But the Block Lamp for Design House Stockholm is probably still the one piece Harri is best known for.

Harri has received numerous awards, including the Compasso d’Oro, also known as ’the Nobel Prize of the design industry’.
In 2009 Harri received the Torsten and Wanja Söderberg Award, one of the world’s largest design awards. The jury noted that despite his young age, Harri is probably Finland’s most renowned designer whose design is a perfect combination of tradition and renewal.

”I don’t feel like being called a designer, that’s not a word that is integral to the Finnish language. I’m rather a negotiator, a sort of creator.” - says designer Harri Koskinen