Design Secrets: Furniture

“I’m not going to make any icons, but when doing a chair, you re-

ally have to do a chair. I’m not trying to do a kind of art piece or

celebrated, unique thing. My interest lies in practical and useful

solutions.” He pauses and then adds, “But every now and then,

I think I happen to achieve good results with aesthetics.” Appar-

ently, Koskinen achieved just that with his Muu chair, which was

awarded the prestigious Compasso D’Oro, only the second Finnish

designer and one of a handful of non-Italian Europeans to ever

garner this recognition.

The honor is even more rewarding given that the Muu almost did-

n’t get made. Koskinen recalls that after meeting ...