Vaarnii presents a new and brutalist take on the Scandinavian design aesthetic |

VAARNII PRESENTS A NEW AND BRUTALIST TAKE

ON THE SCANDINAVIAN DESIGN AESTHETIC

DESIGN

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Dining table and chair by Fredrik Paulsen

Launching this week, the Finnish furniture company Vaarnii aims to introduce “a new Finnish vernacular” using local materials and local makers - from specialised factories to individual craftsmen - which are all carefully introduced alongside the furniture pieces online. Their first range of furniture is completely made from uncultivated Scots Pine grown in the middle, north and north-east of the country, which is slow growing and thus more dense. Naturally occurring fractures are kept visible and filled with natural resin, staying true to Vaarniis values of honest and unconventional furniture making.

The first collection, including pieces by Industrial facility, Philippe Malouin and Max Lamb, gives a coherent impression with a strong identity and a brutalist aesthetic. Every piece is making use of the specific qualities and aesthetics of pine. The sturdy lounge chair by Max Lamb is “mathematical in its approach and transparent in its construction’ according to the designer. Soft Baroque have used the decorative effects from the joints in traditional log houses for their unapologetically bold sofa table, and Fredrik Paulsen have designed a robust dining table and chair, “signalling presence and challenging the sense of preciousness inherent in the field of design.”

VAARNII

Founded by Miklu Silvanto and Anttii Hirvonen and launched in April 2021, Vaarnii aims to work with local materials and craftspeople. The first collection in pine includes pieces by Industrial Facility, Fredrik Paulsen, Max Lamb, and Soft Baroque. The first collection is available online now, and further retailers will be added in the weeks to come.

WORDS

PHOTOGRAPHY

STYLING

Hanna Nova Beatrice

Jussi Puikkonen

Connie Hausser

Vaarnii want to provide an alternative to the current dominant Scandinavian design aesthetic. All furniture and accessories can be bought online at Vaarnii.com

A lot of effort went in to making the chair comfortable to use during long dinners without any upholstery.
“I love the patterns from the pine grain with the twigs and all; to me it's almost psychedelic. Pine also ages beautifully and as it’s so common in the north it makes it the ideal material to use,” Paulsen explains.

Vaarnii is on mission to push a contemporary vernacular, by “combining the local with the global, craft in concert with technology.”

“If a tree takes 100 years to grow, our furniture should last just as long.”

“Finland is a land of uncompromising extremes – where harsh winters melt into days of endless sunshine, silence is met with Heavy Metal, and the brutal goes hand-in-hand with the sophisticated,” Vaarnii states on their homepage.

The collection also includes smaller objects, such as a mirror by studio Industrial Facility and a bowl by Mac Collins.

The brain child of Miklu Silvanto, a Finnish-born designer with a past at the Industrial team at Apple, and Anttii Hirvonen, Vaarnii grew from years of discussions about creating “a different point of view to furniture and Finnishness.”

Every collection at Vaarnii springs from a specific material, starting with pine

Lounge Chair by Max Lamb

The first collection is available online now, and further retailers will be added in the weeks to come. The styling is made by Connie Hausser.

“Our philosophy is to make long-lasting pieces of furniture”, Vaarnii states on their website. “If a tree takes 100 years to grow, our furniture should last just as long.”