Ari Kanerva
Ari Kanerva was born in Lahti, Finland. He has studied furniture and stone design at Kymenlaakso University of Applied Sciences and after graduating from there he studied Spatial and Furniture Design at the University of Art and Design Helsinki and graduated (MA) in 2008. Alongside his studies he worked for the Finnish furniture design industry as a technical designer. In 2010 he founded his own design studio. Today, he is an internationally established designer based in Turku, Finland. His main focus is on furniture and product design. His studio also assists companies with product development. Each of his design is characterized by a careful research of items intended use and ergonomics. His style is minimalistic and very refined but always unique. Visual balance and thoughtful little details are regularly featured in his designs. Kanerva describes his working methods: “From a sketch on paper, through handmade mockups to a finished industrial product, it is the chain of problems and solutions that I find fascinating. I try to make my design simple and functional, yet play with forms. I also aim at a balanced appearance where none of the details predominate.” Ari was 2019 awarded Finnish Furniture Designer of the Year. www.arikanerva.com
In 2010, Kanerva started his own design studio. Today, he is an internationally established designer based in Turku, Finland, with a primary focus on furniture and product design. The design studio also assists companies with product development.
Each design is characterized by meticulous studies of the intended use and ergonomics of the product. His style is minimalist and refined, yet always unique. Visual balance and well-thought-out details are often found in his designs.
Kanerva describes his working method: 'From a sketch on paper, through hand-built prototypes to a finished industrial product, it's the chain of problems and solutions that I find so fascinating. I try to keep my style simple and functional, yet play with form. I also aim to find a balanced expression where none of the details becomes dominant.
In 2019, Ari was named Furniture Designer of the Year in Finland.