I’ve noticed how easy it is to become blind for the beauty of your home city. Now when living in Paris, I’m constantly finding places I want to visit in Helsinki and Alvar Aalto’s studio and home were the first on my list.

A Helsinki based Japanese designer asked few days back, what is Finnish design to me. It’s very hard to put in to words something that you grew up with, but I found the answer from Aalto’s studio; purpose-driven and unpretentious. Like the Paimio chair above – it was designed for the tuberculosis patients of Paimio sanatorium. The chair made from bended plywood is light to move around, easy to clean and the shape opens respiratory tract and makes breathing easier.