Ilkka Suppanen, Biography

Ilkka Suppanen (b. 1968) studied architecture at the Helsinki University of Technology and Interior and Furniture Design at the University of Art and Design Helsinki. In 1995, he founded Studio Suppanen. The studio offers services in the fields of interior, product and concept design as well as architecture. The studio frequently develops concepts for clients like Nokia, Haworth and Saab. Suppanen also teaches design at the University of Art and Design Helsinki.

Suppanen’s constant interest in production techniques and new materials and applications is reflected in many of his works. His expression is light, forward-looking and yet classically Scandinavian. He has received many international awards, most recently the Swedish Bruno Mathsson Prize 2006.

In 1997, he founded the Snowcrash design cooperative together with three colleagues of his. The same year Suppanen and his Snowcrash team got the Young Designer of the Year Award in Germany. In 1998, he was nominated for the Dedalus prize for young European Designers by Ettore Sottsass as one of the four most important Designers under 40 years old. In 2000, the Design Forum Finland awarded the Young Designer of the Year prize to Ilkka Suppanen together with Harri Koskinen.

Suppanen is one the best-known contemporary Finnish designers. His work has been displayed in several exhibitions worldwide.including shows at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Milan Furniture Fair and the MoMA in New York. His works are also included in the permanent collections of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Museum für Angewandte Kunst in Cologne. www.suppanen.com