Yrjö Kukkapuro

YRJÖ KUKKAPURO (Finland, 1933-2025) for Haimi Oy.
Pressu armchair, 1972.
Curved steel frame with nickel-plated finish. Seat and back upholstered in polyurethane coated canvas.
Very good state of preservation.
Measurements: 72 x 67 × 73 cm; 39 cm. seat height.

Pressu armchair, designed by Yrjö Kukkapuro in 1972 for Haimi Oy. The piece responds to the ergonomic and material research that characterizes the Finnish designer's work, especially focused on the seat as a functional, comfortable and structurally innovative object.

The armchair presents a continuous structure of curved nickel-plated steel, which acts both as a support and as a graphic element. Above it is a seat and backrest in polyurethane-covered canvas, tensioned by means of cylindrical volumes at the ends. This solution brings visual lightness to the ensemble and reinforces the dialogue between flexibility, strength and comfort.

Yrjö Kukkapuro was a Finnish furniture designer and interior designer, trained at the Institute of Industrial Arts in Helsinki, where he graduated as an interior architect in 1958. Among his most renowned designs are the Karuselli armchair, from 1964, as well as models such as Ateljee, Long Chair and Experiment. He received important distinctions, among them the Pro Finlandia medal in 1983 and the appointment as Honorary Royal Designer for Industry in 2002. His works are part of important international collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, institutions that hold some of his most emblematic designs.