Tapiovaara said that “it is impossible to create a new object without a point of reference—and nature is the best and closest manual for the industrial designer; whether in terms of the object’s purpose, that is, its functional requirements, or in terms of shape, colour, material and adequate proportion”. In 1955, when Alvar Aalto was the dominant figure of Helsinki’s cultural life, Ilmari Tapiovaara presented himself as the first Finnish non-architect designer. An expert in chairs and furniture, he created his sole and unique household lamp: Maija.

The Maija collection conveys the feeling of light in Baltic cities, where the streets are barely illuminated, apart from the light beaming through the windows of homes and shops: from the inside, outwards. Inspired by this, Tapiovaara created a honeycomb structure composed of stacked metal discs that filters out its happy inner light. Offered by Santa & Cole in its original pale pink version or white version.

A table, floor or pendant lamp, an impressive, luminous object. The Maija family is part of our Design Classics collection, a series of objects created throughout during the Modernist era.