Biography

Designer Ilkka Suppanen (b. 1968) has studied architecture at the Technical University of Helsinki and Interior and Furniture Design in the University of Art and Design Helsinki. Already as a student, he worked actively abroad. In 1995, he founded Studio Suppanen in Helsinki. The studio offers integrated strategic design in the fields of interior, product and concept design and architecture. The studio is specialized in international, longterm projects and international co-operation in general. The clients of Studio Suppanen include Artek, Axis, Cappellini, Ferlea, Lucente, Luhta, Nokia, Proventus design and Saab automobiles.

Ilkka Suppanen has taught design at the University of Art and Design Helsinki since 1996. He has held lectures in several design seminars.

In 1997, he founded the Snowcrash design cooperative together with his three colleagues. From an international perspective, Snowcrash is one of the most significant Finnish design groups of today. The international breakthrough of Snowcrash has brought many work opportunities for Suppanen. In the year 2000, Suppanen served as the creative director of Snowcrash. He is capable of managing large-scale processes, and he believes it is important to understand the whole value chain of the company. He appreciates long-term projects that leave space for innovativeness.

Suppanen’s constant interest in production techniques and new materials and usages can be seen in many of his works. His expression is light, forward-looking and yet classically Scandinavian. He is one the best-known contemporary Finnish designers in the world. He has also received many international awards. In 1997, Suppanen and his Snowcrash team got the Young Designer of the Year Award in Germany. In the following year, 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, Design Forum awarded Ilkka Suppanen and Harri Koskinen the Young Designer of the Year prize.

Suppanen’s work has been exhibited worldwide including shows at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Milan Furniture Fair and the MoMA in New York. His works have been widely reported by the international press and significant publications. His works are part of the permanent collections of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Museum Für Angewandte Kunst in Köln.

Suppanen was born in the town of Kotka, which is located in southeast Finland, but he was brought up in the suburbs of Espoo, near Helsinki. The sea and sailing are an important part of his life. One of his most recent projects was Villa Ilo, a summerhouse in the Turku archipelago. Suppanen designed the beautiful building in
the middle of the element he loves – the sea.

studio suppanen • Sturenkatu 13, 00510 Helsinki - Finland
T +358 9 622 787 37 / F +358 9 622 3093
info@suppanen.com