Niklas Vaittinen

How long have you lived in Brighton? What made you move here?

I moved here in August 2006 to do my degree in Business and Marketing at the University of Brighton. After that I continued to do a Msc in Management & Entrepreneurship, and I now work in marketing.

What does Finnish design mean to you?

For me, Finnish design has always ‘been around’, but since moving abroad (first to The Netherlands in 2002), all aspects of my home country – including design – became more important. You can relate Finnish design to the country’s nature and mentality. I think Finnish design can be summarised in the following words: simple, practical, natural and sustainable.

Does Finnish design play a part in your daily life in any way?

Just with different objects we have in the house (Aalto vases, Iittala’s Marimekko bowl and drinking glasses as well as Marimekko fabrics, amongst others). Also, books on Finnish design (Oiva Toikka’s birds, Alvar Aalto architectural history, etc). Not coming from a design background myself, I feel like I view it from the ‘outside’ in some respects. I can appreciate the achievements and future investment on Finnish design, both at a domestic and a global level. Due to my background, I am of course keen to see to what extent global success can be achieved in future, and how well it is commercialised.

Which Finnish design item have you decided to be photographed with and why?

I chose one of the Aalto vases we have, and this particular one was given to me and my wife Raquel (Msc Sustainable Design from the University of Brighton) by my parents as a wedding gift. Raquel finds it fascinating how the Aalto vase and the Marimekko bowls are these ‘common’ items which are found in almost every household in Finland!

Photo by Sirpa Kutilainen.