Ounasvaara Pendant Lamp

The problem

The assignment was to create a lamp, using only 1mm & 2 mm plywood and limited tools. After countless iterations and prototypes, I felt like I was able to create the atmosphere and feeling I was going for, while staying true to the limitations of the assignment.

Design process

Drawing inspiration from Alvar Aalto’s architecture, that surrounds us in Rovaniemi, and Ounasvaara fjell; a popular outdoors attraction in the heart of the city, known for it’s beatiful nature and atmospheric bonfire spots.

Prototyping and fabrication

Transforming the design into a model that could be easily produced in real life involved multiple iterations. The limitations of materials and tools presented exciting challenges that drove innovation. Ultimately, the result was a lamp that aligned with my original vision and could be produced with relative simplicity and repeatability, even on an industrial scale.

The Results

The finished products were held at display in a exhibition at design furniture shop Vepsäläinen in Rovaniemi, where they gained a lot of positive attention. After the exhibition the all the lamps were auctioned, and from all of the lamps in the exhibition, the Ounasvaara lamp gained the biggest bids in the auction.

Afterwards I was asked to produce several units from