Annika Toijanen
My degree project has resulted in two wooden cabinets that tell part of my family history through the organic shapes I have implemented into them. The cabinet is a tribute to the life of my grandmother Aino and her younger sister Hanna and my way of symbolically reclaiming their right to the land, the forests and the lakes around their childhood home that the sisters did not get a share of in the inheritance from my great-grandparents when they passed away.Photo: Fredrik Sandin Carlsson
My passion lies in creating design that makes it easier for us to live in smaller living spaces without sacrificing quality, aesthetics and function in the process.
In my degree project, I want to create a design that pays homage to traditional wooden furniture. Pieces of furniture that tell a story and have played an important role in our homes historically, even though they may no longer be needed or used in the same way today. Furniture like the free-standing and lockable linen cabinet or the kitchen sofa with built-in storage and a place to sleep. Furniture that is large in size and can be hard to fit into today’s smaller homes but which holds huge sentimental value and is often handed down through several generations.
So, what if I could weave a piece of my family history into a piece of furniture for the future?
Close-up of the shapes in cabinets HANNA and AINO.
Photo: Fredrik Sandin Carlsson
Close-up of the cabinet HANNA.
